Juniper - by Kelley French & Thomas French (Paperback)

About the Book

Juniper French was born four months early, at twenty-three weeks' gestation. She weighed one pound, four ounces, and her twiggy body was the length of a Barbie doll. Her head was smaller than a tennis ball, her skin was nearly translucent, and through her chest her terrified parents could see the beat of her flickering heart. Kelley and Thomas French chose to fight for Juniper's life, and in this exquisite memoir they marvel at the science that conceived and sustained their daughter and at the extraordinary efforts of the doctors and nurses who cared for her. The technology astounds, but in the end it is the oldest medicine--love--that saves this child.

Book Synopsis

A micro-preemie fights for survival in this extraordinary and gorgeously told memoir by her parents, both award-winning journalists.

Juniper French was born four months early, at 23 weeks' gestation. She weighed 1 pound, 4 ounces, and her twiggy body was the length of a Barbie doll. Her head was smaller than a tennis ball, her skin was nearly translucent, and through her chest you could see her flickering heart. Babies like Juniper, born at the edge of viability, trigger the question: Which is the greater act of love -- to save her, or to let her go?

Kelley and Thomas French chose to fight for Juniper's life, and this is their incredible tale. In one exquisite memoir, the authors explore the border between what is possible and what is right. They marvel at the science that conceived and sustained their daughter and the love that made the difference. They probe the bond between a mother and a baby, between a husband and a wife. They trace the journey of their family from its fragile beginning to the miraculous survival of their now thriving daughter.

Review Quotes

"[A] mom must-read....Juniper will capture your attention and heart from its difficult beginning to its hard-won happy ending."--Parents

"A twisting, harrowing, at times painful but powerful memoir, fiercely reported and written with exquisite sensitivity and openness."--Dallas News

"An extraordinary memoir."--O, the Oprah Magazine

"Beautifully written...it will stay with you long after you finish."--Good Housekeeping

"I probably would have read Juniper in one sitting, but I had to stop because I was crying too hard....The Frenches make their fear, panic and grief real....A well-told, fast-paced and emotionally affecting memoir."--Terri Rupar, Washington Post

"Kelley and Thomas French are two of America's best narrative journalists, and here is their most important story yet. JUNIPER is an astonishingly intimate and honest account of a mother, a father, and a complicated baby whose very existence calls into question every easy assumption about what a life means. This is a deeply moving and meaningful book."
--David Finkel, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Thank You for Your Service

"Raw, rough and wrenchingly tender....An almost universal story of love and determination and strength."--USA Today

"Riveting."--Tampa Bay Times

"The Frenches put forth a love story about their daughter, with highs and lows throughout and moments of sheer joy that will keep readers involved until the very last page. This achingly tender memoir is also a roller-coaster....The narrative sparks a need to reassess the meaning of a miracle, and the story will resonate for days after the last word. With sharp prose, honoring the simple and the profound, this book should be in the hands of every parent--indeed, of everyone."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"These two excellent journalists bring their keen eyes to the most personal and wrenching of stories. A powerful book."--Tracy Kidder

"This book is a tender, fierce and breathtaking miracle."--People

"This is what happens when two great writers join together to tell something really worth telling. This book, of a life barely there, breaks your heart on one page, and makes you want to pump your fist in the air just a few paragraphs later. It is an achingly lovely book, all the lovelier because it is true."
--Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

"This surprising, enlightening book transcends categories. Heartfelt as a memoir, richly researched as narrative journalism, and as propulsive and literary as a novel, JUNIPER offers the rewards of all great books. It alters and expands your understanding of being human."
--Sheri Fink, author of Five Days at Memorial

"This tender and ferocious book offers all of the taut, gritty storytelling of the journalists who wrote it--and all of the lovesick hope of the parents they're becoming. I read it cover-to-cover in a single breathless, nail-bitten evening."
--Catherine Newman, author of Catastrophic Happiness and Waiting for Birdy

"Two skilled journalists collaborate on the most personal of stories: their extremely premature daughter's struggle to survive....A fierce and fact-filled love story with few holds barred."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Kelley Benham French is a Professor of Practice in journalism at Indiana University. A former reporter and editor for the Tampa Bay Times, she was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for "Never Let Go," a series about Juniper's survival.

Thomas French is a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and the Riley Endowed Chair in Journalism at Indiana University. He is the author of Unanswered Cries, South of Heaven, and the New York Times bestseller Zoo Story.