Off Kilter: A Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, and Her Polish Heritage [Paperback]

Linda C Wisniewski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

Even before she was diagnosed with scoliosis at thirteen, Linda Wisniewski felt off kilter. Born to a cruel father and a long-suffering mother in the insulated Polish Catholic community of upstate New York, she learned martyrdom as a way of life. Off Kilter shows her learning to stretch her Self as well as her spine as she comes to terms with her mentally deteriorating, widowed mother and her culture. Only by accepting her physical deformity, her emotionally unavailable mother, and her Polish American heritage does she finally find balance and a life that fits. Susan Wittig Albert calls Off Kilter a "splendid first memoir 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."

Editorial Reviews

Review

Expertly balancing pathos and triumph, Wisniewski never wallows in self-pity... 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. 
--Marc Schuster, Small Press Reviews

Despite the subject matter, the book is a surprisingly easy read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for peace, self-worth and contentment in their lives. In fact, I'm sure most readers will derive something positive from the book.
Betty Gelean, Front Street Reviews

compelling....highly recommended for community library memoir collections.

Midwest Book Review's 
Small Press Bookwatch

"...Wisnniewski 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

"...one woman's testimony to the effects of childhood abuse, which left her 'off kilter' in more than one way." -- Linda Joy Myers, author of Becoming Whole: Writing Your Healing Story & Don't Call Me Mother

"A courageous, insightful book, particularly relevant for anyone who grew up feeling physically 'different.'" -- Maureen Murdock, author of Unreliable Truth: On Memoir and Memory

"All of us can relate...yoga helps Linda find alignment, flexibility and strength to discover her own inner balance." -- Elise Browning Miller, M.A., Iyengar Yoga teacher & author of Yoga for Scoliosis & Yoga: Anytime, Anywhere

"Unflinchingly honest....It touched me deeply and will remain in your heart long after you've turned the last page." -- Mary Shafer, author of Wisconsin: The Way We Were & Devastation on the Delaware

From the Inside Flap

Advance Praise from Susan Tiberghien, author of One Year to a Writing Life, Footsteps: A European Album, & Looking for Gold: A Year in Jungian Analysis:

"Off Kilter offers 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 house, 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 dscribed -- specific details that the reader sees, touches, and feels. And always with honesty and integrity."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: Pearlsong Press (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597190128
• ISBN-13: 978-1597190121
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #974,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born and raised in Amsterdam, NY, a town that is a major character in my book,Off Kilter. I've raised two fine young sons. One is a poet and editor, and the other a high school senior and computer guru and my go-to guy for all things internet. Currently, I'm a substitute librarian and write features for the Bucks County Herald, a weekly newspaper.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Telling It True, August 1, 2008

By 

Susan (Bertram, TX, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Off Kilter: A Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, and Her Polish Heritage (Paperback)

I loved this energetic, thoughtful, courageous book about the ways we can be thrown off-balance by life's many challenges. What I admire about Linda Wisniewski's memoir is the way she uses all her experiences, no matter how painful, to bring herself back into balance--and help to show the rest of us how we, too, can find a way through pain.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scoliosis was the least of her problems., July 10, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Off Kilter: A Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, and Her Polish Heritage (Paperback)

Scoliosis was the least of her problems. "Off Kilter: A Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, & Her Polish Heritage" is the story of a woman's truly American life. She must deal with an abusive father, an apathetic mother, and the rigid stiffness of the Catholic Church. Only when she accepts her affliction, her family, and her heritage does she find a life she can live with it all in this compelling memoir. "Off Kilter: A Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, & Her Polish Heritage" is highly recommended for community library memoir collections.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Life Examined, August 15, 2008

By 

M. Vieille (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Off Kilter: A Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, and Her Polish Heritage (Paperback)

In Off Kilter the reader is given an insightful look at the author's life growing up in a working class Polish neighborhood in upstate New York. Linda Wisniewski has the courage to examine a difficult childhood in her beautifully written memoir. In the process she comes to terms with her past and is liberated from years of torment and anger. This thoughtful book gives meaning to the words of Socrates, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Bravo!