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

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: New York, Park Hill, Reid Hill (more...)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Price: $18.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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  • This item: Off Kilter: A Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her Mother, and Her Polish Heritage by Linda C Wisniewski

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...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


Product Description

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."

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 (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,110,833 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Linda C. Wisniewski
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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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
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.
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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
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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Life Examined, August 15, 2008
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!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Loving and Honest
What I most admire about Linda Wisniewski's memoir is that she understands the process of healing from past wounds is a multi-faceted experience. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Critic's Choice

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks for the memories...
Off Kilter arrived from Amazon about 11am this morning . I just finished it. (3:30 pm)
Thank you for writing this book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Fran

5.0 out of 5 stars Artistic
Linda's first published memoir, OFF KILTER is a creative look at her life and times.
Off Kilter is not a catharsis for pain, but rather an artistic reconstruction of her... Read more
Published 14 months ago by J. Edelman

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Women's Story
I connected with Linda's story and her struggle to grow into an independent woman. It brought out long dormant memories and I enjoyed the emotional ride. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Meryl

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rich Stew of a Story
I don't recall reading another memoir that managed to convey a strong sense of personal involvement with the content with such compassion and understanding. Read more
Published 15 months ago by S. Lippincott

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest and Insightful
The author delves into the legacy she inherited; the legacy that formed both her character and her crooked spine. Read more
Published 15 months ago by M. Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying
For some of us readers, "difficult childhood" may seem redundant, but Linda Wisniewski unflinchingly revisits hers and takes us along for the ride. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Karen McG

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
I thought this memoir was a heart-felt journey from despair to empowerment and hope. Linda Wisniewski critically examines her past and makes peace with it. Read more
Published 15 months ago by D. Sinovic

1.0 out of 5 stars Depressing!
A real downer. Feels like reading notes from a therapy session. This is one bitter woman! Sad. (I have depression-era parents and scoliosis too. Life is what you make of it. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Barbara C. Higgens

4.0 out of 5 stars Everyone Has A Story
I really enjoyed this book because I could relate to some of the places Linda's Polish roots took her in her younger years. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Joseph J. Obelcz

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