Professionals & Academics
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Fixed Stars
From a bestselling writer, an intense and moving memoir about changing identity, complex sexuality, and enduring family relationships-now in paperback
At age 36, while serving on a jury, author Molly Wizenberg found herself drawn to a female attorney. Married to a man for nearly a decade and mother to a toddler, Wizenberg tried to return to her life as she knew it, but she felt that something inside her had changed irrevocably. Instead, she would discover that the trajectory of our lives is rarely as smooth or as logical as we'd like to believe.
Like many of us, Wizenberg had long understood sexual orientation as a stable part of ourselves: we're "born this way." Suddenly she realized that her story was more complicated. Who was she, she wondered, if something at her very core could change so radically? The Fixed Stars is a taut, electrifying memoir exploring timely and timeless questions about desire, identity, and the limits and possibilities of family. In honest and searing prose, Wizenberg forges a new path: through the murk of separation and divorce, coming out to family and friends, learning to co-parent a young child, and realizing a new vision of love. The result is a frank and moving story about letting go of rigid definitions and ideals that no longer fit, and learning instead who we really are.
At age 36, while serving on a jury, author Molly Wizenberg found herself drawn to a female attorney. Married to a man for nearly a decade and mother to a toddler, Wizenberg tried to return to her life as she knew it, but she felt that something inside her had changed irrevocably. Instead, she would discover that the trajectory of our lives is rarely as smooth or as logical as we'd like to believe.
Like many of us, Wizenberg had long understood sexual orientation as a stable part of ourselves: we're "born this way." Suddenly she realized that her story was more complicated. Who was she, she wondered, if something at her very core could change so radically? The Fixed Stars is a taut, electrifying memoir exploring timely and timeless questions about desire, identity, and the limits and possibilities of family. In honest and searing prose, Wizenberg forges a new path: through the murk of separation and divorce, coming out to family and friends, learning to co-parent a young child, and realizing a new vision of love. The result is a frank and moving story about letting go of rigid definitions and ideals that no longer fit, and learning instead who we really are.
Editorial Reviews
"The Fixed Stars is that rare thing, a groundbreaking, essential book about sexuality. Wizenberg's incisive, generous laying-bare of her own experience will make many readers feel seen, understood, and not alone. This book is a triumph."―Kate Christensen, author of Blue Plate Special and The Last Cruise
"A work of blindsiding beauty."―Nell Beram, Shelf Awareness
"The Fixed Stars is a nuanced look into two subjects frequently depicted as binary: love and sexuality. Wizenberg writes of her journey into queerness with tenderness and curiosity, two essential qualities for any sort of entry into new lands. This book spoke directly to my heart. Read it."―Esmé Weijun Wang, author of The Collected Schizophrenias
"In The Fixed Stars, Molly Wizenberg tackles the ever-shifting issues of marriage, motherhood, and sexual orientation with the same compassion and unflinching honesty that have become the hallmarks of her writing. She makes the everyday extraordinary and brings depth and complexity to the bigger questions in life. A beautiful read."―Erica Bauermeister, author of The Scent Keeper
"The Fixed Stars, like its protagonist, is both brave and sexy, both heady and bodily, and I ripped through this memoir like it was the most erudite romance novel in the world. This is a truly compelling look at sexuality, marriage, and parenthood in this century." ―Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here and The Vacationers
"Interwoven throughout with research insights into the complexity of female sexual identity, Wizenberg's book not only offers a glimpse into the shifting nature of selfhood; it also celebrates one woman's hard-won acceptance of her own sexual difference. A courageous and thought-provoking memoir."―Kirkus Reviews
"A spirited, terrifyingly courageous, and searingly honest memoir of finding sexual identity and strength."―Booklist
"Wizenberg is an excellent writer; her meditations on what it means to know yourself-or think you know yourself-and how unpredictable and exciting life really is are a joy to read."―Electric Literature
"This is a spirited, terrifyingly courageous, and searingly honest memoir of discovering sexual identity and strength."―Booklist
"The Fixed Stars is a beautiful memoir about desire, divorce, coming out to family and friends and co-parenting through separation."
―Parade
"a touching look at modern love and life"―Bustle
"Through personal recollections, told in quietly beautiful prose you feel the urge to read out loud, she examines what happens before, during and after...
"A work of blindsiding beauty."―Nell Beram, Shelf Awareness
"The Fixed Stars is a nuanced look into two subjects frequently depicted as binary: love and sexuality. Wizenberg writes of her journey into queerness with tenderness and curiosity, two essential qualities for any sort of entry into new lands. This book spoke directly to my heart. Read it."―Esmé Weijun Wang, author of The Collected Schizophrenias
"In The Fixed Stars, Molly Wizenberg tackles the ever-shifting issues of marriage, motherhood, and sexual orientation with the same compassion and unflinching honesty that have become the hallmarks of her writing. She makes the everyday extraordinary and brings depth and complexity to the bigger questions in life. A beautiful read."―Erica Bauermeister, author of The Scent Keeper
"The Fixed Stars, like its protagonist, is both brave and sexy, both heady and bodily, and I ripped through this memoir like it was the most erudite romance novel in the world. This is a truly compelling look at sexuality, marriage, and parenthood in this century." ―Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here and The Vacationers
"Interwoven throughout with research insights into the complexity of female sexual identity, Wizenberg's book not only offers a glimpse into the shifting nature of selfhood; it also celebrates one woman's hard-won acceptance of her own sexual difference. A courageous and thought-provoking memoir."―Kirkus Reviews
"A spirited, terrifyingly courageous, and searingly honest memoir of finding sexual identity and strength."―Booklist
"Wizenberg is an excellent writer; her meditations on what it means to know yourself-or think you know yourself-and how unpredictable and exciting life really is are a joy to read."―Electric Literature
"This is a spirited, terrifyingly courageous, and searingly honest memoir of discovering sexual identity and strength."―Booklist
"The Fixed Stars is a beautiful memoir about desire, divorce, coming out to family and friends and co-parenting through separation."
―Parade
"a touching look at modern love and life"―Bustle
"Through personal recollections, told in quietly beautiful prose you feel the urge to read out loud, she examines what happens before, during and after...
Readers Top Reviews
CortneySamantha in A
Everything I wanted and waited for this book to be. Molly’s writing has a detached yet deeply insightful air, and I feel as if I could read her write about literally anything.
Janna Clark
This author writes beautifully. I enjoyed the story and her real style. I read it for a book club and we had a lot to talk about. I love her way of describing the way women love, she called it fluid. I had my own "aha" moment.
Amanda MarchiniDanie
If you’re looking for a relatable book on coming out while in a heterosexual marriage, this may be up your alley. It was relatable in some ways, I’m not sure if I loved her style of writing... and was honestly disappointed that she left her husband to be with women and then ended up with someone who doesn’t even identify as a woman. It’s raw and honest, but didn’t knock my socks off.
GoStanford
I discovered Molly Wizenberg’s first book in an airport bookstore. I read her second book right after it came out. I noticed her blog was only updated intermittently, and over the past year and more, I learned about the major changes her life has undergone, and her new family structure. She has written about her experiences with candor and gentleness. I imagine it took a lot of courage to do this, both by Molly and her loved ones, as it is their story also. She adds a fresh voice to modern memoirs, and she has helped me try to understand a bit of what my peers, students, and friends’ kids who are LGBTQIA are experiencing. Life is short, and it takes courage to be true to oneself. I hope she will write more books, and I think she should be proud of this one as well as the first two.
B. Pennington
After enjoying Molly Wizenberg's two earlier books, I was looking forward to the release of this one. The subject matter is not a usual read for me, however, I do think this author is an exceptional writer and on that basis, I made the purchase. As another reviewer mentioned, the use of plural pronouns to refer to the non-binary character just about ruined the last 1/3 or so of the book for me. Each time I came across this language, it set my teeth on edge, not to mention forcing me to read sentences a second time for clarity. The narrative itself was a bit too explicit for my preference, but then again, I knew what the subject was before deciding to read it, so I have only myself to blame. Ms. Wizenberg is such a fine writer, her artistry very nearly overcomes any perceived negatives in the storyline - I wish her well and hope to read her next work in the not too distant future...
