A remarkable memoir that breaks the silence about infertility--and will resonate with millions of women.

"I drive and say to myself, if I am dying, if this is how I die, then this is how I die." When N. West Moss finds herself bleeding uncontrollably in the middle of a writing class, she drives herself to the hospital. Doctors are baffled, but eventually a diagnosis--hemangioma--is determined and a hysterectomy is scheduled. We follow Moss through her surgery, complications, and recovery as her thoughts turn to her previous struggles with infertility, to grief and healing, to what it means to leave a legacy.

Moss's wise, droll voice and limitless curiosity lift this beautiful memoir beyond any narrow focus. Among her interests: yellow fever, good cocktails, the history of New Orleans, and, always, the natural world, including the praying mantis in her sunroom whom she names Claude. And we learn about the inspiring women in Moss's family--her mother, her grandmother, and her great-grandmother--as she sorts out her feeling that this line will end with her. But Moss discovers that there are other ways besides having children to make a mark, and that grief is not a stopping place but a companion that travels along with us through everything, even happiness.

N. West Moss is the author of the story collection The Subway Stops at Bryant Park. Her essays and short stories have appeared in the New York Times, Salon, McSweeney’s, and many other publications. The recipient of three William Faulkner–William Wisdom gold medals and winner of the Saturday Evening Post ’s Great American Fiction Contest, she holds an MFA in creative writing and a certificate in narrative medicine from Columbia University. She works in New Jersey, where she lives with her husband.

David Ebenbach is the author of eight books of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, including his new novel How to Mars (Kirkus Reviews: "A poignant examination of what it means to be human"). His books have won such awards as the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the Juniper Prize, among others. Ebenbach lives with his family in Washington, DC, where he teaches creative writing and literature and promotes student-centered teaching at Georgetown University. Find out more at http://davidebenbach.com.

N. West Moss, "Flesh & Blood" with David Ebenbach