In the tradition of Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping and Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge, a dazzling debut novel about the family bonds that remain even when they seem irretrievably torn apart Growing up in hardscrabble Kentucky in the 1920s, with their mother dead and their stepfather an ever-present threat, Bertie Fischer and her older sister Mabel have no one but each other—with perhaps a sweetheart for Bertie waiting in the wings. But on the day that Bertie receives her eighth-grade diploma, good intentions go terribly wrong. A choice made in desperate haste sets off a chain of misunderstandings that will divide the sisters and reverberate through three generations of women. What happens when nothing turns out as you planned? From the Depression through World War II and Vietnam, and smaller events both tragic and joyful, Bertie and Mabel forge unexpected identities that are shaped by unspeakable secrets. As the sisters have daughters and granddaughters of their own, they discover that both love and betrayal are even more complicated than they seem. Gorgeously written, with extraordinary insight and emotional truth, Nancy Jensen’s powerful debut novel illuminates the far-reaching power of family and family secrets.

The Sisters: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Jensen, Nancy

United States

St.Martin's Press

Family secrets reverberate for generations in one of the "Best Novels of 2011" (Kirkus Reviews)
Growing up without a mother in hardscrabble Kentucky in the 1920s, Bertie Fischer and her older sister, Mabel, have only each other―with perhaps a sweetheart for Bertie waiting in the wings. But on the day that Bertie graduates from eighth grade, good intentions go terribly wrong, setting off a chain of misunderstandings that will change the lives of the next three generations.
What happens when nothing turns out as you planned? From the Depression through the second world war and Vietnam, and smaller events both tragic and joyful, Bertie and Mabel forge unexpected identities that are shaped by a past that no one ever talks about. Gorgeously written, with extraordinary insight and emotional truth, Nancy Jensen's brilliant first novel, The Sisters, illuminates the far-reaching power of family and family secrets.

The Sisters: A Novel (Reading Group Gold)

St. Martin's: Griffin

Viewing schools from a cat’s perspective might help us to better understand students with autism. Imagine dogs as students at an elementary school – in the classroom, on the playground, following instructions, learning tricks, traveling with their pack and enjoying a day of directed activities. Now imagine cats as students at that same school. Following instructions? Learning to perform for treats? Traveling with a pack? Enjoying directed activities? Hmmm, maybe not. A student with autism faces some of the same challenges as those cats trying to succeed in schools designed for dogs. Using analogy, this little book looks at schools and the students they serve, with detailed insight, an optimistic view, and practical suggestions for supporting success for some very special students.

Cats at School: Understanding Students with Autism

Parenting & Relationships

Disabilities & Hyperactivity

Independently published

The Sisters

Growing up motherless and under the thumb of a cruel stepfather in hardscrabble 1920s Kentucky, Bertie Fisher and her older sister, Mabel, are torn apart by a painful misunderstanding that reverberates through the lives of their daughters and granddaughters. A first novel. (historical fiction).

The Sisters (Thorndike Press Large Print Basic)

Thorndike Press

The Girl Who Cried “Wolf!” is the heroic story of Nancy Jensen’s journey through mental illness to recovery. Raised in small-town Colorado Nancy learned early to depend on church support. A challenging family life combined with further challenges in school left her searching for God and family elsewhere. Her search led her to Newton, Kansas, where she found a home first in a communal church before spending just over a year at Kaufman House. Kaufman House was supposed to be a great and progressive place for mentally ill. It was not. When she tried to blow the whistle, she found that no one believed her. She was the girl who cried “Wolf!” Almost 20 years later Arlan and Linda Kaufman were taken to trial. With the help of Nancy’s testimony the federal government found both guilty. Since then Nancy has worked to pass a law preventing such oversight in the future, received the prestigious Voice Award, and is currently a member of the Sedgwick County Mental Health Advisory Board. After a lifetime of mental illness she has taken control of her treatment including eliminating medications and dropping-off government support in order to work full-time.

The Girl Who Cried "Wolf!": A Memoir

Biographies & Memoirs

Swink Ph.D, Nathan P.

Memoirs

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

In Our Midst

Dzanc Books

Drawing upon a long-suppressed episode in American history, when thousands of German immigrants were rounded up and interned following the attack on Pearl Harbor, In Our Midst tells the story of one family’s fight to cling to the ideals of freedom and opportunity that brought them to America.
 Nina and Otto Aust, along with their teenage sons, feel the foundation of their American lives crumbling when, in the middle of the annual St. Nikolas Day celebration in the Aust Family Restaurant, their most loyal customers, one after another, turn their faces away and leave without a word. The next morning, two FBI agents seize Nina by order of the president, and the restaurant is ransacked in a search for evidence of German collusion. 
 Ripped from their sons and from each other, Nina and Otto are forced to weigh increasingly bitter choices to stay together and stay alive. Recalling a forgotten chapter in history, In Our Midst illuminates a nation gripped by suspicion, fear, and hatred strong enough to threaten all bonds of love―for friends, family, community, and country.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jensen, Nancy. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Jensen, Nancy

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Jensen, Nancy. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Sisters: A Novel

The Sisters: A Novel (Reading Group Gold)

Cats at School: Understanding Students with Autism

The Sisters

The Sisters (Thorndike Press Large Print Basic)

The Girl Who Cried "Wolf!": A Memoir

In Our Midst

In Our Midst