Slow Motion

A Memoir of a Life Rescued by Tragedy

By: Dani Shapiro

Narrated by: Dani Shapiro

Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

From one of the most gifted writers of her generation comes the harrowing and exquisitely written true story of how a family tragedy saved her life.

Dani Shapiro was a young girl from a deeply religious home who became the girlfriend of a famous and flamboyant married attorney - her best friend's stepfather. The moment Lenny Klein entered her life, everything changed: She dropped out of college, began to drink heavily, and became estranged from her family and friends. But then the phone call came. There had been an accident on a snowy road near her family's home in New Jersey, and both her parents lay hospitalized in critical condition. This haunting memoir traces her journey back into the world she had left behind. At a time when she was barely able to take care of herself, she was faced with the terrifying task of taking care of two people who needed her desperately.

Dani Shapiro charts a riveting emotional course as she retraces her isolated, overprotected Orthodox Jewish childhood in an anti-Semitic suburb and draws the connections between that childhood and her inevitable rebellion and self-destructiveness. She tells of a life nearly ruined by the gift of beauty and then saved by the worst thing imaginable. This is a beautiful and unforgettable memoir of a life utterly transformed by tragedy.

©2012 Dani Shapiro (P)2020 Random House Audio

Even in the most mundane moments, this sings

Dani Shapiro is a master at finding the threads of her own life and weaving them in a way that is masterful. She takes the reader on the journey of discovery with her, and as I listened I couldn’t help but be swept up in each moment and each new progression of this story as if it were happening to me alongside her. I am deeply grateful for every book Dani has written but this one has something raw, pure, guttural, and truly special. In case you read these: Thanks, Dani. I lost my dad, too. I held up my mother, too. I now look back amazed at how it all changed me. Thank you for putting voice to things we can’t always name.

Another satisfying read!

Didn't want it to end. Dani's books are so enjoyable and well written. The fact that I can listen to her narrate is icing on the cake.

A Kaleidoscope of a Story...

Thank you Dani, for recording the Audible version of your beautiful book. I inhaled the book when I read it but have really enjoyed listening to the story several times – as I always tune into different aspects of it and hear parts I didn't completely catch before. For me, listening has a greater impact when the narrator really shares her story both impassibly – and also infuses the details with bristling memory, aliveness, and perspective. Your story is so hauntingly rich with detail – with so many raw scars, honesty, and healing - and so we root for you – and are grateful you made it to the other side to see your potential unfold, blossom and expand. You have been rewarded for unfurling each piece of your messy, magnificent life with all of us and we are the grateful recipients of what can happen when we are brave enough to really dig deep.

Hard to get through

I could only make it to chapter 7. The story is very predictable and boring. The main character lacks depth and is not very likable.

Family Secrets

I found Dani Shapiro through her podcast “Family Secrets” which I became addicted to. Having grown up within a family with countless family secrets, I wanted t learn more. My first Dani book was The Inheritance which I loved and I moved quickly through many of her books. This one was difficult to read because I was introduced to a different and younger Dani. It brought all her other books and memoirs together in a new light. Loved this!

Fantastic!

This is the first book by the author that I have read but it will not be my last. I was moved by the honest and excellent writing illuminating the many feelings she struggled with as a young woman. Being an only child with difficult parent dynamics was very relatable to my own experience. I am anxious to read more by this author!

Provocative? Yes

In my book, art should provoke a response. I pretty much wanted to reach through my headphones and shake her! I’ve had enough Dani Shapiro for my lifetime.

Wonderful

Shapiro is one of the greatest American writers of this generation. This book is an excellent example of her powerful, insightful writing.

Priceless

I read Inheritance many years ago and absolutely loved it. So I recently searched Dani Shapiro and found this. Wow! This book blew me away. I listened to it every chance I got - in the car, on the plane, when I woke up in the middle of the night.
Sometimes the truth is better than fiction.

Couldn’t stop listening

I related to this book , my own story different but similar and It was very emotional for me. I thought the writing was heartfelt and analytical and it held me interested to the point of not being able to put it down, and I look forward to reading more of Dani Shapiro. A treat also to hear her analysis at the end of the book and hear the reading in her own voice.

Exceptional

I have long been a fan of Dani's podcast, "Family Secrets" and so when I found that she had written her memoir I bought it immediately. For starters, she has a wonderful voice and I knew that I would enjoy her narration. I had not realised that her life had become such a runaway disaster. She has told her story with gutwrenching honesty which, at times, almost had me shouting out loud, "No Dani, DON'T" ! Her story drew me in and I could not stop listening to it.
I can thoroughly recommend this book which is totally enthralling, well written and beautifully narrated. I wish that her book, Inheritance, was included in Audible with Dani narrating it.