"Brilliant and inspiring" "So sad the book had to end!" "Must-read for parents" "I’m so grateful for this book" "Enormously affecting" "A life changing book" "If you need to laugh a lot, cry a little, and feel inspired, this is the book for you." "I couldn’t put the book down" "I loved, loved, loved this book!" "Both hilarious and authentic, which makes it an easy read" "A MUST READ" "You can’t not relate to this book" "Your book club will thank you!" "A blessing for everyone who reads it." "I learned about myself" "You’ll be awestruck" "A spectacular book" "This book is a true gift" "Will make you laugh, cry and think" "It is a triumph. Highly recommend for everyone" "So much wisdom on every page that I ended up marking up the whole book" "Almost like a guide to how to love and live well in every life role" "Exquisitely, courageously written" "This is a book I will love forever" "A role model on how to live a meaningful life" "A treasure and this book is not to be missed" "Brilliant, beautiful, hopeful and heartbreaking" "You will finish this book and recommend it to everyone you know" "I read the whole thing in 24 hours and couldn’t stop!" "A must read for anyone coping with the severe illness of a young family member" "Hoo boy, I would give this book 6 stars if I could." "So much in this book that is profoundly meaningful on so many topics." "I took a walk & cried when I was finished." "Helped me reflect on my own struggles and losses" "Heartfelt, raw, authentic, and sad yet filled with humor that made me laugh throughout." "Brought me to such a unique mix of emotions." "How lucky we readers are that Fingersh’s medium is writing" "Ten stars — A must read"
Stay
A Story of Family, Love, & Other Traumas
Bloomsbury | Rowman & Littlefield
What best-selling authors are saying
“Stay is so rich, wise, funny, and beautifully written. It’s hard to put down once you start.”
Anne Lamott, #1 NYT best-selling author
“Stay is profound, funny, and masterfully told. I read it in a single day. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Gretchen Rubin, 7x NYT best-selling author of The Happiness Project series and host of the Happier podcast
“An invaluable and highly readable memoir asking us who we thought we were, how that squares with who we’ve become and what we might want to do about it. Questions every woman I know is asking right about now.”
Kelly Corrigan, 4x NYT bestselling author and host of PBS’s “Tell Me More”
“Stay is a work of art, a treasure. An exhibit of integrity, vulnerability, talent, and raw humanity. You will be enthralled.”
Harville Hendrix, Ph.D., NYT bestselling author of Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples
“Immersive, warm, real. A rare compelling narrative about parenting adult children, and a balm for those whose children are on the cusp. I loved it.”
Zibby Owens, Founder of Zibby Media, author of USA Today bestselling author, award-winning host of “Totally Booked with Zibby” Podcast
Featured on Family Secrets with Dani Shapiro
“Stay is a book of remarkable emotional depth and wisdom for anyone in search of moving past their pain and making the most of their one precious life. Fingersh writes with a brilliant mind and a loving heart.”
Dr. Edith Eva Eger, NYT bestselling author of The Gift and featured guest on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday
“An enthralling book that brings light and hope to raising young adults in today’s world of depression and anxiety. An inspiring story for empty nesters about life after kids. I could not put it down.”
Lisa Heffernan, NYT bestselling author and co-founder of Grown & Flown
“Lyrical, wise, freewheeling, both heartbreaking and laugh out loud funny. Proof of the possibility that awaits us all to claim our creative lives, no matter what stage of life we are in.”
Laura Zinn Fromm, Founder of Sweet Lab Writing Workshops and author of Sweet Survival
“Luminous, irreverent, captivating. A love letter to all of us mid-lifers searching for a new roadmap of joy and meaning.”
Laura Munson, USA Today and NYT best-selling author and founder of Haven Writing Retreats
Available wherever books are sold
Also available as an audiobook
Narrated by Julie
Featured in:
Julie Fingersh
WRITER | JOURNALIST | AUTHOR
Julie’s personal essays, editorials and reporting cover culture, wellness, relationships, parenting and how to lead a better life. Her work has appeared in media outlets including The New York Times, O, The Oprah Magazine, Huffpost, The San Francisco Chronicle, and the Miami Herald, among others. Her blog is the midlife sequel of the award-winning humorist column she wrote in New York City in her twenties for Billboard Publications, Inc.
"Spectacular" "Simply phenomenal" "Deeply moving" "Poignant" "Life changing" "Amazing" "Honest" "Powerful" "Brilliant" "Insightful" "Stunning" "Life affirming" "A must read" "Exquisite" "Riveting" "Magnificent" "Heartfelt" "Emotional" "Inspirational" "Soulful" "Beautiful"
Have feedback to share with me personally? Write me at julie@juliefingersh.com.
Looking for your next Book Club Pick?
Or have you read STAY and just want to be able to have a guided, meaningful discussion about it over dinner with friends? Or (yikes!) your family?
These are the main themes of STAY:
- The hidden cost of family secrets
- The generational ripple effect of one family member’s illness
- The tension women face between their primal desire to nurture others and the human drive for personal identity
- The no-manual, complex dance of parenting (theoretically) adult children
- The profound and often invisible toll of our past on our present
- The secret life of mental and chronic illness for individuals, siblings and families
Upcoming Events
Zibby's Bookshop
In conversation with Joanne Greene, author of By Accident
- March 13, 2025
- 6:00 - 7:00pm
-
1113 Montana Avenue
Santa Monica, CA - Register here
Tucson Festival of Books
- March 15-16, 2025
- 9:30am - 5:30pm
- University of Arizona Mall
- More info
Pembroke Hill School
In conversation with Lorraine Gordon
- May 20, 2025
-
5:30 - 6:30: Wine, cheese & schmooze
6:30 - 7:30: Program -
5121 State Line Road
Kansas City, MO - Register here
Rainy Day Books
In conversation with Lorraine Gordon
- May 22, 2025
- 7:00pm
-
The Fairway Shops
2706 W 53rd Street
Fairway, KS 66205 - Get tickets
Featured Articles
My Blog
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Losing loved ones is one of the hardest things we humans face. But what if we change our relationship to death?
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After a lifetime of contempt for TV, I’ve found the real reason to binge-watch: my daughter.
My Abs or Yours? A Mid-Life Crisis
I’m lying on a table like a slab of meat, and Amy is telling me to knit my abs. Um, what? I don’t knit. I’m ...
We’re all searching for happiness, humor, pleasure, relief, richness, answers. That’s where my blog comes in.
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