December 1959

December 1959

The snow-laden sky unleashed its heavy burden, and flakes descended, slowly at first, and then with greater intensity. I watched from our living room window as the crystals swirled in random patterns, blown by the wind. Eventually they began to stick to the ground, and within an hour, Hillside wore a new white coat that brightened the grayness of the New Jersey winter day. I loved snow but realized it would delay the arrival of our special guest. “Mommy, when will he get here?” I asked anxiously.
“I don’t know,” she answered. “The snowfall is growing heavier, and he may not be able to land. We’ll just have to wait.”

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Review of “What Lies Within”: A Story of Surviving and Thriving

Review of “What Lies Within”: A Story of Surviving and Thriving

This beautiful review was written on Amazon.com by my friend and talented author Janelle Jalbert. Janelle’s book Triangulating Bliss is one of my favorites, you can purchase a copy here: http://amzn.com/194253518X

“WHAT LIES WITHIN is a story that would bring a lesser woman to her knees. Instead Atwater’s account of her early years illustrates how an indomitable spirit is comprised of resolve, mettle, and just plain chutzpah. WHAT LIES WITHIN is the story of a girl – growing into womanhood – while facing obstacles that would appear to be insurmountable. The family she held dear undergoes a series of trials and tribulations that leave her to stand on her own and define life as she would come to know it. Libby Atwater has definitely seen the darker side of life yet proves that the events of your life do not have to define who you are.

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Thanksgiving: Family, Food, and Memories

Thanksgiving: Family, Food, and Memories

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday because it’s filled with two things I love most: family and food. I remember childhood Thanksgivings when my mother Ruth spent days preparing the meal, starting with fresh giblet gravy, homemade blueberry and apple pies, cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes, and Waldorf salad. These all led up to Thanksgiving morning, when she arose early to make fresh stuffing to bake inside the large turkey. The smells filled our kitchen all day, making my stomach growl and causing me to check often to see if Mommy needed my help as her “official taster.” (more…)

Review: Coming-of-age memoir proves “ordinary” people have extraordinary stories

Review: Coming-of-age memoir proves “ordinary” people have extraordinary stories

This beautiful review was posted by Sarah E. White on Amazon.com.

Her words bring me so much joy, it is an honor to share my story, and to hear it so well received.

Read the full review on Amazon.com: http://amzn.com/B00FVXF5JC

If you have read my first memoir, What Lies Within, it would mean a great deal to me if you would take a moment and leave a review on Amazon.

“Libby Atwater handles with grace telling the story of her difficult childhood and coming of age, proving that “ordinary” people can and do have extraordinary stories.

If you are thinking about writing your life story, leaving a memento for those who have known you and a legacy for those who come after, this book is worth your attention. In particular, I found it helpful to observe how she handled chronology as an organizing principle (not so strictly as to detract from powerful stories) and the difficult question of what to include (since, as the saying goes, “just because it happened to you doesn’t make it interesting.”)

Libby’s journey from adopted infant to orphan to newlywed, as America transitioned from the conformist 1950s into the radicalism of the late 1960s, reflects our shared social history and illuminates its often cruel effect on many lives.

Fear of Flying

Fear of Flying

An excerpt from “What Lies Within”;

I greeted my first flight, a trip to Miami with my mother and sister, with nervous anticipation as the three of us boarded an Eastern Airlines four-engine propeller plane in Newark, N.J. Mommy calmed me by explaining, “Now, Libby, sit down and buckle your seat belt,” she said. “In a few minutes, we’ll start to go really fast down the runway and then the plane will take off into the sky.”

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