Slow Dancing with Fire

by Brahna Yassky

As an emerging young painter in New York City, Brahna Yassky lived her dream, working full-time as an artist and supporting herself with her work, attending art openings and going to clubs, and painting scenery in theaters. In 1982 a flame shot up from her stove and burned 55% of her body. In Slow Dancing with Fire Yassky chronicles the day she was burned, the three months she spent in the burn unit enduring an arduous healing process, and the next full year of physical and occupational therapy. She feared she might never paint again or have an independent life. Would any man ever find her attractive enough to want a relationship? Over time Yassky's resilient spirit guided her to build a new life. She earned credentials as an art therapist and helped others heal from their traumas by engaging with the creative process. She adopted a daily practice of swimming, both as a meditation and a way to loosen scar contractions. The New York City Department of Health commissioned her to create a mural on the outside of a building in the South Bronx and posters for every subway car. She joined the Guerrilla Girls, a women's artist activist collective whose mission was to fight racism and sexism in the art world. She wrote and directed a film about the day she was burned, casting an actress to play herself, thus objectifying the experience and eliminating her personal identity as a burn victim. And finally, she married a man she never would have dated before the fire because his greatest attributes were kindness and nurturance, not coolness and worldly success. Her story encourages the belief that building a resilient spirit and healing our wounds and traumas are not only possible but exhilarating.

198 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2022

Reviews

[Jamie Gehring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine your physical body being burnt by fire. It’s unimaginable to most. But this author shares her story of being a burn victim and her journey to understand what that really meant to her spirit.
She takes the reader through her life experiences and her healing.
Her writing is like a beautiful painting.
Thank you for the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow Dancing with Fire is a beautifully written and compelling story of personal resilience that will inspire you. The memoir addresses universal issues that will resonate with everyone - issues of identity, beauty and the conflicting desires for visibility and invisibility. It gives hope that you can rebuild your life for whatever reason when your prior life is no longer viable. Brahna Yassky’s book reflects the fact that the author was an accomplished painter before becoming a writer. The author’s detailed descriptions create realistic and intriguing pictures of her life and her struggle to overcome a horrific and life changing accident with fire. This memoir is a must read for anyone who is going through a personal ordeal or knows someone who is struggling to recover from an illness or tragedy.

[Cheryl Lodinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a memoir of true inspiration and resilience especially if you or someone you know has faced adversity. Brahna faced adversity three times and overcame enormous roadblocks. She built a new life filled with her love of painting, writing, activism, and a husband and son. I’m convinced she can overcome anything and her optimistic attitude is contagious. I have enormous admiration for her and you will too.

[Jody Keisner · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Slow Dancing with Fire, Brahna Yassky remembers a tragic accident that left her with burns on over half of her body, rerouting the course of her life in ways she couldn't have predicted. An artist by trade, Yassky worries she'll never be a painter again--or find love. Early on, she writes of her time in the burn unit: "I measure time by being awake—hospital time—or sedated— when my mind goes back to the parts of my life that feel safe or exciting. The morphine creates a hazy barrier from the pain. Airborne like a fly, I hover above my body, flitting back and forth between past and present, blending disjointed time and events." These sentences forecast the structure of the book; Yassky juxtaposes her past--her childhood and early adulthood before the fire--with her present day uncertainty and struggle to reclaim her life. The structure is effective and imbues the segments with layers of meaning. I especially enjoyed learning about her journey to become an artist (her family was flatly against it!). The prose is quite lovely, and the message is one of inspiration and resilience.

[Laura Steen]

This is a most compelling book. The author takes us through her story much like the steps of a dance; back and forth, past to present, tragedy to triumph. You will feel this movement throughout the pages as the author takes us through her journey with her burning passion for life, art, love and service. It’s a bravely written book that is a testament to courage and the power of family and love. An intimate, brave and beautifully written memoir!