Landed: A yogi’s memoir in pieces & poses

by Jennifer Lang

★★★★★ “Lyrical. Poignant. Funny. Captures the essence of living as a perpetual outsider in Israel.” Sarah Tuttle-Singer, author of Jerusalem, Drawn and Quartered

American-born Jennifer traces her journey—both on and off the yoga mat—reckoning with her adopted country (Israel), midlife hormones (merciless), cross-cultural marriage (to a Frenchman) and their imminent empty nest (a mixed blessing), eventually realizing the words her yoga teachers had been offering for the past twenty-three years: root down into the ground and stay true to yourself. Finally, she understands that home is about who you are, not where you live. Written in experimental chapterettes, Landed spans seven years (and then some), each punctuated with chakra wisdom from nationally-acclaimed Rodney Yee, her first teacher.

Genres: Nonfiction, Jewish, Memoir

308 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2024

About the author

American-French-Israeli hybrid; obsessed with identity, language, home, belonging

1995-today: stories in Parenting, Woman’s Day, Baltimore Review, Under the Sun, Barren Magazine, Citron Review, Coachella Review, Consequence Forum, NPR

MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts; former Assistant Editor at Brevity Journal

Yogini, practicing since 1995, teaching since 2003, leads YogaProse

https://www.instagram.com/jenlangwrites

https://www.facebook.com/jenlangwrites

AWARDS for Landed:
*Winner of Best Middle-or-Late-in-Life Coming-of-Age, Zibby Awards 2025
*Gold Book Award Winner, Literary Titan 2024
*Finalist for Adult Nonfiction, Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2024

AWARDS for Places We Left Behind:
*Finalist for Autobiography/Memoir, Foreword Reviews Book Awards 2023
*Finalist for Women's Literature Non-Fiction, Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2024
*Finalist for Adult Nonfiction, Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2023
*Finalist in Multicultural Nonfiction, American Legacy Book Awards 2024
*Finalist in Multicultural Nonfiction, American Book Fest's 20th Annual Best Book Awards 2023
*Finalist in Multicultural Nonfiction, Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards 2023
*Pushcart Prize nomination for "Hand in hand," Vine Leaves Press 2023
*Gold Book Award Winner, Literary Titan 2023
*Finalist for book cover design, Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2023

Reviews

[Jennifer Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Booklovers, Readers, Bookbuyers, Reviewers, Critics, Bibliophiles, Librarians,
Thank you for reading or for wanting to read my book.

I envision you as open-minded and non-judgmental. I think of you as supportive and someone I would want to meet for a cup of Earl Grey tea in a cozy cafe.

I cannot assume you read my first book, PLACES WE LEFT BEHIND: A MEMOIR-IN-MINIATURE, but hope so. Together, they read like Part I and Part II, but they can also stand alone. Both are my babies. Both took years of writing and rewriting, visioning and revisioning, compressing and chiseling.

But as much as I want to shout from my rooftop that everyone should read them, I hesitate. They are highly unconventional, very Jewish, very Israel-centered stories, and make me feel vulnerable.

Please treat my words with care. Please understand how difficult it is to promote these in our shared world. Please respect how much work goes into writing a book. And, most importantly, please be honest. That said, if you think it deserves one, two, or three stars, I ask you to withhold the stars and leave a comment instead. For a new, unknown author, those stars greatly affect the algorithms.

If you are in a book club and want to invite me to meet with you, I would be honored. If you know women who struggle to find their voice, I hope you will consider sharing my stories.

Whoever and wherever you are, thank you for being here.

[Joelle Tamraz · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading, Places We Left Behind, the author’s first memoir, about her multiple uprootings and resettling, I was eager to learn how she would “land.”

Landed is her story of making peace with her life in the intense cultural and religious landscape of Israel. As she makes adjustments, her yoga practice gives her structure and offers both solace and a challenge to her fluctuating mental states.

I could relate to the author’s multiple, sometimes conflicting, identities and her difficulty in finding home. I learned more about life in Israel from someone who struggled at first with the idea of rooting there. When she finally does, we feel we have been on a wonderful journey of discovery with her.

[Liane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Landed is the perfect companion to Lang’s “Places We Left Behind.” She explores the complexities of identity, belonging, and the push/pull of cross-cultural marriage, examining the intersections of midlife and her grounding yoga practice in intimate, meditative vignettes.

[Lori L Abramson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been following Jennifer Lang since 1995 and have always loved her writing. Crystal clear and engaging, the author invites us in to her home, her thoughts, struggles, and successes. Each chapter contains a piece of wisdom that she learned or understood, and it feels as if the lightbulb has gone off for the reader as well (or at least for this reader). I couldn't put it down! Already looking forward to her next book. In the meantime, I enthusiastically recommend both Landed and her previous memoir, Places We Left Behind.

[Rey Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Landed is a beautiful, poignant collection of vignettes illustrating a marriage, family, career, and finding a grounded voice. Jennifer Lang shows how her experiences in yoga help her connect to her body and express herself in other aspects of her life.

Outside of the studio, she struggles to find what feels meaningful, among the Israeli community she didn't grow up in and in gender-segregated religious services. Lang moves across the world–multiple times–as part of the ongoing negotiations between her and her husband and kids. She condenses the complexity of the stress of a loving marriage beautifully, in a fair and relatable way.

I greatly appreciated learning about one family's experience living between the US and Israel and gaining a more personal understanding of the history of the current conflict. Lang’s memoir is an inspiring and motivating story of working towards feeling confident in one’s true self through lifelong practice.

[Jodie Sadowsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memoir is best when it doesn’t just tell the story but unfolds as the writer pokes and prods to understand self as much as the story. Jennifer Lang does this with much honesty and genuineness. Though we may not all need to wrestle with where to live, or how to live, there is much to be gained from witnessing an exploration of self like the one in Landed.

I have lots of questions and look forward to speaking with the author when she comes to the US this fall on book tour.

[Adina Hamik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer's poetic style as she navigates life, reflects the swirl in our own heads! Love love

[Diana Zoller Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Jennifer’s writing style so much - I feel like I’m peeking into a friend’s private journal so as to gain insight into her world. I really get the complexities of living in such a complicated place, and feel her internal tug-of-war as she searches for home.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not love the story or the writing. About a jewish woman who marries a French Israeli who is much more religious than her. They bounce around from Israel to the U.S.
Oh yah, she’s a yogi - the book is convoluted - would not recommend

[Heidi Fettig Parton · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Here, in this country, I am mostly American, legally French, and sometimes Israeli," Jennifer Lang writes in her latest creative nonfiction work, LANDED: A YOGI'S MEMOIR IN PIECES & POSES.

LANDED dialogues with Lang's earlier memoir, PLACES WE LEFT BEHIND, where the puzzle box was opened, the pieces spread about the table. In PLACES WE LEFT BEHIND, a marriage was stretched thin across continents, a conflicted narrator grasped after a sense of place in her same-faith marriage. And readers learn that, even from within, the same faith can be seen through a multitude of lenses.

Though Lang and her husband live in Israel throughout the present-day thread of LANDED, Lang's faith rests more on the wisdom found on her yoga mat than in the rituals of Judaism. Lang's husband, more strictly observant, is the spouse committed to the idea of living in Israel. Lang has begrudgingly (and because it's her husband's turn) agreed to give it a try.

At times, a reader might find herself asking this: if even two people who love each other, and share three children and a common faith, can't agree, where is the hope for any of us?

It's certain Lang hadn't understood the prescience of LANDED while writing this book. LANDED will arrive in readers' hands in the context of a conflict that none of us, no matter where we live, have the luxury of ignoring, or of putting off efforts to understand (as I have for so many years).

From the middle of a marriage, honestly portrayed to readers in the details of its ongoingness (so rare; usually we only receive candid accounts of marriage when they end), readers gain insight and understanding into the ongoing conflicts in Israeli. Even more, Lang's descriptions bring readers' imagination to this place they may have never visited (and may never visit). In this important work, readers may discover, as I did, a hope and a model (in the micro) for how conflicts about land, place, and faith (in the macro) might someday be resolved.

[Karli Sherwinter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Jennifer's first book, Places We Left Behind, so much that I sought her out and took a writing workshop with her. By the time I had pre-ordered Landed, I couldn't wait to read it. I almost feel like I flew through it too quickly. Each chapter is short, so it is easy to feel like it is moving fast. I can't say I loved it as much as her first book, which I read in one afternoon, but I think that is probably because it hit so close to home for me. I used my embodied practices (qi gong and yoga) to figure out my place in Israeli society, and in my own personal life. Strengthening my parasympathetic nervous system has allowed me to enhance my relationships with my family and friends. When I felt lost or overwhelmed or in culture shock, returning to the body helped me find calm and create new neural pathways. I felt Jennifer's stress in so much of the book, but I also knew she was finding her way. It's hard when we feel stuck in a situation we don't like, but throughout this book, we see her growth, improved self-awareness, and strengthened self-assuredness. I would have like a smoother transition in the narrative - I felt like she was unhappy and then all of the sudden changed her mindset, which I'm guessing wasn't the case. I do think perimenopause plays a role (that was just touched upon for a moment in the book). I also wanted more yoga info, although I know that is my Rodney Yee fangirl part coming out. Thank you for another beautiful offering of your experience and your soul!

[MARGARET S · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a memoirist and yoga instructor myself, I connected on every level with Jennifer Lang's story of growth and self-discovery through her relationships with her French-born husband and three children in both her country of birth (USA) and adopted country (Israel). The narrative toggles crisply between life unfolding through the lens of relationship with loved ones and life on the yoga mat, where her physical growth and transformation mirrors her experience of everyday life. Brilliantly rendered, relatable, honest prose is augmented with expressive graphics, such as symbols for "peace" and "home" in lieu of words, thought bubbles in reverse type suggestive of an aside or stage whisper, variations in font size and word placement on the page as cascades or vectors, use of arrows and mathematical equations to suggest equivalency.

Be sure to check out Brevity Blog on October 16, 2024, for my interview with Jennifer Lang, where she discusses her personal odyssey of finding her identity as history is constantly changing round her. "Landed" took me to a place of deeper understanding of the chaos and beauty of Jennifer's adopted home. When she "finds her voice" at the end of the memoir, I, the reader, knew it was always there.

[Jamie Cha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give the book 4.5 stars. I received a free ebook from Booksirens and I leaving this review voluntarily. I read the authors other book, Places We Left Behind, in August of 2023. I like yoga and stories about travel. I am Jewish.

The book is extremely easy to read. I finished the book in less than a day. The chapters are super short. The book is interesting. The writing is really good.

The book makes you think. As a Reform/ secular Jew, I related a lot with the author. I thought what would it be like to be married to someone who sees religion and the world differently. The book examines this.

The book puts you on the authors journey. It's a book about her finding herself. It, also, shows you that there is no perfect place to live.

The book takes place in the 2010s. It takes place before October 7 2023. However, the book makes you think about Jewish Arab relationships. It makes you think about war. It shows you that there were problems in the region before October 7.

I am thankful to Booksirens and the author for the opportunity to read this book. I look forward to the author's next book.

[Talya Jankovits · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Landed, Jennifer Lang offers her reader mental poses - a stretch of the mind and heart. Told in bits and pieces that flow as smoothly as Vinyasa, we follow her journey towards inner balance across time and memory, place and space. On the page and in her life, she works through Yoga and her self-determination as she reconciles marriage, family, and religion, working towards a place of inner peace and clarity. Lang is unafraid to explore her greatest vulnerabilities and faults to understand herself better, making this a raw telling of the grit needed to find oneself.

In a world post-October 7, this memoir also offers insight into the kinds of daily external and internal turmoil faced living in a land that itself is too often thrust into its own turmoil. Lang not only offers a hopeful resolution to her search towards feeling grounded in a place of belonging and contentment but also a desire for resolution for those who live alongside each other in a country with as complicated a sense of self as Lang.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book! I'd read Jennifer Lang's first memoir last year and found that the story of her cross-cultural marriage resonated with me so much because I'd been in one during my first marriage. Jennifer and her husband worked out their issues of finding home. Now with "Landed", she picks up where "Places We Left Behind" left off. Her new book is more about motherhood but still addresses the issue of finding home. I enjoyed reading about her yoga practice and how that grounded her in Israel, as well as her decision to study for an MFA. Like "Places We Left Behind", "Landed" is also written in vignettes. I love this style and even though this book is 300+ pages, it reads quickly and is packed with so many layers. For anyone who has been in a cross-cultural relationship or knows people in one (which is most everyone), I highly, highly recommend this book!

[Nina B.]

Lang achieves something brilliant in that she successfully braids three unique strands of profound significance in her life (her family, her yoga practice, and her new homeland, Israel) to tell the story of a tender yet fiercely dynamic and probing journey of finding home: “In this teeny, tangled land, the personal and the political, the tranquil and the tumult, the creative and the destructive wrestle and wrangle every day. Just. Like. Us…And in that state of mind, I feel present and awake, alive and aglow.” If we can land in life and in ourselves and feel like this, we are doing something right that is worth holding onto. And I believe Lang knows it now. For a longer and more detailed review go here: https://lilith.org/articles/when-yoga...

[Andrea Frazer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book from the lens of somebody that feels divided both in her marriage, as a parent and as a Jew. In America, she is often seen as an Israeli and in Israel she is seen American. Combined with yoga poses, these chapters are short and give a pretty realistic look as to what it’s like to live in Israel during conflict.

I can’t say the book is too terribly deep in terms of a forceful message about religion or relationship, but that’s a huge part of its appeal. The structure allows the reader to process for themselves - to go from chapter to chapter as she has to bounce through so many aspects of her life, and I am grateful for the opportunity to witness somebody’s struggle, honesty, and intelligence.

[Caren Gerszberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer Lang's second memoir, "Landed," brings depth and delight. It's both a magnificent and tension-filled journey that explores moving through the yoga chakras coupled with the process of finding footing in the complicated land of Israel. There is humor and pain, love and struggle, something all readers can relate to. We see firsthand how Lang faces and learns to accept that "change is the only constant." The way in which Lang shares her story is innovative and keeps you wanting to know more, as she travels through time evolving, grappling, and ultimately finding her way to the answers she's been seeking for decades. I highly recommend Landed!

[Jackelin Orellana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reflective and relatable, Jennifer takes a heavy subject and fills it with character that keeps you turning the page. Her use of imagery gives reader the sense of reading a personal journal. As vulnerable as her first memoir, this is a deeper look at her life and relationship. I love the way she tied her reflective moments to Yoga giving us a greater sense of how she found light in her darker moments.

[Sara Neufeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful meditation on home and belonging, through the lens of yoga. One of my favorite concepts in yoga is finding home wherever you are, and that is exactly what Jennifer does in Landed. I love how she uses the chakras to take us on an international journey, one that is ultimately about peace and acceptance. Isn’t that what we all need right now? Told in short vignettes, this memoir is an accessible, resonant read. Highly recommend.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Jennifer Lang‘s first book and was excited to read “part two” to see what happened next. Landed did not disappoint. Each chapter is a little jewel that feels about like you are reading her journal or are her best friends having an intimate talk. It takes you into her world, and in doing so has you reflect on your own. While real life has no happily ever afters, you are rooting for her to find peace and happiness.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Landed tells the compelling story of Jennifer's quest to make peace with her life in Israel and her religion. As with her first memoir Places We Left Behind, Jennifer uses unconventional text structures to reveal aspects of her struggle that are difficult to put into traditional prose. This is a great read!

[Rhonda Lomazow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Langs memoir is beautifully written open & raw.She is in a cross cultural marriage she is American he is French we follow her life her marriage and adjusting to living in Israel.She is about to become an empty nester and is trying to to adjust to her life using her yoga practices and finding answers in her yoga chakras.Told in short paragraphs I was really drawn in to her story,

[Jodi Solovy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A raw and beautifully written memoir about what it’s like to be an American living in Israel. So many of her experiences and observations matched my own when I lived there over 30 years ago, it was both soothing and jarring. I loved getting to meet this author and having the chance to read her delightful/heart wrenching story.

[Randie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer Lang's unique style of writing allows the reader to truly feel like they're on the journey with the characters. The thoughts, feelings and actions are felt on a level far greater than typical dialogue. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend.

[Alexandra Manolis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer's honesty and questioning are so real in this book. Her words let you feel her struggles and passion in each vignette. An excellent memoir and a great read!

[Danielle Litt-Halpern · Rating 4 out of 5]

An honest and relatable portrayal of trying to find home as both a physical place and as a place inside each of us

[Janice Weizman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review first appeared in the New York Journal of Books. (www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/...)

In her first memoir, The Places We Left Behind, Jennifer Lang attempted to examine, in a series of short reflections and vignettes, her complex but loving relationship with her French-born husband as they attempted to build a life and family on three different continents. Her new work seeks to address her psychological journey in which she comes to accept and own what began as a marital comprise: the life she is now living in Israel.

What gives this story a unique perspective is the way that Lang, a student, practitioner, and teacher of yoga, interweaves mind-body principles of yoga as a way of finding herself in the midst of a reality that is often frustrating, confusing, and scary, but also rewarding and exhilarating. There are sections in the book in where yoga literally grounds her, compelling her, as yoga can, to glean a still center from which she can find calm and growth. Here, for example, she talks about attempting to teach yoga in Hebrew, a language which she has not fully mastered:

“In December, I inaugurate my basement studio and begin teaching at Ella Yoga. While the former is only mine and all English, the latter hired me under two conditions: speak Hebrew and build followers.

“Every time I utter a sentence, I sound like a six year-old breaking down syllables. As I escort my students into Warriors, I stumble over unbeknownst basics: weave (fingers together), fold (forward), and stretch (arms overhead).

“In New York, we called this Humble Warrior. But humble, like hundreds of words, is not in my Hebrew lexicon. Nor is devotional warrior, bound warrior, or silver surfer—all names for the same pose. No one ever says its Sanskrit name: Badha Virabhadrasana, derived from the Hindu warrior, Virabhadra.”

The book reads like watching someone try to work out, over time, the most basic rudiments of their own life. It feels like someone free associating, moving around through flashbacks, memories, conversations, reflections, and moments that still resonate, casting their implications years into the future. Through it all, overriding issues of commitment, sacrifice, acceptance, unfinished business, and self-doubt pervade the narrative. Her psychological struggle is constant and complicated by her very real love for her husband, whom she refers to as “Mari,” the French term for “husband.” This passage, in which she shares her inner dialogue as she practices Ashtanga yoga at a portside yoga studio in Tel Aviv, is a telling example:

“’I love this,’ I say, even though my nemesis, Mademoiselle Ambivalence, tries to insert herself with ‘Are you happy? Do you feel safe? Can you stay?’ I focus on the flow, shoving her aside.”

The teacher dedicates the last eight to Ella, to her staff, and to the workers at the port.

“‘For the final one,” she says, ‘dedicate it to someone important, on your mind, in your heart.’

I picture Mari.”

Ultimately, Landed is a success story. Lang comes to take full responsibility for the choices she’s made, and to fully own them, which is perhaps the best of all outcomes in a story like hers. She comes to see the arc of her life as having purpose, meaning, and value, and in this sense, she has found a hard-won peace. The ancient teachings of yoga, and the ancient complexities of her heritage, have finally come together, resolving themselves into a fully formed sense of self. She can finally look back on her years of psychic struggle with satisfaction:

“I watch my daughter with awe, unable to believe this is the same girl who didn’t want to come to this country. And, like my mother, who used to tell her friends that meeting Mari in Israel was bashert—Yiddish for fate— after enrolling me in a pilot French class in first grade, I think she was right. Maybe it was meant to be. Despite all the vicissitudes of our marriage and moves, Mari and I did the right thing.”

[Book Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Landed: A Yogi’s Memoir in Pieces and Poses, by Jennifer Lang, is a deeply personal exploration of identity, culture, and the search for belonging. Lang, torn between the United States and Israel, grapples with feeling like an outsider in both places, constantly navigating the expectations of each. Her struggle is mirrored within her family, where two opposing approaches to their Jewish heritage—one modern and flexible, the other more traditional and rigid—create an ongoing internal tug-of-war.

This memoir traces Lang’s journey as she seeks to find herself in the space between these conflicting worlds. Drawing on both her writing and yoga practice, she embarks on a quest to discover which culture and location she can truly call home. Lang delves into her personal history and the challenges of being caught between two distinct yet intertwined identities through a series of essays and reflections. Lang’s writing shines in its portrayal of the complexities faced by Jewish women—whether in their connection to Israel, to their families, or to their own sense of self. Her storytelling is both witty and introspective, weaving in moments of self-discovery alongside the backdrop of yoga poses that serve as metaphors for her emotional journey. She offers readers a poignant look at life in Israel, vividly depicting both the beauty and the turmoil that coexist there. Her compassion for the land and its people is evident, as is her keen awareness of the personal and political struggles that shape daily life. Throughout the memoir, Lang’s internal conflict is palpable, inviting readers to reflect on their own definitions of home and belonging. The raw honesty with which she portrays her emotional and spiritual battles allows the reader to connect with her on a deeply personal level. Her reflections serve as an inspiration to anyone navigating the difficult balance between familial obligations and self-discovery, encouraging others to look inward and consider what truly feels like home.

While Landed will likely resonate most with women both younger and older, it offers valuable insights for anyone striving to find peace within themselves amid external pressures. In a world where societal and familial expectations often overshadow personal growth, Lang’s memoir paves the way for self-exploration and empowerment, making it a must-read for those seeking to prioritize their own journeys of self-discovery, regardless of age or circumstance.

[Tree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Lang writes of the places she's inhabited and the identities she has possessed over the course of her life so far in her memoir, Landed. An American Jewish woman married to a French Jewish man who has lived in Israel on two separate occasions as well as France and the United States, Lang shares her struggles with finding herself as she lives a life surrounded by strong personalities, a difficult marriage, and her evolving Jewish identity, among other subjects. She finds purpose and grounding in her yoga practice as well as her writing, earning an MFA later in life when her children are all nearly grown.
There are definitely aspects of the book that are relatable to the reader, even if the reader has not traveled extensively or lived in different countries. For myself, as a reader in my fifties, I appreciate what she shares about her marriage and struggle to create a life separate from, but still connected to, her husband. And I appreciate learning about her experiences in Israel as not just an American, but one who is secular and resists the pressure to live a strict, religious life.

The book is divided not into chapters, but vignettes, and these can be anywhere from a paragraph to several pages long. They jump around different years and countries, or are named for yoga poses that have opened her up spiritually. As I've mentioned in other reviews, I just don't know if this is effective storytelling.
Using this technique in Landed, it's rare that Lang delves deeply into any one topic. This may be a convention used by the writer to express how they felt inside as they navigated their life, but for me it was distracting and made it difficult for me to keep interest. Because Lang is an interesting person with a lot to share, my hope is she will continue to write about her life but in a way that focuses deeply on one or two aspects of herself.

One reason I encourage others to read this book is because it provides the reader with a realistic and multilayered Jewish woman. As we struggle with a shocking rise in antisemitism and as many writers and filmmakers continue to indulge in offensive stereotypes of Jewish women, we can turn to a book like Landed for an honest depiction of a woman who encompasses many things, including being Jewish. That almost seems revolutionary when you consider it.

Many thanks to BookSirens for providing me with a prepublication copy of Landed.