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Off Kilter
A Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, & Her Polish Heritage
by Linda C. Wisniewski
New from Pearlsong Press
Original trade paperback | 164 pgs | $18.95 | Read an excerpt
ISBN: 978-1-59719-012-1

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Advance Praise for Off Kilter
from Susan Tiberghien
author of
One Year to a Writing Life
Footsteps: A European Album
& Looking for Gold: A Year in Jungian Analysis
& founder of the Geneva Writers Group

"Off Kilter opens a window into a woman's life as she comes to peace with her Polish ancestry, her mother's depressive behavior, and her own scoliosis, a side-to-side curvature of the spine, discovered when she was thirteen. Linda Wisniewski weaves the threads beautifully together, sometimes on a slant, as she leads the reader into the compelling story of a survivor. After a few pages, the reader is captured by the author's voice
―both heartfelt and perceptive, that of a friend―
and by the narrative itself.

"Wisniewski's memoir is a tapestry, each thread connecting back to memories of her Polish Catholic childhood in a postwar mill town in upstate New York―the two-story clapboard houses, the polka weddings, the house full of talking relatives, the best kielbasa from the Polish butcher―struggling to find herself in the midst of her father's torments, her mother's tears, and the discipline of the Sisters at school, their voices cold as ice.

"As the author writes her way through the remembered moments of her life, she finds herself no longer at loose ends with her childhood, but instead fitting the ends into the pattern of her life. Even her mother finds her place. When Linda sews, each sound, each touch becomes a thread to her mother. 'The feel of the tissue paper pattern, the placement of the pins attaching it to the fabric
just the way I watched her do it. The chop, chop of the scissors taking me back to the kitchen table that was her cutting board.'

"The broken yardstick from her mother's sewing becomes the talisman of her life. 'The yardstick resembles my life; it has broken parts. Nothing has been a straight line from here to there.' Her back has been twisted by scoliosis. Her body and life have been off kilter. But the yardstick, mended and carefully glued back together,
is now hers. It measures her struggle to stretch
not only her spine but also her Self.

Bravo for this well-written, well-conceived memoir.
The many different scenes of Wisniewski's life are beautifully described―specific details that the reader sees, touches,
and feels. And always with honesty and integrity."

Praise from Mary Shafer
author of
Wisconsin: The Way We Were
& Devastation on the Delaware

"Unflinchingly honest, Off Kilter immediately feels like a rare,
soul-baring chat with a treasured friend. Author Linda C. Wisniewski turns her clear-eyed gaze on the lessons of a
lonely childhood stifled by the ask-no-questions authoritarianism
of an insular immigrant culture. Yet it's also a love letter
to the beloved customs and sense of belonging
that arise out of a sense of being 'other.'

"...Off Kilter gives readers permission to take a compassionate look at their own inherited psychic wounds.
 No indulgent navel-gazing, the gentle rhythm
of Wisniewski's disciplined, well-crafted prose
and incisive observations make Off Kilter a gift to anyone
who has fought to create an authentic individual identity.

"Forgoing the easy temptation to simply blame,
Wisniewski instead seeks the grace to understand, forgive
and somehow connect with those who hurt her most.
Ultimately, this book is testament to the triumph of determination over acquiescence, of love over fear. It touched me deeply
and will remain in your heart long after you've turned the last page."

Praise from Elise Browning Miller, M.A.
Iyengar Yoga teacher
& author of
Yoga: Anytime, Anywhere
& Yoga for Scoliosis (DVD)

"'Off Kilter' is a perfect title for this book. All of us can relate!
Linda Wisniewski is diagnosed with scoliosis, a lateral curve
of the spine, at age fourteen, and is also troubled
by her childhood with an abusive father and a depressed mother
 in a Polish Catholic community. Always trying to please,
Linda finds herself contorted and off balance from
childhood to adulthood. Off Kilter is an eye opener
into the life of a woman who learns to deal with the challenges
 of life and as an adult finds peace in honoring herself.
Learning to live with her less than perfect body and childhood,
yoga helps Linda find alignment, flexibility and strength
to discover her own inner balance."

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Linda C. Wisniewski's
Pearlsong Press newsroom page

Linda C. Wisniewski's Author page

Linda C. Wisniewski Author Info PDF

PDF of Advance Praise for Off Kilter

Suggested interview questions
for Linda C. Wisniewski
PDF

Linda C. Wisniewski's website

Story Circle Network interview
of Linda C. Wisniewski

Small Press Reviews
on Off Kilter

Story Circle Network review
of Off Kilter

Another Story Circle Network
review of Off Kilter

Front Street Reviews on Off Kilter

Front Street Reviews interview
of Linda C. Wisniewski

Tips for Writing Memoirs
(article by Linda C. Wisniewski)

WVTL Radio interview with
Linda C. Wisniewski
(mp3 recording)

Praise for Off Kilter

"Writing in a style reminiscent of
Frank McCourt, Wisniewski conjures
the ghosts of a troubled and emotionally fraught childhood throughout the majority of her memoir so that she can exorcise them in the final chapters....Expertly balancing pathos and triumph, Wisniewski never wallows in self-pity. Rather, she gathers strength from her setbacks and finds a renewed sense of purpose with each curve life sends her way.
In this sense, Off Kilter is a
fine testament to the resilience
of the human spirit and to the
healing power of the written word."

Macr Schuster
Small Press Reviews

"Wisniewski comes to terms
with her 'off kilter' life by
revisiting in vivid images a childhood
that insisted 'suffering is good.'
Readers with very different histories
 will recognize their own struggles against forces that threaten
to criipple them, and will be
 heartened by Wisniewski's journey
to understand and forgive,
to heal and make peace,
 and to create and
live a new life."

Joan Weimer
author of the memoirs
Back Talk:
Teaching Lost Selves to Speak
& Awestruck:
A Skeptic's Pilgrimage

"This splendid first memoir is about
the difficult business of finding balance
in our lives. Funny, honest, deeply moving, Off Kilter reminds us
just how hard it is to adjust to
the physical pain, the emotional loss, and even the surprising beauty
of being fully who we are.
Kudos to Linda Wisniewski!"

Susan Wittig Albert
author of Spanish Dagger
& Bleeding Hearts

"Many memorists are asked by
family members, 'Why are you
bringin' this up now?' In Off Kilter,
Linda Wisniewski succeeds in answering
this question. Exploring her Polish
Catholic heritage in upstate New York
with an emotionally distant mother
and constantly feeling off balance
from the shape of her spine,
Wisniewski stretches herself
emotionally and spiritually as an adult
to find solid ground to stand on.
A courageous insightful book, particularly relevant for anyone
who grew up feeling physically
'different.'"

Maureen Murdock
author of
Unreliable Truth:
On Memoir and Memory

"After darkness comes light, and in
Off Kilter Linda Wisniewski takes us
on her personal journey to overcome
her challenging past to emerge
a balanced, compassionate woman."

Leslie Pietrzyk
author of
A Year and a Day
& Pears on a Willow Tree

"Off Kilter is one woman's testimony to the effects of childhood abuse, which left her 'off kilter' in more than one way. Her spine was not straight but her heart and mind were always on a sight-line to what is right, what is good, and what is redeeming in the human heart. Linda writes with candor and honesty about her healing journey to forgiveness and wholeness, and the blessings of a life that is heart-centered. Everyone should read this lovely book!"

Linda Joy Myers
author of
Becoming Whole:
Writing Your Healing Story
 & Don't Call Me Mother

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