Finding Zoe - Paperback

by Rosalee Jaeger (Author)

At age six, Zoe Hirsch enters a room and suddenly feels she is disconnected from reality, as if she's in a dream. As she grows older, these incidents occur more often, and at some point she hears a voice warning her that an attack is about to happen. The voice, which she names the Destroyer, is almost as terrifying as the attacks, themselves. By age nine, Zoe is a gifted pianist, but she is afraid to perform in public or become too close to anyone, for fear they will discover her secret and think she is crazy. Although Zoe is treated by many therapists, none of them are aware that Zoe is suffering from a little known and only recently defined mental illness: depersonalization disorder: the feeling of being detached from one's own body and thoughts. In this disease, the fear of becoming depersonalized leads to anxiety, which leads to depersonalization, which leads to depression. How Zoe fights through her illness, to find love, and lead a fulfilling and productive life is the essence of "Finding Zoe". "Finding Zoe" is a fast paced, touching, and ultimately inspirational novel, which will appeal to anyone who has experienced depersonalization, anxiety, depression, bulimia or any other debilitating illness, to their loved ones, and to anyone interested in a more spiritual approach to healing and life, such as the devotees of Peck, Chopra, Dyer, and Tolle. After years of being treated by traditional psychologists and psychiatrists, help comes to Zoe from her Yoga instructor, a student of Far Eastern philosophy, who teaches her meditation, deep breathing, to let her thoughts pass through like the wind in the trees, and to go with truth; truth being the person you are without fear. "A must read for book clubs." Mimi Latt, Author of Ultimate Justice "Although this book is fiction, it's real " Gilda F. Servetter, PhD in Human Behavior

Author Biography

Rosalee Jaeger grew up in Detroit, Michigan, torn between becoming a writer or a concert pianist. She attended a music high school, where she excelled in both music and English, and was the valedictorian of her class. She gave piano lessons from age 13 to 18, before starting college at the University of Michigan. It was there she made her choice: writing, and majored in English. At Michigan, she studied with Allan Seager, who published over 80 short stories, and several novels. In her senior year, Rosalee won the prestigious Hopwood Award for fiction. With her prize money, she traveled to Los Angeles to pursue her writing career, and met and married Martin Jaeger. She decided to go to UCLA to get her teaching credential, and subsequently, taught high school English and social studies in the L.A. City schools. After the birth of her three children, she left teaching and worked full time managing her husband's law office, but kept on writing and kept on taking writing classes and seminars at UCLA. Among her teachers was Robert Kirsch, the late book review editor of the L. A. times. Over the years, she has edited three published books and many short stories, and was a writer on the movie, "Jinn". In addition to her writing, Rosalee's hobbies are tennis, golf, bridge, reading, the theatre, and playing the piano for a Brandeis singing group. Rosalee has published one previous novel, "Love and Other Passions", and is currently working on her next novel, "September Song". All three novels deal with the struggles of contemporary women to overcome sometimes insurmountable obstacles to lead a rich and rewarding life.