Nineteen

A Daughter's Memoir of Reckoning and Recovery

De: Leslie Johansen Nack

Narrado por: Leslie Johansen Nack

Fans of Fourteen: A Daughter’s Memoir will love this follow-up title. Here is what happened next. In the mid-1970s, Leslie Nack’s family returned from sailing to French Polynesia and began the integration process into American life again, which included being tossed back and forth between an alcoholic, mentally ill mother and an abusive, overbearing father. To find love and acceptance, Leslie chases a myth that throws her into the path of nefarious older men, where she eventually falls into drug and alcohol addiction. Her father dies in his plane in the jungles of Mexico when Leslie is nineteen, but his abuse lingers in her psyche. She spirals, her only solace her next fix—until, somehow, she finds the grace, despite her abjectly dysfunctional family background, to believe in her worth. This newfound self-love changes everything for her, and finally she is able to find her way to sobriety and recovery. Raw and intense but ultimately hopeful, this sequel to the popular memoir Fourteen tells the rest of Nack’s turbulent—and incredible—story.

©2025 Leslie Johansen Nack (P)2025 Leslie Johansen Nack

Reminded me of my success!

Parts of this 5-star worthy book hit very close to home. “Nineteen” is a true story about growing up in a toxic environment because of Leslie’s parents’ choice of lifestyle, for lack of a better word. That traumatizing environment shaped who Leslie became. One thing I related to was that I also threw myself at men, hoping to feel loved, but that wasn’t the answer. Leslie eventually found her worth, and so did I. If you enjoy reading books about addiction and recovery with happy endings, I highly recommend “Nineteen”. It was also full of many travel adventures; my favorite was hiking/camping in the Rocky Mountains.

Adventurous, Heart Wrenching, Great Writing,

Being a sailor myself, the author left me feeling as if I were on the trips with her. Sailing across the Pacific Ocean and assisting her father on retrieving the stolen sailboat in the Caribbean, we’re excellently presented. The details were riveting and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way. The challenges she overcame as a child into her early adulthood were astonishing. Thank you so much for telling your story. I highly recommend this book and her 1st memoir, fourteen. 5 Stars