Places We Left Behind - by Jennifer Lang (Paperback)

About the Book

When American-born Jennifer falls in love with French-born Philippe during the First Intifada in Israel, she understands their relationship isn't perfect.

Book Synopsis

"For anyone who has ever loved deeply and been willing to take risks for the sake of love." Rachel Barenbaum author of Atomic Anna

When American-born Jennifer falls in love with French-born Philippe during the First Intifada in Israel, she understands their relationship isn't perfect.

Both 23, both Jewish, they lead very different lives: she's a secular tourist, he's an observant immigrant. Despite their opposing outlooks on two fundamental issues-country and religion-they are determined to make it work. For the next 20 years, they root and uproot their growing family, each longing for a singular place to call home.

In Places We Left Behind, Jennifer puts her marriage under a microscope, examining commitment and compromise, faith and family while moving between prose and poetry, playing with language and form, daring the reader to read between the lines.

Review Quotes

"When you live a restless, writerly life, as Lang does, moving here, immigrating there (America, France, Israel), you need to discover, or invent, a literary structure as sophisticated and beautifully complicated as the life it replicates. Which she does. Each facet in this collection is its own world-in-miniature that ultimately coheres into a compelling whole." Sue William Silverman, author, How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences

"Love is unpredictable, as is language and the forms our stories take on the page. In her memoir-in-miniature, Places We Left Behind, Jennifer Lang offers readers a compelling tale of unexpected commitment alongside unconventional nonfiction exploration." Dinty W. Moore, author of Between Panic & Desire

"Jennifer Lang's Places We Left Behind reminds us in arresting lyrical essays that life and love are always fraught, always tentative, always complex. Add to the mix an international marriage, different levels of religious observance, and raising children in both the USA and Israel amidst ongoing conflict, and we have the recipe for gripping, surprising reading. I read eagerly awaiting where we'd land next and what form the visit would take." Patrick Madden, author of Disparates

"Humor and being real gets me every time. Thank you Jennifer for hitting the funny bone with so much wisdom on love." Rodney Yee, international yoga teacher, author, and co-creator of Urban Zen Integrative Therapy

"Jennifer Lang's Places We Left Behind is an utterly engaging journey. It's a poetic, playful and sometimes painful story of marriage, perseverance, commitment, and most of all love-for our families, our partners and finally-ourselves." Corie Adjmi, award-winning author of The Marriage Box and Life and Other Shortcomings

"How refreshing: A memoir pared down to its barest essentials, in spare, lucid prose. In Places We Left Behind, Jennifer Lang crafts the story of her marriage into a fascinating exploration of how to juxtapose one's own happiness with the sacrifices needed to please the other." Evan Fallenberg, author of The Parting Gift

"In this highly engaging and highly hybrid memoir, Jennifer Lang has created a smart and compelling narrative about the twists and turns of a relationship when religion, identity, and a sense of place are focal points. With inventive structures that enhance the narrative's tone and action, this mesmerizing love story is irresistible." Chelsey Clammer, author of Human Heartbeat Detected

"Places We Left Behind is a powerful memoir that delves into the complexities of love, loss, and self-discovery. Lang examines the intricacies of marriage and compromise with poetic grace and raw honesty. For anyone who has ever loved deeply and been willing to take risks for the sake of love." Rachel Barenbaum author of Atomic Anna

"Jen shares her strengths and vulnerabilities. Her unique journey is inspiring and thought provoking. While the journey is unique, the story is relatable and reminds us all that our life practice requires courage and self-compassion." Susan Rubin, owner of Susan Rubin Wellness