112 ratings | 12 reviews | avg rating:4.46

Jennifer’s Year In Books

Jennifer’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Jennifer’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Jennifer’s 2024 Year in Books

Jennifer Starzec’s Followers (9)

Jennifer’s Bookshelves

to-read (426)
currently-reading (4)
read (158)
favorites (8)

Jennifer’s Friends (31)

Harrison

264 books | 9 friends

Megan Placko-Carrera

233 books | 22 friends

Hannah Li

97 books | 22 friends

Danielle Plater

370 books | 16 friends

Jaime Gray

504 books | 15 friends

Charlotte S

342 books | 32 friends

Ava

867 books | 53 friends

Jolie

53 books | 6 friends

More friends…

2025 Reading Challenge

2025

READING

CHALLENGE

Jennifer Starzec has read 7 of 20 books.

35%

Jennifer Starzec

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

http://www.5kballet.com

Twitter

jenstarzec

Genre

Memoir, Young Adult, Nonfiction

Influences

Riva Lehrer, Patricia Reilly Giff, Rick Riordan, Jacqueline Woodso ...more

Member Since

July 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jen_star

edit data

Jennifer (Jen) Starzec writes about her experiences living with a physical disability after being suddenly paralyzed by Transverse Myelitis at age 13. She is the co-author of three memoirs with Sarah Todd Hammer about their disability experiences: 5k, Ballet, and a Spinal Cord Injury (2013); Determination (2016); and Up and Down (2018).
Jen is from the Chicago suburbs and is currently a graduate student at the University of Illinois, where she is studying speech-language pathology.

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Jennifer Starzec questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Jennifer Starzec’s books

Average rating: 4.75 · 32 ratings · 3 reviews · 4 distinct works

	5k, Ballet, and a Spinal Cord Injury (5k, Ballet, #1) by Jennifer Starzec (Goodreads Author), Sarah Todd Hammer (Goodreads Author), Umaiyal Sridas (Illustrator) 4.69 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Determination (5k, Ballet, #2) by Sarah Todd Hammer (Goodreads Author), Jennifer Starzec (Goodreads Author) 4.89 avg rating — 9 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Up and Down (5k, Ballet, #3) by Sarah Todd Hammer (Goodreads Author), Jennifer Starzec (Goodreads Author) 4.71 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Benny The Runt Banana: Collection One 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Jennifer is Currently Reading

Jennifer Starzec is currently reading

Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #1)

by Tamsyn Muir (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

May 13, 2024 06:24PM

Jennifer Starzec is currently reading

I Might Regret This: Essays, Drawings, Vulnerabilities, and Other Stuff

by Abbi Jacobson

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Mar 01, 2023 01:09PM

Jennifer Starzec is currently reading

Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation

by Eli Clare (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jan 04, 2022 10:44AM

rss
Jennifer’s Recent Updates

Jennifer Starzec wants to read Among the Burning Flowers (The Roots of Chaos, #0.2) by Samantha Shannon (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 20, 2025 03:19PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jennifer Starzec wants to read The Salvage by Anbara Salam (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 16, 2025 04:45PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Salvage by Anbara Salam. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Salvage by Anbara Salam <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jennifer Starzec wants to read The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 11, 2025 03:19PM · like
Jennifer Starzec wants to read The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 11, 2025 03:18PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jennifer Starzec rated a book it was amazing The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 27, 2025 09:56PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jennifer Starzec wants to read Francine's Spectacular Crash and Burn by Renee Swindle (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 15, 2025 07:58PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Francine's Spectacular Crash and Burn by Renee Swindle. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Francine's Spectacular Crash and Burn by Renee Swindle <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jennifer Starzec wants to read Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 15, 2025 07:57PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jennifer Starzec wants to read Are You Happy?: Stories by Lori Ostlund (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 15, 2025 07:56PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Are You Happy? by Lori Ostlund. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Are You Happy? by Lori Ostlund <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jennifer Starzec wants to read There Are Reasons for This by Nini Berndt	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 15, 2025 07:54PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of There Are Reasons for This by Nini Berndt. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — There Are Reasons for This by Nini Berndt <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jennifer Starzec wants to read Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 15, 2025 07:52PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Jennifer's books…

Quotes by Jennifer Starzec (?)

“I often wished that more people understood the invisible side of things. Even the people who seemed to understand, didn't really.”
― Jennifer Starzec, Determination

tags: chronic-illness, chronic-pain, dance, disability, fatigue, inspirational, invisible-illness, motivational, myelitis, neuropathy, paralysis, rare-disease, run, sci, spinal-cord-injury, tm, transverse-myelitis

63 likes

“People who don't see you every day have a hard time understanding how on some days--good days--you can run three miles, but can barely walk across the parking lot on other days,' [my mom] said quietly.”
― Jennifer Starzec, Determination

tags: chronic-illness, chronic-pain, dance, disability, fatigue, inspirational, invisible-illness, motivational, myelitis, neuropathy, paralysis, run, tm, transverse-myelitis

53 likes

“Nothing worked. This blazing pain seemed only to be getting worse.”
― Jennifer Starzec

tags: chronic-illness, hopeless, illness, inspirational, life, pain

6 likes

See all Jennifer Starzec's quotes »

Jennifer’s Quotes

“Everyone has adventures in their lives. Some good ones, some bad ones.”
― Sarah Todd Hammer

tags: adventures, difficult-times, difficulties, good-attitude, inspirational, inspirational-life, life-experience, ups-and-downs

0 likes

“I was eight years old and scared, and had no idea what was going on”
― Sarah Todd Hammer

tags: child, hardship, inspirational, life, motivational, scared

1 likes

“I was scared...and did not know what was coming for me next.”
― Sarah Todd Hammer

tags: child, hospital, illness, inspirational, scared

1 likes

“Nothing worked. This blazing pain seemed only to be getting worse.”
― Jennifer Starzec

tags: chronic-illness, hopeless, illness, inspirational, life, pain

6 likes

“What if...the doctors couldn't find anything wrong? What if I was over-exaggerating the pain, weakness, and weird sensations?”
― Jennifer Starzec

Jennifer’s Year In Books

Jennifer Starzec’s Followers (9)

Jennifer’s Bookshelves

Jennifer’s Friends (31)

2025 Reading Challenge

Jennifer Starzec

Goodreads Author

Learn more
Ask the Author

Popular Answered Questions

Combine Editions
Jennifer Starzec’s books

Jennifer is Currently Reading

rss
Jennifer’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon

See a Problem?

Preview — The Salvage by Anbara Salam

See a Problem?

Preview — The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

See a Problem?

Preview — The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

See a Problem?

Preview — Francine's Spectacular Crash and Burn by Renee Swindle

See a Problem?

Preview — Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou

See a Problem?

Preview — Are You Happy? by Lori Ostlund

See a Problem?

Preview — There Are Reasons for This by Nini Berndt

See a Problem?

Preview — Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

Jennifer’s Quotes

Jennifer’s Friend Comments

Jennifer Starzec’s Followers (9)

Jennifer Starzec

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions

rssJennifer’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon

See a Problem?

Preview — The Salvage by Anbara Salam

See a Problem?

Preview — The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

See a Problem?

Preview — The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

See a Problem?

Preview — Francine's Spectacular Crash and Burn by Renee Swindle

See a Problem?

Preview — Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou

See a Problem?

Preview — Are You Happy? by Lori Ostlund

See a Problem?

Preview — There Are Reasons for This by Nini Berndt

See a Problem?

Preview — Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

rss
Jennifer’s Recent Updates