Sober Truths: The Making of an Honest Woman

by Jill Kelly

Old-timers in 12-step programs say that if you want to stay sober, you only have to change one thing: your whole life. Sober Truths: The Making of an Honest Woman recounts how one woman did just that. Jill Kelly's personal stories describe the journey as two decades of drinking and despair gave way to a richly rewarding sober life. Her demons did not go quietly when she put the bottle down. Loneliness, anxiety, distrust of others-they were all still there. This memoir tells how she has learned to be with those demons and not drink, to let go of the jealous dramas of the past and embrace a new life of peace. Along the way, Kelly reinvents herself, becoming a visual artist, starting a successful business, and developing deep friendships and a satisfying spiritual life. At the same time, she faces the challenges of emotional eating and her sober ambivalence about sexual relationships. This book offers hope to those who cannot imagine a life without alcohol by someone who has recreated hers. "Jill Kelly speaks my language. This could have been my memoir in scene after scene, relationship after relationship, drunk after drunk. Because of the similarity of our paths, right down to the PhD each page felt like a review of my life. Jill doesn't mince words, nor does she sugar-coat the journey. It was ugly and she survived. That's what makes her story amazing and so hopeful to read. I'm glad I can call Jill my friend. She makes a way for the millions of others who will follow. " -Karen Casey, author of Each Day A New Beginning (www.womens-spirituality.com) "Jill Kelly writes with raw authenticity about some of life's most delicate issues, weaving a highly personal account with universal overtones. I am profoundly grateful for her articulation of her journey." -Christina Baldwin, author of Storycatcher: Making Sense of our Lives through the Power and Practice of Story (www.peerspirit.com) "This story is an extraordinary and gallant fight out of self-destructive patterns into a life of fulfilling relationships and artistic development that is free fromalcohol and the ghosts of the past. A great read!" -Marilyn J. Sorensen, PhD, author of Breaking the Chain of Low Self-Esteem (mjsorensen@TheSelfEsteemInstitute.com)

Genres: Memoir

282 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2007

About the author

I am a child of the Pacific Northwest, born in a tiny village up the Columbia Gorge in a snowstorm. I grew up in and around Portland, Oregon, then lived for a number of years in California, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and France before settling into Portland again about 15 years ago.

For two decades I was a college professor of French, English as a Second Language, and writing. When I moved west, I reinvented my life, becoming a freelance editor and writer. Eventually I also developed myself into a visual artist (pastels) and an author (memoir, fiction). For some examples, visit my website.

Sober Truths was written over a 7-year period. I wanted to understand the patterns of my past and the various threads of my present. I wrote over 50 stories and included a bit fewer than half. Memoir can be tricky business as memories are unreliable. In the end, all we can do is tell about our own remembrances, our own realities. I hope you enjoy reading the book!

Reviews

[Audra Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good writing. Reveals her promiscuous past without raunchy or explicit details.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this memoir. I listen to it as an audiobook read by the author although someone else in the reviews claims she had a monotone voice but I didn’t mind lol. I believe she read it quite well. I found the story captivating and well written overall

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely enthralled throughout the story. Thank you for being so honest and vulnerable.
It opened up my understanding of myself and also of my partner! I picked this book up to keep myself busy while he works through rehab and it’s been a huge comfort.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jill Kelly really gets to the core of her emotions, struggles with alcohol and her recovery and discovery of her true self. Beautifully written. I enjoyed reading about her journey.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing and language was a bit simplistic. Basic sentence structure, I did this, I did that, but a good account nonetheless.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a good account of an alcoholics struggles, but i felt depressed reading this... really a downer the first part.

[Dominika · Rating 5 out of 5]

how does this not have 5 stars and at least 50k reads.....

[Jeannine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admire people who battle and conquer their addictions and so the book was interesting to me in that way. The last part of the book (the last 20%) was very new-agey and induced a lot of eye-rolling and page turning, but mostly because that kind of thing, isn't MY thing. Good for her for forging a path that works for her.

A better book about this sort of thing is Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp.

[Heather Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the honesty, and humility the author portrays in this book. She is a very good writer. I felt that when she got to the recovery Part, it became harder to follow, as the stories bounced around time period wise. The last few chapters, I skimmed through as I felt that there was repetition and not as organized information wise.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author turns her astute mind to her own addictions, the choices she has made, and the patterns of her life. I was struck by her unflinching observations--she doesn't pull punches, even with herself. She has become the "Honest Woman" of the title.

[Bridget Benton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book - an honest, personal and well-written story of a struggle with addiction that is still universal. The ending left me hanging slightly; the resolution wasn't tidy. Of course, life isn't tidy either - and Jill Kelly's story is only beginning.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting....