What I Forgot
...and Why I Remembered
A Purposeful Memoir
by Jennifer Browdy
Finalist in Autobiography/Memoir in the 2018 International Book Awards
Publication Year: 2022
Fifth Anniversary Edition: 2022
In this lyrical, hard-hitting memoir, one American woman’s journey is set against the larger landscape of the political upheaval and global climate disruption of her time and place. In telling the story of a generation who “forgot” how important the health of our planet is to our personal and collective well-being, Jennifer Browdy calls on readers to remember our primary connection to the Earth and begin the process of transformation at the intersection of the personal, political and planetary.
“Demonstrates how vibrant and rewarding an engaged life can be.”— Mary Pipher
“Jennifer Browdy has chosen to write what she calls a “purposeful memoir….Her choice can inspire us all to see how our lives have been hijacked or distracted from what we most deeply desire, and how we can reclaim our lives for the sake of life on Earth.”
— Joanna Macy, author of Coming Back to Life and Active Hope (2022 edition): How to Face the Mess We’re in with Unexpected Resilience & Creative Power
"This beautifully written and moving memoir of a woman’s search to find her authentic self, buried beneath decades of social conditioning and academic prejudice…offers hope, inspiration and support to all those who, aware of disaster staring us in the face, are searching for courage and insight into how to respond. A timely and most valuable contribution to the greatest challenge of our times."
— Anne Baring, author of The Dream of the Cosmos: A Quest for the Soul
Praise for Jennifer’s memoir:
“She documents the process of waking up to the world around us and she demonstrates how vibrant and rewarding an engaged life can be.” —Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia & The Green Boat: Reviving Ourselves in Our Capsized Culture
Jennifer Browdy’s memoir “can inspire us all to see how our lives have been hijacked or distracted from what we most deeply desire, and how we can reclaim our lives for the sake of life on Earth.” —Joanna Macy, author of Coming Back to Life
Jennifer Browdy | About the Author
Jennifer Browdy is a writer, teacher, community organizer and public speaker with a passion for social and environmental justice.
She earned her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at New York University and has taught world literature, gender studies, media studies, and environmental and social justice advocacy through writing and digital media strategies for more than 20 years at the college level.
Long committed to women’s human rights and social justice, she directed a major annual conference in observance of International Women’s Day for more than a decade, and works constantly and collaboratively to nourish and celebrate the voices and visions of women and girls.
Jennifer has published widely and spoken on the politics and poetics of social and environmental justice at many college campuses and conferences. In the coming years, she is looking forward to leading other women down the elemental path of purposeful memoir, working to strengthen the voices and visions of women of all ages, so we can step into our potential as the creative leaders the world needs now.
For more information on Jennifer’s lectures, workshops, developmental editing and author coaching, visit JenniferBrowdy.com.