Breathe.

by Rae Jones

Swimming in the waters of life, each wave holds memory, each story is just a bubble released from the darkness of the deep, and each breath is necessary.

250 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2012

About the author

Rae Jones once sprung from the wild deserts of Eastern Oregon, was raised on a liquid diet of business savvy, money management and stress, has been spotted in exotic locations like Indonesia, Mexico, Japan, Canada and the always mysterious U.S of A. A self-proclaimed coffee aficionado and champagne sipper, this author and adventure provocateur has a PhD in learning life lessons the hard way. In her spare time she channels all of her excess jittery energy and butterfly-length attention span into ideas of how to leave footprints on all the sandy beaches of the world.

For more information about her and her work, please check her website at www.beginanadventure.com

Reviews

[Rae Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Breathe” is a journey through the shallow waters of relationships, the crashing waves of leading a double life and the black deeps of depression, loneliness and despair. As most memoirs do, this book exposes the roller coaster ride of her life — but unlike most, Jones keeps the names of the others involved to herself; it’s an expose, all right, but the skeletons in the closet belong to her alone.

This is a tale of despair and redemption, but if you’re expecting a fairy tale ending you’ll miss the point. When you’ve plumbed the absolute depths of what you are, and confronted what you find, you have two choices: you can embrace the safety of the deep or climb to the surface and … breathe.

~Renee Struthers, East Oregonian

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Jones is going to take you on a ride. Reminds me of Joseph Campbell's description of the HERO'S JOURNEY. She will bring you into her ORDINARY WORLD, as a young girl with dreams of a swimming scholarship, a husband, a good job. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE when suddenly her world is turned upside down by mysterious dark and seductive characters. REFUSAL OF THE CALL living a false life trying to dull the pain and confusion as she hides beneath the waters, afraid of exposing her true self. MEETING WITH A MENTOR discovering secrets true and false, dark and light and finding tools that help her along her path. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD, diving deep into an exotic esoteric society. TESTS ALLIES AND ENEMIES, people once her friends turn on her, people unknown and mysterious come out to help her break from the group. APPROACH with a new love and the support of friends she embarks on her own journey traveling all over the world in search of life or death. THE ORDEAL, making the terrible decision to finally transform into her true self, and recreate her life, or finally let the demons overtake her spirit and end her life. THE REWARD, overcoming illusions, releasing the depth of the horror and pain she spent nearly a decade of her life holding in, like a long, long, breath. She exhales at last and begins to breathe on her own. THE ROAD BACK, starting a new life, with a new love, beginning the process of balance and support. Starting a new career as a writer. THE RESURRECTION, going through the process of piecing together her profound and traumatic experiences, terrified of telling her truth for fear of more backlash from the world she left behind, she confronts the past, weaves it in to the future and writes a book about her experiences. RETURN WITH THE ELIXER, She makes the decision to publish her very personal life story in hopes that it may heal and help those who have are still hiding under the water, waiting to breathe.
A surreal, poetic, sometimes graphic, sometimes funny book, that bring us closer to a true heroine, a solider of love.