Jessica Fechtor

Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals the Brought Me Home Jessica Fechtor

Marc Notes: 'Stir' is a heartfelt examination of what it means to nourish and be nourished. At 28, Jessica Fetchor suffered a major aneurysm. She lost her sense of smell, the sight in her left eye and was forced to the sidelines of the life she loved. Her journey to recovery started in the kitchen, where she found peace in standing at the stovetop. This a memoir about this journey, including some of the recipes that helped her repair both her body and her life. Brief Description: " M. F. K. Fisher meets Brain on Fire in this exquisite memoir of a 28-year-old food blogger who cooks her way back to health after a near-fatal aneurysm Jessica Fechtor was on top of the world: a Harvard graduate student, happily married, and thinking about starting a family. Then, while attending an academic conference, she went for a run and an aneurysm burst in her brain. Multiple surgeries left her skull startlingly deformed. She lost her sense of smell, the sight in her left eye, and her confidence about who she was and what mattered. Jessica's journey to recovery began in the kitchen as soon as she was strong enough to stand at the stovetop and stir. There, she learned about the restorative powers of kneading, salting, and sifting, that food had something to tell her, and that it felt good to listen. For readers of Molly Wizenberg, Tamar Adler, Laurie Colwin, and Ruth Reichl, as well as Oliver Sacks and Jill Bolte Taylor, Stir is a memoir (with recipes) of what it means to fix what's broken and live with what can't be fixed, to nourish and be nourished, to remember what it is to be hungry, honor that hunger, and learn how to feed it"--Brief Description: "After suffering a brain aneurysm and a life-threatening infection, Jessica Fechtor set about cooking and baking to pull herself back together again, fixing what was broken, and living with what couldn't be fixed"--Review Quotes: Pairing food with the nightmare of surviving a brain aneurysm"shouldn't"work but under JessicaFechtor'swise and wonderful narration, the pairing not only works, it shines. Susannah Cahalan, author of the #1" New York Times "bestseller "Brain on Fire" Jessica Fechtor writes with remarkable lucidity, courage, and grace about the darkest and brightest moments a person can know. "Stir"will feed you, even after the last page is turned." Molly Wizenberg, creator of Orangette and author of the "New York Times "bestseller "A Homemade Life " Utterly captivating, engrossing, un-put-down-ably, terrifyingly magnificent. In a world filled with dross, "Stir "is breathtaking. Elissa Altman, author of "Poor Man s Feast" Written with the flare of a novelist and the precision of an academic, "Stir" is a brave, beautiful narrative of illness and recovery. But it is not only that. It is a meditation on food and the kitchen, what it means to cook, and how the choices we make at the table can define who we are and who we want to be. Molly Birnbaum, author of "Season to Taste" Fechtor's gentle lyricism cannot hide her fierce determinationnotonlytosurvive, buttoflourish." Luisa Weiss, creator of The Wednesday Chef and author of "My Berlin Kitchen" " Stir"is a beautiful, sometimes sad, often heart-lifting story of putting back together what has fallen apart. It is a poignant reminder of how inexorably tied our hearts and minds are to our stomachs, and what a blessing that can be. Tamar Adler, author of "An Everlasting Meal""Biographical Note: JESSICA FECHTOR writes the popular food blog, " Sweet Amandine." She is a PhD candidate in Jewish Literature at Harvard University, and lives with her husband and daughters in San Francisco. She doesn't believe in secret recipes. Review Quotes: "Pairing food with the nightmare of surviving a brain aneurysm "shouldn't" work -- but under Jessica Fechtor's wise and wonderful narration, the pairing not only works, it shines." -Susannah Cahalan, author of the #1" New York Times "bestseller "Brain on Fire" "Jessica Fechtor writes with remarkable lucidity, courage, and grace about the darkest and brightest moments a person can know. "Stir "will feed you, even after the last page is turned." -Molly Wizenberg, creator of Orangette and author of the "New York Times "bestseller "A Homemade Life " "Utterly captivating, engrossing, un-put-down-ably, terrifyingly magnificent. In a world filled with dross, "Stir "is breathtaking." -Elissa Altman, author of "Poor Man's Feast" "Written with the flare of a novelist and the precision of an academic, "Stir" is a brave, beautiful narrative of illness and recovery. But it is not only that. It is a meditation on food and the kitchen, what it means to cook, and how the choices we make at the table can define who we are - and who we want to be." -Molly Birnbaum, author of "Season to Taste" "Fechtor's gentle lyricism cannot hide her fierce determination not only to survive, but to flourish." -Luisa Weiss, creator of The Wednesday Chef and author of "My Berlin Kitchen" ""Stir" is a beautiful, sometimes sad, often heart-lifting story of putting back together what has fallen apart. It is a poignant reminder of how inexorably tied our hearts and minds are to our stomachs, and what a blessing that can be." -Tamar Adler, author of "An Everlasting Meal"Publisher Marketing: An exquisite memoir about how food connects us toourselves, our lives, and each other. At 28, Jessica Fechtor was happily immersed in graduate school and her young marriage, and thinking about starting a family. Then one day, she went for a run and an aneurysm burst in her brain. She nearly died. She lost her sense of smell, the sight in her left eye, and was forced to the sidelines of the life she loved. Jessica s journey to recovery began in the kitchen as soon as she was able to stand at the stovetop and stir. There, she drew strength from the restorative power of cooking and baking. Written with intelligence, humor, and warmth, "Stir"is a heartfelt examination of what it means to nourish and be nourished. Woven throughout the narrative are 27 recipes for dishes that comfort and delight. For readersof M. F. K. Fisher, Molly Wizenberg, and Tamar Adler, as well as Oliver Sacks, Jill Bolte Taylor, and Susannah Cahalan, "Stir"is sure to inspire, and send you straight to the kitchen." Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 05/01/2015 (EAN 9781594631320, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 05/04/2015 (EAN 9781594631320, Hardcover) Library Journal 05/15/2015 pg. 100 (EAN 9781594631320, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Fechtor, Jessica JESSICA FECHTOR writes the popular food blog, Sweet Amandine. She is a PhD candidate in Jewish Literature at Harvard University, where she has received numerous awards for her research and teaching. She lives with her husband and daughters in San Francisco, and doesn t believe in secret recipes.