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Slow Motion
Slow Motion: A True Story | Dani Shapiro
10 posts | 12 read | 5 to read
From one of the most gifted writers of her generation comes the harrowing and exqui-sitely written true story of how a family tragedy saved her life. Dani Shapiro was a young girl from a deeply religious home who became the girlfriend of a famous and flamboyant married attorney--her best friend's stepfather. The moment Lenny Klein entered her life, everything changed: she dropped out of college, began to drink heavily, and became estranged from her family and friends. But then the phone call came. There had been an accident on a snowy road near her family's home in New Jersey, and both her parents lay hospitalized in critical condition. This haunting memoir traces her journey back into the world she had left behind. At a time when she was barely able to take care of herself, she was faced with the terrifying task of taking care of two people who needed her desperately. Dani Shapiro charts a riveting emotional course as she retraces her isolated, overprotected Orthodox Jewish childhood in an anti-Semitic suburb, and draws the connections between that childhood and her inevitable rebellion and self-destructiveness. She tells of a life nearly ruined by the gift of beauty, and then saved by the worst thing imaginable. This is a beautiful and unforgettable memoir of a life utterly transformed by tragedy.
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megnews
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Panpan

Spoiled little rich girl can't handle her rich world without the numbing effects of alcohol and cocaine. Wealth is wasted on the wealthy. Why do mistresses feel the need to write exposes for their lover's wives and children to be humiliated before the world? Go to confession rather than writing a book. I harbor no sympathy for homewreckers, no matter how young and naive they are. If I'd read this first I never would have made it to Inheritance.

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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

Another 5 star audiobook from Dani Shapiro. I wish I had started Dani‘s journey with her from the beginning instead of making my way backward, beginning with her latest memoir first. Regardless, her books “speak” to me as someone who was raised in an Orthodox Jewish home similar in customs/ traditions such as Dani experienced. This memoir deals with a tragic car accident & its aftermath. While Dani dealt with her misgivings completely 👇🏽

Cinfhen different than I ever did, I could appreciate her confusion. I LOVE that Dani reads her own audiobooks, her intonation is soothing & mesmerizing. She really draws you into her story. I‘ve read Devotion & Inheritance and loved those too. I can‘t remember who on Litsy introduced me to Dani Shapiro but I thank you so much 😊 3y
TrishB Lovely review ♥️ 3y
Megabooks I loved Inheritance and Devotion, but I think I‘ll skip this because of the car accident. I‘m glad she resonates with you so much! 💜💜 3y
See All 8 Comments
Cinfhen It‘s a heartbreaking story @Megabooks which you probably don‘t need to visit but her long standing affair, with a married man, the stepfather of her college friend, was quite tantalizing. I‘m going to read/listen to this one next ( the story of her marriage) again, I‘m reading out of order 3y
Cinfhen Thanks @TrishB xx How‘s C?? How are you?? 3y
Cathythoughts Yes ! Lovely review, I‘ve never read her , but I love the cover of Inheritance.. maybe I‘m try one 👍🏻❤️ 3y
Cinfhen Thanks @Cathythoughts I think the tagged memoir is her first but I‘m not sure it‘s the right one to start with. Maybe following my backward descent wasn‘t so bad. Inheritance was the one that got me hooked 3y
TrishB C seems fine 🤞🏻 I feel like I have a cloud over my head, too many work/home things stressing me out! I‘m sure it will all sort itself out ♥️ thank you for asking x 3y
71 likes8 comments
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Cinfhen
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I‘m a Dani Shapiro fan girl and this audio was calling to me 💕

Centique Such a pretty photo! 3y
Cinfhen Thanks SO MUCH @Centique XX How‘s #HisElderliness ??? 3y
Centique @Cinfhen he‘s doing a lot better thank you. I still can‘t see him but maybe in two weeks if we go down another level in lockdown. My sister (one person is allowed in) sent me a photo and he looks so frail but he‘s meeting people now and hopefully getting used to it. 3y
59 likes3 comments
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DrSabrinaMoldenReads
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Pickpick

I loved this book so very much. It gave me everything I need as a reader. Her writing was superb, making me feel I was truly in situations with her, feeling all of her deep feelings. There were many life lessons, the major and most inspirational one being that we truly “can start all over again” and do what‘s best for ourselves. The emotional intensity of this story was cathartic in the best ways for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

umbrellagirl Or, should I say, her other memoir. 5y
DrSabrinaMoldenReads It‘s going to be amazing to read “Inheritance” after this book. I read “Devotion” in the past but can‘t recall it and she has written about her marriage @umbrellagirl 5y
umbrellagirl @Joyfulmimi I haven‘t read any of her others yet but I plan to. Glad you liked this one. 5y
34 likes1 stack add4 comments
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DrSabrinaMoldenReads
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The story of my life these days...I want to stay home and finish this book, a memoir feeling like a novel, building up to a climax...

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Insightsintobooks
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One of my favorite authors!!

#kindledeals #kindledeal #ebooksale

50 likes2 stack adds
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Eyelit
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Slowly but surely making my way through #litsyreadingchallenge - and don't even ask me about my other challenges 😆

I'm looking for recs for the About Music/Theatre square. The one I had planned to read is no longer available from my library. Any good ones you want to tell me about? 🙂

#litsyreadingchallenge2017 #lrc2017

Bklover How about Phantom of the Opera? 7y
Eyelit @Bklover thanks! I've already read that one, though 😃 7y
MicheleinPhilly I have this one but haven't read it yet 7y
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DGRachel Have you read If We Were Villains? It centers around collegiate Shakespearean actors. 7y
Theresa I'm hoping to read this, but I'm not really sure if it'll count. I'm not sure how music/theater it is. I'll have to decide once I start it. 7y
DrexEdit I read this one for the same prompt. It's an older book though so I don't know how available it is. 7y
Maike It might not be that obvious, but Station Eleven is about a traveling theatre group 7y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa I read The Spy, a story about Mata Hari and her life and stints in the theater and the World War. Not the most conventional pick, but it was an interesting read. 7y
BibliOphelia For theater, Alan Cummings memoir. For music, Neil Young or Keith Richards' memoir, or a second on Just Kids. 7y
Natasha.C.Barnes Yeeeeessss to Just Kids! I just read it for that category and loved it. 7y
JazzFeathers You have already checked out so many squares! 😱 7y
lynneamch For music related, I loved 7y
lynneamch And, of course, 7y
Eyelit @MicheleinPhilly I've got that on my list for sure. If only it weren't close to 500 pages I'd use it for this challenge 😁 7y
Eyelit @DGRachel ooh - that one sounds good. Thanks! 7y
Eyelit @Theresa it counts, no doubt. It also sounds interesting. I'm adding that my tbr - thanks!! 7y
Eyelit @DrexEdit I'm not familiar with the music man, but your review makes it sound good. Stacked! 7y
Eyelit @Maike nice! I've wanted to read that one for a while. Thanks! 7y
Eyelit @Riveted_Reader_Melissa ooh - that sounds fascinating! Added to my tbr. Thanks! 7y
Eyelit @drokka that sounds heartbreaking and interesting. Adding to shortlist. Thanks! 7y
Eyelit @BibliOphelia ooh! I've got the Alan Cumming book on my kindle! Didn't even think of it. Thanks!! Also, with so much love for just kids it's definitely on my tbr list now 7y
Eyelit @Natasha.C.Barnes added just kids to my tbr for sure! 7y
Eyelit @JazzFeathers thanks! I feel like I'm not making much progress and time feels much shorter than it is 😆 7y
Eyelit @lynneamch thanks! I've not heard of revolution and will look into it. Loved high fidelity 😃 7y
108 likes25 comments
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Eyelit
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I've made very little progress on my #litsyreadingchallenge - I seriously need to step up my game. No more library books until I can cross off at least three squares!
(The stickler in me feels the need to point out that I used the same sticker twice not because it was the same book - but because I used book 1 of a series for one square and book 2 for another - all squares are different books 😆) sigh. #lrc2017 #litsyreadingchallenge2017

rockpools I sympathise! My LitsyAtoZ looks as bad - it was supposed to be all books from my shelves, but I swear those library books just follow me home! 8y
Suelizbeth You're still doing well and there's still 7 months left. 📚❤️ 8y
79 likes2 comments
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mrldg
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The first memoir, events after parents' terrible car crash eventually led to sobriety and moving away from a part of her life that was clearly unsafe/unhealthy. Haven't decided if I'll read Devotion, the next memoir.

Erynecki Loved this one! 8y
15 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Erynecki
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I'm ploughing through this memoir and finding it both sad and totally powerful. The words quoted here are from an interview included at the back about advice to writers. Shapiro says, "Be true to yourself. Do the work that matters to you..." So important.

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