She May Be Lying Down but She May Be Very Happy: A Micro-Memoir

by Jody Gelb

Everything was going right in the delivery room until suddenly it wasn't. The baby's brain was damaged, the new mother unprepared for the life she and her family would now be living. In dense, lyrical prose, Jody Gelb pays tribute to her daughter's short life. She lays bare her experience, from profound suffering to ecstatic joy. It is a mother-daughter memoir scrubbed of sentiment, the naked truth of being human in this imperfect world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Grief

154 pages, Paperback

Published November 7, 2023

About the author

I grew up in New York City.
I've been an actor for more than forty years.
I've created roles (original Broadway companies) in the Tony Award winning shows: The Who's Tommy and Titanic. I've also acted on Broadway in Wicked, Wrong Mountain and Big River.

This is my first book.

Reviews

[Maria Heyburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting. I’m still processing all of the feelings the author made me feel. It was raw and open and honest.

[John Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I once did some volunteer work for a group called The Art of Elysium. Once a week, I went into a facility for severely disabled children and read to them. After a particularly hard day, I asked my counselor if what I was doing was worthwhile at all. Did the kids understand my words or the pictures I showed them? She replied that we had a moral responsibility to make sure that their lives weren't like the movie "Groundhog Day" ie an endless repetition of events.
In this "micro-memoir", author Jody Gelb shows us what love without limits looks like. For sixteen years, she devoted herself to giving her daughter as full a life as possible. In a culture that is terrified of death, she makes a study of mortality and comes to terms with it. Her writing is honest, emotional and carries you along. Get yourself a copy.

[Joanne De · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally, I'm a slow reader but, I finished this book in one day. I was thoroughly captivated. As a parent of a child with severe disabilities due to cerebral palsy, I could easily relate to the experiences and emotions Jody Gelb discusses. Highly recommend.

[Rebecca Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read this very beautiful book, and ever since the title has been playing and replaying in my head. It is a micro-memoir about the short life of the author’s daughter, and I thought that it might be a difficult book to read, a tale of the terrible things that can go wrong when a baby is born.
Maybe it is, but it is far more - what you remember after reading it is the love; and those words that her father said to her distraught mother when their daughter was only 11 months old - ‘She may be lying down, but she may be very happy.’ It sounds like she was.
Thank you for this book.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this beautiful book in one fell swoop on a flight from NY to LA. I was deeply moved by the story of the author’s journey, but also by her writing, story telling itself. She is a writer like no other. Her touching, personal, candid story is as unique as it is moving. I hope there is another book inside her. Read this book.

[Lizzie Eifler · Rating 5 out of 5]

True and raw. No holding back on the reality of the worst of nightmares. But also fully open on the power of love and determination when there are no other options. What a family!!

[Don Shewey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having a special-needs child is not something any parent asks for. Yet when it happens, you learn to embrace the situation, no matter how much it overturns all your plans and expectations, no matter what bizarre, unpredictable, gruesome circumstances you find yourself in. Jody Gelb’s “micro-memoir” reports from the front lines of that battle. She packs a lifetime into 144 pages, divvied up into 43 short chapters. The lifetime is that of her first-born daughter Lueza, whose traumatic birth damaged her brain and left her permanently with the mobility of a three-month-old infant. Given the relentless cascade of emergencies and physical challenges, it’s astonishing to learn that Lueza lived to be sixteen. Composed in prose as economical as fine poetry yet direct as dirt, her stories are harrowing, hilarious, and heartbreaking sometimes in the same breath.

[Crystal Case · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jody's beautifully raw memoir sent me on an emotional rollercoaster with her, from the hope of a new baby to the shock of a gut-wrenching diagnosis. And then the day-to-day reality of a beautiful soul locked in a limiting body. Then hope brought by friends and school and caregivers and opportunities... and then....

Life is truly like this for most of us, even though it may present differently. How wonderful that Jody has written this to read and read again, proving that joy really does exist in the presence of pain.

Absolutely magnificent.

[Kate Hotchkiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously written, poignantly poetic memoir about a most precious girl, her family, the community that surrounds her, and especially how a mother navigates seas that are calm (but not really) and stormy (often very) and everything between. The ability of Jody Gelb to write so honestly about a severely challenging situation, while discovering the most intense joy and beauty in life is inspiring. Whether or not you are a parent, whether or not your child has a disability, SHE MAY BE LYING DOWN BY SHE MAY BE VERY HAPPY will make you cry, smile, laugh - and your heart will sing with joy.

[Helen Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this amazing book down. I met Jody in high school and have been in her parents apartment so it bought back strong memories of my adolescence. Jody's raw honesty and unwavering love for Lueza through the beautiful and tough times had me spellbound. I keep looking at the cover photo of the darling Lueza and wish I had met her so I could see that incredible smile and give her a big hug.

[Shelle Sumners · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a profoundly moving love story. I hope that Ms. Gelb will continue to write books; she is a truly gifted writer.

[Rebecca Heneghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an intimate look at what life is like having a child with severe disabilities. Short chapters but so powerful.

[Sam Baldazo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching story, heartfelt and raw. The writer’s style is a little jumpy, but was a quick and emotional read.

[Ned · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting. Cried. Will probably cry more later. 10/10 no notes

[Anne Shea-Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very matter-of-fact in tone. Yet still very sad.

[Sonja Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly moving and raw memoir about family, motherhood, finding joy, making sacrifices, and all the little bits that make us human. The author’s writing is poignant but relatable, breathing power through its vulnerability. Thank you for sharing this journey with us.