Review
"Freed's prose is often gorgeous and surprising. A candid account of personal devastation and renewal." ~ Kirkus Reviews
"She writes of the coming of Hurricane Katrina with quiet force, which foreshadows the ruin of her marriage and stable life ... The story has genuine poignancy." ~ Southern Literary Review
"I felt like I was sitting on the sofa with a close friend and a bottle of wine as Julie told me her shocking story. She surprised me as she delicately wove literary motifs and themes into the narrative. I read it in one sitting." ~ Sissy Gardner, Parnassus Books
"Heart-wrenching true story told with dignity." ~ Victoria Twead, New York Times & Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author
"A gripping story of love and life lost in tandem." ~ Dr. Lynn Cossman
"Every woman reading this book will find a little of herself in theauthor and a little bit of the woman she strives to be." ~ Amazon Review
"Powerful and emotional memoir about a woman who starts rebuilding her life. The starkness, rawness and candor with which the author has written the story is gripping. A story ofloss, redemption, survival and renewal that will inspire and motivate. The author pulls readers into the story, making them feel as if it is their journey. Thestory is empowering and can be equated to a phoenix rising from theashes." ~ Mamta Madhavan, Readers' Favorites
"Powerful and moving. Thank you for writing it." ~ Dr. Russell Moore, President Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
"In an age where we view each other with mutual distrust and antipathy, we need heroes more than ever. Julie Freed is, without qualification, heroic." ~ Dr. Nilima Nigam, Vancouver
"She showed dignity, intelligence, and compassion for others all throughout her tale. This is not a self-serving memoir like so many seem to be. No, hers is a story that needs to be shared. Should be shared. We all could benefit from the lessons we learn from her experience." ~ January Gray Book Reviews
"If you've ever felt like you've weathered a storm, read this. Not to see if her account "one ups you," but rather to let her story take you by the hand and have her journey open up your own sealed-away memories and emotions. Then you, like she, can acknowledge your own strength and resilience." ~ Amazon Review
"Tale of two stormfronts, Katrina and her marriage. She conquers them both with courage and grace." ~ Christopher McAfee, Author of Almost Anonymous
From the Author
Excerpt from an interview with author Julie Freed.
Q: Crises often seem to come in layered forms. You were dealing with the wrath of Hurricane Katrina and the dissolution of a marriage. Please tell us how the title is symbolic.
NAKED - Being authentic, being vulnerable, being alive. Both the title and cover image capture being naked in several ways. My body's naked outline is merged with a photo of my house after Hurricane Katrina. My body represents the text's raw candor I hope makes the reader feel as if she is beside me on my journey. It also captures the nakedness I felt for my community, as my surroundings were destroyed. And naked also refers to the freedom from material possessions and a dying marriage I ultimately experienced. Color inside the figure expresses the light and love I found within, despite all that dissolved into black and white around me.
Q: What parts of your upbringing helped you become a resilient and buoyant person?
My parents were strict and always challenged me to do more. But, they let me fail, they let me fall. They were not helicopter parents, making sure I didn't scrape a knee. They provided all I truly needed and allowed me to explore and learn on my own. I think this helped develop a decent level of grit and confidence.
As a family we also had to deal with cancer in our world when my sisters and I were all still quite young. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer at 42. This changes the world for children and for a family. Mom was a fighter, a survivor - a role model. I learned early, life throws hurdles. We must keep jumping or we become frozen with fear.
Q: What are some of the topics in your book that readers will find interesting?
Women and men who read NAKED seem to be touched by the honesty and clarity of emotions, doubts, and fears. I think many people have encountered these same sensations in their relationships.The story also deals with issues around my divorce - sex, alcoholism, plastic surgery requests, adultery - that too many people taste in their lifetime. I think mothers in particular relate to and identify with the bond between a mother and child. It is a love like no other. My family relationships and the descriptions in particular of my amazing and supportive father are touching and a guide for anyone who wants to be a solid role model for love and goodness.
NAKED also describes the incredible event that was Hurricane Katrina and is the context of the majority of the book. Most people just watched the episodes unfold on the news but this story will take readers there - to all that I saw, felt, smelled, touched, and suffered. I hope my story also gives readers hope that when faced with extreme unthinkable situations there is a well of strength deep within that can quench our thirst and propel us forward. And finally, even though I was stripped, left naked on the slab of what was my house holding my one year daughter - I was never alone, and we are never alone!
Q: What do you think you personally learned after witnessing nature's force and fury?
What an amazing planet we have been gifted. Our waters, beaches, forests, swamps, the air we breathe are all precious. We must protect and defend them. No matter how brilliant the diamond, how fast the car, how big the flat screen - Mother Nature wins. She can blow it all away. Material obsessions, in the end are immaterial. Love, family, friends, travel, ideas, creativity, inspiration, and time, time, time - These are my commodities. ... And a really good hot cup of coffee!
Q: Can you describe your writing style a bit?
Mathematics is a highly efficient language. Incredible relationships can be described with just a few symbols that are not culturally bound. Like music, it is a true world language. I've always looked for patterns and my writing works to weave those in both subtle and explicit ways. I think my logical and quantitative background also makes my prose clear and concise. With a music and math background I try to write succinctly but also rhythmically so the reader feels the ebbing and flowing of the story - my cadence as if I'm sitting across the table.
Q: Which authors have inspired you?
What authors have inspired me ... such a difficult question. Scientists, researchers, musicians, authors, my parents, my daughters, my husband, my friends, all kinds of people inspire me. I am a collection of all of these amazing people and the rich experiences they have brought into my life. But to give a "list" - Leonardo DaVinci fascinates me, Nora Ephron a hilarious New Yorker to adore, Jeannette Walls a brilliant journalist, Salvador Dali an enigma in an enigma, Billy Holiday makes me smile, Ernest Hemingway a succinct craftsman of language, Rodin's work breath taking, Annie Lennox an artist to admire, ... I could go on with the artists who have pioneered and whom I adore. I chose a quote from Maya Angelou to begin my book because people who keep growing and changing despite their fears are my beacon of hope for humanity.
From the Back Cover
A house and marriage violently disintegrate. Left alone to raise an infant in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina while her husband lives it up in Miami Beach, Julie is surrounded by the rubble of her life - stripped bare by love and loss. It is a time of unprecedented clarity. She must acknowledge her own pain, while sharing the heartache of others in her community who are also rebuilding their lives. NAKED is a powerful true story of loss but also of triumph, a path to true love of self. Struggling to find meaning in her journey, Julie shares a remarkable story with humor and tenderness.
About the Author
Julie lives in a sleepy artist community on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Her days are spent teaching, reading, and writing. With advanced degrees in mathematics and chemistry, she's taught university undergrads and graduate students for the past decade. She also works with classroom educators and students - sharing the beauty and language of mathematics and its ever present patterns in art, literature, and nature.
Born in Chicago, raised in New England, she now lives with her husband, two strong willed daughters, a slippery frog, a feisty dog, three kayaks, a boat, and endless dreams of doing more ... On the weekends you'll find her on the soccer field, the boat, the beach, exploring the barrier islands, biking, and always with a good read close at hand.
Love does indeed conquer it!
