The Truth About Butterflies: A Memoir [Kindle Edition]

Nancy Stephan (Author)

Book Description

They belong to each other, Nancy and Nicole--mother and daughter. They're two halves of a whole, two facets of the same breath--until the day Nicole exhales. . . and never inhales again.

After the death of her daughter, and quickly losing her own battle with grief, Nancy decides to move from the house she can no longer bear to live in. While packing, she comes across a box in the attic. Inside this box, Nancy uncovers treasures she didn't know existed and evidence that her and her daughter's lives had been more divinely entwined than she could've imagined.

The Truth About Butterflies is a true story of grief, hope, and transformation, and a single enduring truth: Life cannot be restrained by death.

*Once you've read the book, meet the people who make up Nancy's story. Scroll down and visit her Amazon author page or watch the video on YouTube, "Meet the Characters: The Truth About Butterflies"

Editorial Reviews

Review

Nancy Stephan was named Georgia Author of the Year at the 48th annual Georgia Author of the Year Awards Banquet. Stephan's book, "The Truth About Butterflies", won in the "Memoir" category. 105 authors were nominated in 12 categories. 

The GAYA (Georgia Author of the Year Award) has the distinction of being the oldest literary awards in the Southeastern United States. The Awards have grown in prestige and participation since its inception in 1964 by the Dixie Council of Authors and Journalists.

From the Author

"Thank you" to all who've read my story. I hope you've found something of value within its pages.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 373 KB
• Print Length: 162 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0615435459
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Rum & Baker; First (Amended) edition (August 2, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005FIT03A
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,127 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #5 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Death & Grief
  • #9 in Books > Self-Help > Death & Grief > Grief & Bereavement
  • #97 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Memoirs

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart wrenching but also heartwarming. A must read! April 22, 2012

By jangar

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

What can I say that hasn't already been said by other reviewers? It touched my heart, made me cry, made me think, and left a lasting impression on me. I read it in one sitting...I had to. I just couldn't put it down. Every mother and every daughter should read this book. I'd like to thank the author for sharing her and her daughters stories. As a daughter with diabetes, raised by a single mother with whom I'm very close to, it affected me deeply, and for that I am grateful.

58 of 67 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Subject Matter was difficult for me October 11, 2011

By Ezinwanyi

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I didn't love this book, but it wasn't anything the author did. I read books because I want happy endings and an escape from real life. This book was the real life that I am hiding from. The story was well written, and it was easy to read...the topic was the difficult part for me.

This is a story about a mother who was grieving the loss of her only child. Nancy's daughter, Nicole had been suffering from juvenile diabetes since age 8. The story begins while Nancy is making preparations to move Nicole to a hospice. Nancy begins to open up to the reader what a typical day in her life was like. The hospital trips, the talks with her daughter, her fears and her faith that GOD can heal and restore her only daughter to her. It was sad, yet gripping. It was honest, yet brutal at times. It was painful, yet encouraging.

This book felt like how I would imagine watching a woman trying not to drown (I've never actually seen anyone drown) and actually surviving. It was hard for me as a new mother but I was amazed at her faith in God. I recommend this book to anyone who has faced a loss or tragedy and they need someone to let them know that they will make it. Sometimes you need to hear that and I think this book is one of those encouraging voices.

The parts of the story that I really enjoyed was learning of her upbringing. I found myself laughing when her friend told her that she wasn't black or white, she was a "mixperado". Kids have such cute ways of looking that the world. I liked her foster mother, Erma Lee. She really handled Nancy with the best care she could, given what she had. I could imagine people talking with the southern drawl and dilect that would lead to the pronounciation of Cirrhosis as "sir-roaches". Her childhood was hard, especially being a ward of the state, but it built up the spirit of a survivor.
I think that is the lesson the author was trying to impart. We can weather the hardest storms of life, if we hold on to our faith.

*I was given a copy of this book by the author Nancy Stephan"

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Memoir Well Worth Reading July 17, 2012

By HappilyRetired

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I found Nancy Stephan's book to be eloquently written from the heart and thoroughly appreciated the read. She is a gifted storyteller who poignantly shared her journey through some of her childhood struggles which involved losing her mother when she was only eight and being placed in foster care, becoming a mother herself at fifteen, and tending that child through uncontrolled diabetes that eventually claimed her life in early adulthood. I liked her writing style and found her introspection and honesty appealing. While not exactly a book with a happy ending, it is a testament to her love and strength that I found admirable. Definitely a recommended read.

More About the Author

Nancy Stephan is the author of "The Truth About Butterflies: A Memoir" which earned the Atlanta resident a 2012 Georgia Author of the Year Award. She holds a master's degree in creative writing from Kennesaw State University and is a Writing Center supervisor for the University System of Georgia. "A Gary Girl's Guide to Good" is Nancy's most recent work and her first collection of poetry.