Acceptance: a memoir
(Book)
Author:
Published:
New York : Penguin Press, 2022.
Format:
Book
Physical Desc:
359 pages ; 24 cm
Status:
Ashland Adult Nonfiction
921 NIETFELD
Description
“Nietfeld’s gifts for capturing the fury of living at the mercy of bad circumstances, for critiquing the hero’s journey even while she tells it, make Acceptance a remarkable memoir.” —The New York Times Book Review
A hard-hitting and hilarious memoir of ambition, desperation, and the dark side of grit
Growing up in a house filled with dirty feather boas and fearless mice, Emi Nietfeld dreams of escaping to the Ivy League. Emi’s single mom believes in her, but can’t stop hoarding—catapulting Emi into the underworld of troubled teen treatment, foster care, and homelessness. When her shot arrives to trade sleeping in her car for the hallowed halls of an elite college, Emi must decide: How far will she go to market herself as a perfect “overcomer” when her problems are far from over? And what will it cost to maintain that illusion at Harvard and into adulthood?
From journalist, mental health advocate, and software engineer Emi Nietfeld, this searing coming-of-age story is both a chronicle of the American Dream and an indictment of it. Exposing the price of trading a troubled past for the promise of a bright future, Nietfeld explores whether any amount of success can make trauma worth it. With a ribbon of dark humor, Acceptance challenges our ideas of what it means to overcome—and live on your own terms.
A hard-hitting and hilarious memoir of ambition, desperation, and the dark side of grit
Growing up in a house filled with dirty feather boas and fearless mice, Emi Nietfeld dreams of escaping to the Ivy League. Emi’s single mom believes in her, but can’t stop hoarding—catapulting Emi into the underworld of troubled teen treatment, foster care, and homelessness. When her shot arrives to trade sleeping in her car for the hallowed halls of an elite college, Emi must decide: How far will she go to market herself as a perfect “overcomer” when her problems are far from over? And what will it cost to maintain that illusion at Harvard and into adulthood?
From journalist, mental health advocate, and software engineer Emi Nietfeld, this searing coming-of-age story is both a chronicle of the American Dream and an indictment of it. Exposing the price of trading a troubled past for the promise of a bright future, Nietfeld explores whether any amount of success can make trauma worth it. With a ribbon of dark humor, Acceptance challenges our ideas of what it means to overcome—and live on your own terms.
Copies
Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
Ashland Adult Nonfiction
921 NIETFELD
Available
Mar 14, 2023
Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
Superior Adult Nonfiction
818.6 N558a
Available
May 8, 2023
Washburn Adult Nonfiction
921 NIE
Available
Mar 15, 2023
More Details
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780593489475, 0593489470
Notes
Description
"A brilliant, funny, generation-defining memoir about the double bind of crafting perfect adversity narratives for highly selective institutions, while fumbling through the far murkier reality of actual life in foster care and inpatient mental health treatment As a child, Emi Nietfeld was caught between a hoarder mother who got her put on antipsychotic medication, but was also the only person to believe she was exceptional, and a state system exemplified by a foster mom who tried to ban her art history flash cards because they had naked pictures (of Michelangelo's David). Even after wresting free of grim inpatient mental health institutions and getting into a prestigious boarding school, Emi scrambled for places to sleep during breaks. Realizing that her path to true independence lay in reinventing herself as a talented overcomer deserving of a full ride, she became obsessed with college admissions. While taking on the sad challenge of presenting herself as resilient to gain authorities' approval, Emi lived the untidy version of actual adversity at the same time- literally drafting her Common App statement while living out of her '92 Corolla. She found herself "trading my past for my future" in college admissions essays and scholarship applications, in an extreme example of the immense pressure on teenagers from all backgrounds to build the foundations of their entire lives. Emi's story is a harsh illumination of the near-impossible challenge set by societal expectations of coming from nothing, the brokenness of our child welfare system, and the reality that congratulatory letters from top schools couldn't keep her safe - as she found when she was raped while on a trip following her Harvard admission. Though Emi learns that entering the Ivy League, working in Big Tech, and living in a fancy apartment doesn't mean her life turns into gold, her reflections on her unlikely history, and her journey in confronting trauma and injustice, hold powerful lessons. Candid and frequently harrowing, with a ribbon of dark humor, Acceptance is a stunning human story and an invaluable view of the actual cost of upward mobility"--,Provided by publisher.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)
Nietfeld, E. (2022). Acceptance: a memoir. New York, Penguin Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Nietfeld, Emi. 2022. Acceptance: A Memoir. New York, Penguin Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Nietfeld, Emi, Acceptance: A Memoir. New York, Penguin Press, 2022.
MLA Citation (style guide)Nietfeld, Emi. Acceptance: A Memoir. New York, Penguin Press, 2022.
Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
1883cd5e-deee-375b-5cc5-45fac76598ec
Record Information
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| Last File Modification Time | Apr 22, 2024 07:17:54 PM |
| Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Apr 22, 2024 07:16:45 PM |
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