On December 6, 1984, twelve-year-old Lisa Fierer is called out of class to the principal’s office and told that her mother has been killed and her father arrested for the crime. Over the next twenty years, Lisa battles through school, addiction, relationships, and various forms of self-destruction. Along the way she learns that loss, violence, and betrayal create a deep desire for something she calls the new ‘f-word’: forgiveness. Thirst is about the distance between the lives we are given and the lives we choose. It’s a story about survival, hope, yoga, self-discovery, and the tremendous support of compassionate communities. It touches the part of each of us that longs for the healing power of laughter, the transformative force of forgiveness, and the bravery required to learn to love again.
thirst: a memoir is now on Audible!
Excited to announce a collaboration with the world’s top voiceover artist, Nina Rolle, narrating thirst, a memoir. Available on Audible now!
thirst: a memoir
thirst: a memoir is about the distance between the lives we are given and the lives we choose. It’s a story about survival, hope, yoga, self-discovery, and the tremendous support of compassionate communities. It touches the part of each of us that longs for the healing power of laughter, the transformative force of forgiveness, and the bravery required to learn to love again.
Read by Nina Rolle
Listen to an excerpt from Chapter 1:
Nina Rolle: Giving Voice
“In 2021, I branched into the audiobook genre! I have begun collaborating with women authors whose stories I feel moved to give voice to. I will donate 100% of my earnings from these projects to organizations that serve the populations featured in each book. My first collaboration is with Lisa Fierer and her award-winning debut memoir, thirst a memoir.”
Proceeds from our Audible launch will benefit Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Non-violence (SPAN) safehouseprogressivealliance.com“
—Nina Rolle
thirst: a memoir is a Writer’s Digest Winner!
This self-published competition spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors.
Not every person who practices Yoga goes beyond the postures. Lisa’s story is a heart-wrenching and breathtaking example of how Yoga off the mat can show up and how deeply it penetrates and impacts when sincerity and a commitment like Lisa’s are present.
Gina Caputo, Founder Colorado School of Yoga
Lisa Fierer approaches the work of writing about pain, forgiveness, and resilience with honesty and insight. Her work is fueled by her need to tell this story—and it’s one we all can learn from even if we have not experienced such tragedy.
Doug Schnitzspahn, Editor-in-chief, Elevation Outdoors
To find light in the darkest places is almost beyond comprehension, but to find forgiveness, is nothing short of amazing. Lisa Fierer has bravely excavated her family’s history to expose her father’s violence and abuse, and yet somehow manages to emerge with a sense of lightness that encourages us to forgive and be lighter, too.
Tania Katan, Author of Creative Trespassing
Excerpt from Chapter 1 of thirst: a memoir …
Fragments of bone and flakes of ash filled my hands. The humidity of India in August fusing the viscous powder to my skin. I wanted to fling it off my fingers, shake the sludge from my hands and at the same time, clutch onto it forever. These ashes and fragments were all that was left of my father. Even though I’d spent most of my 34 years of life hating him, letting go of him felt like the hardest thing I would ever do.
As I stood on the edge of the Ganges river, about to release my father to the water, I remembered my Sanskrit teacher Katyayani had once told me that, “The Ganga is sacred. When you release the ashes of the deceased into the River, it frees the karmic load of your ancestors for seven generations past and seven generations into the future.” If anyone needed freedom from his karmic load, it was my father.
thirst: a memoir is about the distance between the lives we are given and the lives we choose. It’s a story about survival, hope, yoga, self-discovery, and the tremendous support of compassionate communities. It touches the part of each of us that longs for the healing power of laughter, the transformative force of forgiveness, and the bravery required to learn to love again.
Honestly, I didn’t want to go back to those painful parts. I felt so isolated and alone in the process of losing my mom to domestic violence, and everything that followed. In many ways, it feels as though this book chose me.
Lisa Fierer
A Forgiveness Revolution
It’s such a strange time for so many of us. We’re talking about “safe at home” with the pandemic, and it’s extraordinary how many people are not safe at home. I feel such a sense of urgency about getting this book out. We must do what we can to increase awareness of the prevalence of domestic violence, especially now with domestic violence on the rise.
I’ll be stoked if some aspect of my story ignites a Forgiveness Revolution — an opportunity to look at the places in each of our lives where resentment or regret holds us back from living our most awesome life.
To all taking the time to read this, I extend a big virtual hug. Thank you. Thank you for your support of me, of this project.
Gratefully, Lisa Fierer
