Off Kilter: A Woman's Journey to Peace With Scoliosis, Her Mother, and Her Polish Heritage

Even before she was diagnosed with scoliosis at thirteen, Linda Wisniewski felt off kilter. Born to a cruel father and long-suffering mother in the insulated Polish Catholic community of upstate New York, she learned martyrdom as a way of life. Off Kilter shows her learning to stretch her Self as well as her spine as she comes to terms with her mentally deteriorating, widowed mother and her culture. Only by accepting her physical deformity, her emotionally unavailable mother, and her Polish American heritage does she finally find balance and a life that fits. Wisniewski is a librarian and newspaper feature writer who teaches adult education memoir classes. Off Kilter is her first book. Maureen Murdock calls it "a courageous, insightful book, particularly relevant for anyone who grew up feeling physically 'different.'"