Dancing in the Narrows: A Mother-Daughter Odyssey Through Chronic Illness

by Anna Penenberg

Overview

Dancing in the Narrows chronicles a mother and daughter’s multiyear journey through illness and trauma. At sixteen, Anna’s youngest daughter, Dana, is stricken with a mysterious and debilitating condition, eventually diagnosed as Lyme disease. Desperate to find a cure, the two women are thrust into the established medical world, then far beyond. Full of adventure, humor, and blind faith, Dancing in the Narrows is an inspiring story of self-discovery as a single mother fights to save the life of her child.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631528385
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	07/07/2020
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Anna Penenberg works with individuals and families affected by trauma. A healer by nature and training, her approach integrates neurobiology, psychotherapy, and wisdom traditions into personal pathways of re-patterning. Anna holds a BA in Psychology and MA in Dance Therapy from UCLA, with certifications in Marriage & Family Therapy, Body-Mind Centering®, Infant Developmental Movement, and Kundalini Yoga & Meditation. She is the mother of two adult daughters and lives in Topanga, California. Dancing in the Narrows is her first book.

Table of Contents

Prologue Butty xiii

Part 1

Chapter 1 Movement in My Life 3

Chapter 2 Becoming Myself 9

Chapter 3 I Am the Mover 16

Chapter 4 Soul Retrieval 25

Part 2

Chapter 5 The Beginning 37

Chapter 6 Road Trip 48

Chapter 7 Positive 64

Chapter 8 Twins 81

Part 3

Chapter 9 Message from a Tree 91

Chapter 10 Weird Is Good! 97

Chapter 11 Moxie 109

Chapter 12 Pomp and Extraordinary Circumstance 114

Part 4

Chapter 13 Narrows 121

Chapter 14 Sonic Boom 126

Chapter 15 I'm Going to Meal Here 136

Chapter 16 Living the IV Life 143

Chapter 17 Firefall 155

Chapter 18 Ancient Influences 160

Chapter 19 Thanks giving 2011 166

Chapter 20 Labyrinth 175

Part 5

Chapter 21 Biological Medicine 183

Chapter 22 New Rhythms 193

Chapter 23 Where Fertilizer Meets Soil 206

Part 6

Chapter 24 This Is Insane 225

Chapter 25 Unrequited Love Soup 231

Epilogue Diary 238

Lyme Resources 244

Acknowledgments 245

Transformation through Creation 248

About the Author 249

Editorial Reviews

2022 Page Turner Screenplay Award Finalist
2022 Page Turner Book Adaptation Needed Finalist
2021 Best Book Awards Winner in Autobiography/Memoir
2021 International Book Awards Finalist in Narrative Non-Fiction

“Penenberg writes with a mother’s passion, humor, and love about her determination to cure her daughter. Perhaps more important is that she shares her doubts and frailties, taking on the medical establishment, her own state of mind, and even her daughter. Dancing in the Narrows is as beautifully written as it is profound.”
—BRETT PAESEL, LA Times best-selling author of Mommies Who Drink and Everything is Just Fine

“In Dancing in the Narrows, Anna’s unceasing determination to save her daughter from death or a painful life of chronic illness becomes a long journey of steadfast intuition. You will undoubtedly be inspired by this story.”
—JJ VIRGIN, New York Times best-selling author of Warrior Mom

“Fueled by a mother’s fierceness, Penenberg takes the lead where Western medicine won’t go. With grace and wisdom, she beautifully grounds the unfathomable in ordinary tasks of daily life. This book is a meditation on courage in the face of the unknowable, and offers solace to others facing the same.”
—CYNTHIA LI, MD, author of Brave New Medicine

“Dancing in the Narrows demonstrates the evolutionary relationship between mothers, daughters, and their destinies.”
—GURU SINGH, Kundalini Yoga master teacher and author of Buried Treasures

“In Dancing In The Narrows, Anna takes courageous action to unravel her own emotional imprints that could affect her daughter. A must-read for anyone who suffers from birth trauma or has a child who does. This odyssey will give you hope.”
—ANNIE BROOK, Ph.D., author of Birth’s Hidden Legacy and The Developing Infant

“Dancing in the Narrows is a powerful adventure by a mother and her daughter into the landscape of the heart. Life has a way of asserting itself to teach us all its lessons. Anna Penenberg is a gifted writer who captivates the reader with a story of the endurance that hope brings and how love continues to uplift and inspire. Kudos—you spread my heart wide open.”
—ELIZABETH R. KIPP, author of The Way Through Chronic Pain

“Dancing in the Narrows provides a close-up look at the fears and hopes of a parent desperate to save her child, who is clinging to life despite its pains. This story will be read with serious intent by anyone who has experienced even a small portion of the pair’s long and strained yet close-knit bonding.”
—BOOKREPORTER.COM

“Dancing in the Narrows is a poignant, memorable book about a young woman's struggle with chronic Lyme disease and her treatment options, as well as the enduring, courageous connection between a mother and daughter in times of grief and crisis. The mother and daughter here come across clearly and vividly, but primarily in relationship to the disease and how it has changed both of their lives. Readers will be moved by the sacrifices both women have had to make in the face of this often misunderstood and frequently devastating disease. This memoir is well-written, gripping, and emotionally resonant.”
—THE BOOKLIFE PRIZE

From the Publisher