Secret Girl

Brucie Jacobs, the familys eldest daughter, newly sober at the age of thirty-eight, comes face-to-face with a family secreta younger sister Anne who was diagnosed at birth with hydrocephalus and mental retardation, then institutionalized. Anne has never been home to visit, and Jacobs has never seen her. Full of trepidation, Jacobs goes to meet her sister for the first time. As the book unfolds, and the sisters grow close, Jacobs gains surprising insights about herself, including why she drank for most of her adult life. This memoir, which received widespread national publicity in hardcover, sheds light upon the struggle for human connection that we all share, and upon the need to accept ones limitations, as well as to learn forgiveness.

Molly Bruce Jacobs’s short stories have appeared in numerous literary journals and her articles and essays have appeared in AARP The Magazine, The Baltimore Sun, Redbook, and various other publications.  Before turning to writing full-time, Jacobs practiced law in Baltimore, Maryland.  She now lives in western Massachusetts.  Visit her at www.mollybrucejacobs.com.

"An important story, heartbreakingly vivid, and beautifully told."
–Jane Bernstein, author of Bereft: A Sister's Story â€œPainful secrets are brought to light in this rueful, honest account.â€�
–Publishers Weekly
 
“Secret Girl is an unwaveringly courageous, wisely seen, and gorgeously written book about family secrets, indelible loss, and the healing power of reconciliation that stands equal to groundbreaking memoirs like Kathryn Harrison's The Kiss, and Lucy Grealey's Autobiography of a Face.�
–Julie Checkoway, author of the forthcoming book Waiting for Hockney and director of the forthcoming documentary Waiting for Hockney
“Molly Bruce Jacobs takes you on a rollercoaster ride through the range of emotions a family experiences when the parents choose to institutionalize their daughter.�
–Steve Morgan, executive director of the Arc of Baltimore
 
“Secret Girl is a compelling evocation of the dynamics of one family around an invisible sister tucked away into an institution, and the long journey of the author to claim her sister, and claim herself. This is a memorable book...The author's accurate eye and deep desire for truth make this book a necessary one to enter, a great visit to the birth of love between sisters, and to its persistence.�
–Anya Achtenberg, Zoetrope Award-winning author and poet
 
Praise for Molly Bruce Jacobs's award-winning short story collection Small Burials:
“The author writes effortless prose. She is confident of the worlds...being created, and that confidence and a clarity of vision pull the reader in and make all the stories believable and poignant...This is wonderful work.�
–Edward P. Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Known World