Stir

My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home

By: Jessica Fechtor

Narrated by: Jessica Fechtor

Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

At 28, Jessica Fechtor was happily immersed in graduate school and her young marriage and thinking about starting a family. Then one day she went for a run, and an aneurysm burst in her brain. She nearly died. She lost her sense of smell and the sight in her left eye and was forced to the sidelines of the life she loved.

Jessica's journey to recovery began in the kitchen as soon as she was able to stand at the stovetop and stir. There, she drew strength from the restorative power of cooking and baking.

Written with intelligence, humor, and warmth, Stir is a heartfelt examination of what it means to nourish and be nourished.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2015 Jessica Fechtor (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[Fechtor] writes with clarity and obvious joy about the foods that have meant so much to her." (Kirkus)

Wonderfully balanced: trauma, hope and food

Well written, this book was truly a delight to savor. The narration was spot on.

Good book.

I loved this book. Easy to read and uplifting. I enjoyed the journey as I have been through something similar

Wonderful powerful read

This was a beautiful story of living well, despite circumstances, of doing the work to get perspective and making the most of what we are given. This book is like taking eggs and flour and butter and sugar and making a beautiful and delicious cake out of those simple ingredients. I really loved it.

Beautiful book!

I just finished listening to Stir and didn’t want it to end. The authors beautiful writing and pleasant voice made listening so enjoyable. It’s amazing that a story about a young woman having an aneurism and several brain surgeries could be so seamlessly woven with stories of food and cooking. Her attitude throughout was so honest and positive. I feel inspired and thankful post listening to this book.

I really enjoyed this book!

I loved the intertwined narratives of health, perspective, family, friends, and- most importantly- food. I listened to this in 3 days; I didn’t want to turn it off. I highly recommend!

Misses the Mark

What disappointed you about Stir?

I read the opening 5 pages at a friend’s house and then decided to buy the audio book. What I initially found compelling was seeing how a young, intelligent, talented woman explained her life suddenly changing forever –even after a full physical recovery. The illness/recovery part of the book was moving. The story of her life as a 20-something, including her entirely sweet but wholly unremarkable love story which was weaved throughout the book was, frankly, a bit boring and a bit sophomoric. Her illness and recovery are certainly story worthy, if not inspirational. They are not however, book worthy. Maybe an article. Even a long article. Or a much shorter book. But at many points in the story I found myself asking “why am I reading a memoir about someone whose life, other than her illness, is no more interesting than mine”?

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

What makes Ms. Fechtor's story different from other 28-30 year olds is her illness and recovery. And those parts of her book are interesting. But there are many more chapters that are simply about the life of a regular college and graduate student. She writes lovingly about her family and friends, and I'm sure they treasure this work, but to a stranger, the details of her daily relationships, meals, etc. do not feel captivating. It is her story to tell as she pleases but I would have been much more satisfied learning more about how her recovery and the challenges she faced and choices she made and much less about the her friends and even some sections about her family.

What about Jessica Fechtor’s performance did you like?

Her performance was lovely. Her voice was full of happiness and energy and it added a lot to have the story read by the author.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

It made me think that memoir was not the ideal format for this story.