A Memoir Winner of the Wisconsin Library Association Award, 2011. An Oprah Magazine Great Read Louise Nayer illuminates both the emotional intensity of loss and the surprising strength that is summoned up for the sake of loved ones. Burned is the story of a family stripped to their barest elements and held together by love. "Your parents were extraordinary people. It seems a miracle that they could have a reasonably normal and content life after that tragedy." --Isabel Allende  "Meticulous and moving... Louise Nayer's memoir makes a large statement about human healing." --Carl Dennis, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.  "As a poet and writer Louise Nayer has established herself as a singular voice of her generation." --Robert Creeley  "Louise's beautifully crafted story took great courage to write. Though it is about a freak accident and two children separated from their parents, it is ultimately about the road they all took to become a family again--the strength to feel the truth of what happened and the strength to carry on." --Julia Scheeres, NYT best selling Author of Jesus Land and A Thousand Lives.  " A gripping memoir  written from both the child and parent's perspective and vividly captures the angst that Louise and her family endured as a result of a tragic accident. The book follows the transformation of an amazing family determined to heal from a catastrophic event." --Charlene Pell, Author and Head of Facing Forward.  "An extraordinary book. Heart-wrenching yet always readable. This book is a learning opportunity about all sorts of trauma." --Dr. Anne Benham, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Stanford Univerisity.

Burned: A Memoir

Biographies & Memoirs

Nayer, Louise

Community & Culture

Blue Light Press

A guide to developing family rituals and celebrations to commemorate life's transitional events offers simple and practical ideas for funny, spiritual, and deeply moving ceremonies, including special Thanksgiving parties and Valentine's Day suggestions.

How to Bury a Goldfish: And 113 Other Family Rituals for Everyday Life

Parenting & Relationships

Lang, Virginia

Family Activities

Daybreak Books

This is the old, discontinued edition. Please see the NEW 2016 EDITION ISBN-13: 978-1421837604 When tragedy makes us unrecognizable from without,how can we defend what lies within? The history of the Nayers was divided by one violent, accidental moment. In the time it took her to light a match in the cellar of their rented vacation home, Dorothy and her husband Hank were engulfed in a flash fire. She barely survived, her face scarred beyond recognition, her body required to endure thirty-seven operations. He was scarcely better off, convinced that survival had been the cruelest of outcomes. Yet the greatest injustice of all was the estrangement of their young daughters, who didn't see their parents for nine months after the accident. Their reconnection to people who no longer seemed familiar was painful and slow. Four decades later, their daughter Louise recounts this difficult transformation with a poetic candor that evokes the relentless determination of her mother and the silent desperation of her father. Burned is the story of how life can be restored through the sheer force of will.

Memoirs

Atlas

A unique narrative on a unique time, offering solace to people nearing retirement. Poised for Retirement is not your parents’ retirement guide, nor is it a financial planning guide; rather, it’s the relatable story of an ordinary working woman reflecting on her life and career.
Written with humor, compassion, and poignancy, Nayer’s poetic prose is also inspirational. Easy to implement visualizations and breathing and sleep techniques are offered at the end of each chapter. Readers will gain insight and wisdom as the author learns to create a new and healthier life during this important transition.
<ul>
<li>A timely topic for Baby Boomers (born between 1946 1962), representing twenty percent of the US population by 2029.</li>
<li>Every month more than a quarter-million Americans turn sixty-five.</li>
<li>Includes interviews with a diverse group of experts and laypeople who share their experiences as they face the same decision point in their lives.</li>
</ul>
Louise Nayer, is a writer and educator. She was a professor of English and creative writing for over twenty-seven years at City College of San Francisco. Presently, she is part of the San Francisco Grotto Writer’s Collective and teaches workshops at OLLI UC Berkeley. Her book Burned: A Memoir was an Oprah Great Read and won the 2011 Wisconsin Library Association Award. She lives in San Francisco, California.

Poised for Retirement: Moving from Anxiety to Zen

Professionals & Academics

Central Recovery Press

Narrow Escapes

Arts & Literature

Spuyten Duyvil Publishing

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Books by Nayer, Louise