My Review of Musical Chairs by Jen Knox

Musical Chairs is a naked view into a young woman’s sometimes anguishing journey through life. Jen Knox tells her story with heartfelt honesty and gutsy determination. From page one the reader becomes immersed in the struggles of a young girl to become something better than herself. She attempts to climb new heights as she wanders through a life filled with angst. This is a memoir worth delving into for anyone interested in the highs and lows of a girl in search of herself and the meaning of life. Knox writes with wit and wisdom as she leads the reader through a series of adventures of life. It is not always easy to follow her through this twisted maze. It is full of pain and heartbreak, as well as love and good times. Readers will come away from this story with a deeper understanding of what it is to really live a life.

Julie Achterhoff
Author of Quantum Earth and Deadly Lucidity

Jen Knox: ATTMP Author of the Week

Jen Knox: ATTMP Author of the Week.

Jen Knox Blog Tour

Musical Chairs explores one family’s history of mental health diagnoses and searches to define the cusp between a ’90s working-class childhood and the trouble of adapting to a comfortable life in the suburbs. In order to understand her restlessness, Jennifer reflects on years of strip-dancing, alcoholism, and estrangement. Inspired by the least likely source, the family she left behind, Jennifer struggles towards reconciliation. This story is about identity, class, family ties, and the elusive nature of mental illness.
Excerpt
(Prologue)
Throughout the summer of 2003 I repeatedly underwent what psychologists have since diagnosed as post-traumatic stress and panic disorder.  A spiritually-inclined friend refers to the same summer as my rebirthing period.& nbsp; Still others, who claim to have had similar experiences, tell me that such episodes were probably a warning, my body’s way of telling me to adopt healthier eating habits, exercise more or quit smoking.  At the time, all I knew was that the onset was swift.

Review: Alvah’s Book Reviews (to read the entire review, click here).
“[Musical Chairs is] well-written, which means Jen Knox knows how to string words together into comprehensible sentences.  And her ‘voice’ is honest, unapologetic and – vital! – likeable.  In other words, she’s like the Apostle Peter in the Bible.  She’s a weak, frail, vulnerable human being, who makes lots of mistakes.  Which means – thank God – that she is human.  Which means that despite all her flaws and failures, she is not a fraud or a charlatan.  She’s not pretending to be someone who has their ‘shit’ together. 
Jen and most of her family are gloriously dysfunctional – just like most families.  And they have a tendency toward mental illness.  And – shockingly – she talks about it.  Which is what makes her story and her book so wonderful.  It’s downright refreshing to read a book that acknowledges what most people know is true, but are afraid to confess:  Most people are one brick short of a load.  Which is what makes them and life so interesting.”

To watch the Musical Chairs Trailer, go to Knoxworx Multimedia.
To purchase Musical Chairs, go to Amazon, ATTM Press, or Barnes & Noble.
For more information about Jen, go to www.jenknox.com or http://jenknox.blogspot.com/
For more information about ATTMP, go to http://www.allthingsthatmatterpress.com/ or http://allthingsthatmatterpress.blogspot.com/

BUY NOW http://www.amazon.com/Musical-Chairs-Jen-Knox/dp/0984259422/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268347842&sr=1-1