Book Tour, Review and Giveaway: What I Thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen

First line: This was going to be a solo show.

From the back cover: Alice Cohen was happy for the first time in years. After a difficult divorce, she had a new love in her life, she was raising a beloved adopted daughter, and her career was blossoming. Then, she started experiencing mysterious symptoms. After months of tests, X-rays, and inconclusive diagnoses, Alice was sent for an emergency CAT scan that revealed the truth: she was six months pregnant.

At age 44, with no prenatal care and no insurance coverage for a high-risk pregnancy, Alice was besieged by opinions from doctors and friends about what was ethical, what was loving, what was right. With the intimacy of a diary and the suspense of a thriller, What I Thought I Knew is a ruefully funny, wickedly candid tale; a story of hope and renewal that turns all of the “knowns” upside down.

My thoughts: This was a stunningly honest look at what happens when one woman’s life gets turned upside down, that all she thought she knew to be was not to be. Told at one point that she was infertile, imagine what goes through her mind to be told, at age 44, that she is six months pregnant. And it’s not as if she was trying to get pregnant so that she was taking prenatal vitamins and watching what she ate/drank. Now, past the point of a legal abortion, she must come to terms with this pregnancy. As she continues through the pregnancy, Alice makes no effort to hide the fact that she is ambivalent about this baby. I was hooked as soon as I started this book, and read it in one sitting. I found it to be compelling and terrifying at the same time – what if this were to happen to me; would I make the same choices Alice did; would I have the same thoughts going through my mind? I give props to Alice Cohen for not only having to go through this once, but then to purposely decide to relive it as she shares her story with us.

About the author: Alice Eve Cohen is a solo theatre artist, playwright, and memoirist. Her memoir, What I Thought I Knew (Viking, 2009) won the Elle’s Lettres 2009 Grand Prix for Nonfiction. She has written for Nickelodeon, PBS, and CBS. Her plays have been presented at theatres throughout the country, and she has toured her solo theatre works internationally. Her writing about arts in education has been published in nine languages. The recipient of fellowships and grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, she holds a BA from Princeton University and an MFA from The New School. She teaches at The New School in New York City. 

You can find more about Alice at the following places: 

• website:  http://www.aliceevecohen.com/ 
• facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Alice-Eve-Cohen/1046733364
• twitter: www.twitter.com/AliceEveCohen

I received a complimentary copy of What I Thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen from Lisa at  BookSparks PR to review.

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Lisa at BookSparks PR has provided one copy of this book for readers of this blog! 

Rules:

• Open to US/Canada
• No PO Boxes please
• Must include email address to enter
• Book will be mailed out by the publicist

To enter (required entry):  Leave me a comment letting me know why you want to win What I Thought I Knew. Please include your e-mail address in your comment, so that I have a way to contact you if you win. No e-mail= no entry!

Bonus Entry (+1)  Become a follower of this blog on Google Friend Connect. Please leave me a separate comment letting me know that you follow. Current followers are eligible as well – just leave a separate comment letting me know that you already do! Not a separate entry = no bonus entry!

Thanks to everyone for entering! Good luck!

GIVEAWAY ENDS

AT 6 PM, EST, NOV 15th