Slow Motion: A Memoir of a Life Rescued by Tragedy

"One of the few gifts of spending so many years doing the wrong thing is the clarity with which I can see when something is right."Dani Shapiro brings to the page unflinching truths about herself in her early to mid-20s. Raised in the Jewish tradition, Dani was also raised with money and privilege. Now in her second decade, she has become the mistress of her best friend's step-father.From here, you can expect to read about multiple falls from grace but also an awakening triggered by the phone call changing everything.Imagine learning that the man who had been your hero was dead and an ambulance took your mother to the hospital with multiple serious injuries following an auto accident. You are now in charge of settling your father's estate and caring for your mother. How do you do this and continue the lifestyle you have adopted?Painfully and carefully, Dani Shapiro steps us through her days and nights with candor. Written with novel-like care and leaning against the elegant wall of poetry, Shapiro's story stays with her reader long after the reading is over.A remarkable rite-of-passage story Slow Motion is the best of the best memoirs I've read in recent times.Recommendation:There are those who won't like Dani Shapiro's story. Yet, there will also be those who don't necessarily enjoy it, but find it a book worth reading. For example, this candid look at Shapiro's life shows her ability to put her MFA in Creative Writing to good use. And her story could be the change in someone else's life. You make the call--to read or not to read.

"The night before I receive the phone call that divides my life into before and after, my face swells in an allergic reaction to a skin cream, then blisters and chaps." As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the most compelling opening sentences ever.I got this book after reading Devotion, and I am glad I read them in that order. It's hard to believe the central character is both books is the same person. Slow Motion is a searing and unsparing examination of a life that had completely gone off the tracks. It astounds me that Dani can say that her life was saved by tragedy. I think she is being too humble. She made a number of bad decisions and seemed unable to save herself. Then this terrible thing happened to her parents. She ended up losing her father, the parent she felt closer to. And somehow she turned her life around. She showed a lot of courage and compassion, and it sure didn't seem like she was getting much support from the major figures in her life.I felt this was a really inspiring book. It would be so easy for Dani to sound self-pitying or overly defiant. I think she has done an amazing job of describing herself and her situation without alienating the reader. In fact, I admire her quite a bit. This book truly stands out in a sea of memoirs by screwed-up people. Dani Shapiro has done an awesome job.

I would suggest reading all of Dani Shapiro's work. She is a superlative writer whose honesty is breathtaking.

I am a voracious reader and rarely do I read a book where I am constantly looking forward to getting back to the story. This book is one of those books where the cliche "I could not put it down" applies. Probably a combination of the story itself and that it resonated with me on a personal level. I too am an only child, and recently had to deal with the death of my father. I would have to say the story served me in a cathartic way that I never anticipated. After this book, I somehow feel that I have some closure with my own grieving. If it is possible to ever completely get over losing a parent that you were close to. This is a true story, a memoir that will touch your heart for sure. I say it is a must-read​ for anyone with love and family in their heart.

How a traumatic event gradually turned around a life that was spinning out of control. A compelling read, even if it did not provide me with new ways of thinking as her “Inheritance” had done.

This is a book by and about a man’s mistress but it is so much more. This book is about family and that time bridging adolescence and adulthood. It’s about choices and non choices. It’s about the rabbit hole, the one we’ve fallen into and the one we escaped. It’s about the trap of beauty, something most of us know little about. It’s about Dani Shapiro and it’s worth reading and remembering.

This is a memoir that will stick with me for a long time. The author movingly weaves a story depicting the challenges she was forced to deal with in her early 20’s and the choices she made in her life as a direct result of these challenges. Much of her story really resonated with me. I was in my 20’s during the mid-80’s and made some of the same choices. However, it took me longer to overcome my own personal challenges and to embrace the emotional wisdom it takes to grow beyond these experiences. Very, very good read.

At first I couldn't believe this was a true story. I found the protagonist to be a real whiner and completely self-indulgent. I also was skeptical that this beautiful actress/model could fall in love with a thoroughly disgusting character like Lenny Klein (no matter how young she was and how rich he was). But the story did grow on me. I was relieved that she was able to pull together the shambles of her life, finish college, and become a successful writer.

Great book, fast service