​S. Jane Gari author of Losing the Dollhouse
Reviews, Media and Press Kit
Reviews for Losing the Dollhouse:
"It takes tremendous courage and strength to share the most vulnerable parts of our lives with the world. I thank S. Jane Gari for giving a voice to important issues and victims that are all too often ignored."
--Ashley Rhodes-Courter, Author of the International Bestseller, Three Little Words
“Gari matter-of-factly and without sentimentality shares the silenced horrors she endured from her stepfamily and a mother who allowed it. I found myself cheering for her as she navigates her way toward a voice of her own.”
--Kerry Cohen, author of Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity
“Gari has written a beautiful, bighearted book on family secrets, memory, and most of all, the power of love and forgiveness.”
– Mary Elizabeth Williams, Author of Gimme Shelter and A Series of Catastrophes and Miracles: A True Story of Love, Science, and Cancer
Click here for the review from Feed Me in Books.
Click here for the review from Breeni Books.
Click here for the review from Julie's Book Review.
Click here for the review from Readers' Favorite.
In the Media
The Columbia Star
"Losing the Dollhouse, a memoir to heal the past"
By Julia Rogers Hook
Shut Up and Read
Press Release
By Don McCauley
The South Carolina Writers' Workshop
The Free Times
"Potter’s Raid Through South Carolina, Losing the Dollhouse, Kudzu River"
By Charlie Nutt
Guest Blog Posts by S. Jane Gari
Writers Digest: Guide to Literary Agents:
"Giving Back: How to Expand Your Platform through Generosity"
"How to Build a Platform from Scratch"
DefeatDD:
"How a Joke Between Friends Turned into a Book"
Press Kit
S. Jane Gari
Contact
email: sjanegari@gmail.com
​
Losing the Dollhouse (memoir)
Tag Line: A slice of dysfunctional Americana complete with divorce, stepfamilies, eating disorders, mental illness and the search for true love.”
Back Cover Blurb: When nineteen-year-old Jane finally works up the nerve to expose the truth about her stepfather’s sexual advances, her mother is outraged. But not at the stepfather. Her mother takes his side—a betrayal that threatens to destroy the family and leaves Jane struggling to forge her own identity as she enters adulthood. Once marriage is on the table, Jane packs up her life and resolves to stare her demons down. Losing the Dollhouse offers a slice of dysfunctional Americana complete with divorce, step-families, eating disorders, mental illness and the search for true love.
About the Author: S. Jane Gari lives in Elgin, South Carolina with her husband and daughter. Three adapted chapters from her memoir, Losing the Dollhouse were nominated for the Pushcart Prize. The first chapter of her forthcoming novel, Shakespeare’s Daughters, has also been nominated for a Pushcart. Her Idiot’s Guide to the Healthy Gut was published with Alpha Books (a division of Penguin/Random House). Jane has also co-written Flush This Book, a collection of humorous essays.
Synopsis:
My mother and father divorced when I was seven. Within a year, both remarried.
My stepfather, RICK, had two daughters, SARAH and ANNA, and my younger sister SOPHIE and I were often at their mercy. Anna invited me to share her bedroom and fondled me. When my eight-year-old sister was left alone with Rick, he called her into his bedroom where he stood naked, masturbating.
In high school, I fell asleep on the floor of our living room. Rick woke me by straddling my back and reaching under my shirt to unhook my bra and touch the sides of my breasts—one of many uncomfortable encounters. When I moved to New York to live with my father and attend college, I told my stepmother everything. After a year of keeping it to herself, my stepmother told my father, who nearly lost his mind. He called my mother, who sided with Rick—a betrayal nearly impossible to forgive.
Two months after starting my career, I told my sister that one of my colleagues was sexually harassing me. She informed my mother who ironically insisted that I have the man fired. Her hypocrisy floored me. It drove me to destroy the childhood dollhouse my mother had made for me.
My efforts to come to terms with life in general were bolstered by the energy of new love: BRENDON. With his support, I confronted my colleague and Rick and felt tremendous relief. Brendon proposed, and I packed up my life—sorting through it, piece by piece. When I came across the tiny fireplace my mother had handcrafted for the dollhouse, I packed it carefully. It had survived to await its new home where it would warm my new family with the fires of love that, despite the past, will never be extinguished.
Praise for Losing the Dollhouse:
"It takes tremendous courage and strength to share the most vulnerable parts of our lives with the world. I thank S. Jane Gari for giving a voice to important issues and victims that are all too often ignored."
–Ashley Rhodes-Courter, Author of the International Bestseller, Three Little Words
“Gari matter-of-factly and without sentimentality shares the silenced horrors she endured from her stepfamily and a mother who allowed it. I found myself cheering for her as she navigates her way toward a voice of her own.”
–Kerry Cohen, author of Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity
“Gari has written a beautiful, bighearted book on family secrets, memory, and most of all, the power of love and forgiveness.”
– Mary Elizabeth Williams, Author of Gimme Shelter and Stage 5: A True Story of Love, Cancer, Science, and Survival
Links:
Website: http://www.sjanegari.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/losingthedollhouse
Twitter: @sjanegari
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7323789.S_Jane_Gari
Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/S.-Jane-Gari/e/B00S1NRH9K/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Losing the Dollhouse on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Losing-Dollhouse-S-Jane-Gari-ebook/dp/B00RSZ8IQI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=
Losing the Dollhouse trailer on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDMOaGYS9wM
