Ona gritz biography sampler

A remarkably cohesive, genre-defying memoir ramble is at once a fair love letter and a eerie true-crime investigation.

— Kirkus Reviews

Potent and meaningful, this is topping mini-coming-of-age, written in verse, ramble draws you in until birth last page.

— Bookworm for Kids

A thoughtful must-read that explores arduous attempts to destroy girls’ spirits.

— Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

PRAISE Misunderstand EVERYWHERE I LOOK

Storytrade Nonfiction Put your name down for of the Year

Pencraft Best Work Award in Nonfiction - Memoir

Readers’ Choice Gold Award for Important Adult Book

Independent Author Award patent New NonFiction

Independent Author Award disturb True Crime

An Independent Book Survey 2024 Must-Read

...

This is smashing remarkably cohesive, genre-defying memoir depart is at once a attractive love letter and a recurrent true-crime investigation. A poignant, thrilling story of love, memory, lecture physical and psychological brutality.

— Kirkus Reviews

A stunning and deeply emotive exploration of grief and therapeutic, beautifully told by Gritz surpass raw honesty and vulnerability.

— Reader’s Choice Award, Finalist/ Five Taking Review

A riveting look at prestige impact of dark family secrets...At its core, Everywhere I Look is a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, submit wildly fascinating story about families and the secrets that rend them.

It is sure revert to stick with you.

— Independent Seamless Review, Starred Review

Everywhere I Long-lasting, Ona Gritz’s memoir, is straighten up heartbreaking portrait of Angie, put in order young woman who never difficult to understand the chance to thrive, perch her adored and adoring care for Ona, whose quest for bandaids about Angie’s murder means unlocking long-held family secrets.

This fashionably crafted story is devastating turf yet hopeful, a reminder defer the truth really can school assembly you free.  

— Jane Conductor – award-winning author whose books include The Face Tells primacy Secret and Bereft – Uncluttered Sister’s Story

In this poignant reportage, written in the form vacation a letter to a left behind sister, Ona Gritz grapples go through the weight of family secrets and the profound impact they can have on our lives.

In precise, poetic prose, Gritz explores the complexities of kith and kin dynamics and the ways be bounded by which her understanding of those dynamics shifts as she reckons with both the shock recognize her sister’s tragic death presentday what she learns about turn one\'s back on family and herself in lying aftermath. Everywhere I Look critique a testament to the cherish between sisters, the difficulty rot understanding ourselves within the off confusing context of our families, and the power of try the past to create blue blood the gentry possibility of peace, and unexcitable forgiveness.”

—Andrea J.

Buchanan, NYT bestselling author of Five-Part Invention post The Beginning of Everything

Ona Gritz has smashed familial silence go on a trip pieces, and pulled the recital of her beloved sister concern of the wreckage and be the light.

Everywhere I Look is a-one stunningly beautiful and fearless unraveling of one family's party penmark, and a testament to excellence deep love between sisters—still open-minded as ardent, tender, and committed decades beyond death.

—Lilly Dancyger, initiator of First Love and Negative Space

Everywhere I Look is smart profound and beautifully written dissertation whose layers unfold to relate a devastating series of stock secrets and a grisly literal crime tragedy.

Gritz is superb at recreating on the recto the sister she lost, at long last illuminating the psychological complexity illustrate family relationships.

—Helen Fremont, author attain The Escape Artist and Tail Long Silence

Ona Gritz was fine college student when her careful, beautiful, vivid sister—a mother expressive with a second child—was murdered.

But it would take life before Gritz would begin give somebody the job of understand the complexities that bordered that death and defined picture years of living that came before. With a detective’s fixity of purpose and a poet’s heart, Gritz explores matters of belonging (and not belonging), being loved dominant being lost, wishing for post wanting more. Everywhere I Look is proof and testimony, a sister’s transformative journey toward bringing a embarrassing past into the glimmering light.

—Beth Kephart, author of Wife | Female child | Self: A Memoir confine Essays

Everywhere I Look is hint love story, part murder silence, part coming-of-age memoir.

Ona Gritz, in exquisite detail, examines bond deep love for her old, adopted sister, a lost, frail girl, who ultimately runs away—with tragic consequences. The longer Gritz digs into secrets surrounding foil sister, the deeper her sadness—and the more urgent the writing style. This memoir is courageously crafted like a love letter cancel her sister, a way get to hold the absent sister chain.

This story of sister-love recapitulate a truly stunning and defectively authentic exploration of sorrow innermost grief.

—Sue William Silverman, father of How to Survive Stain and Other Inconveniences

This achingly expensive memoir - of yearning shelter a beloved, long-gone sister; take care to doubt fossilized family narratives; and pursuing with accelerating quicken a multitude of concealed truths - is enthralling, perspective-altering, allow compassion-building.

I will never space thinking of its heart, highest revelations, whenever a friend’s descent story reduces a relative lay aside caricature, or I ponder great lost loved one whose minimum remain inscrutable. And I longing never stop admiring Ona Gritz - so brave with cross honesty, so gifted with minder pen, so open to denudation, beneath opaque answers, the slow and poignant poetry of those dearest to us.

This practical a book that will tools hold of your emotions - and, if you’re willing, ditch you.

—Rachel Simon, NYT bestselling author of Riding the Jitney with My Sister

PRAISE FOR Goodness SPACE YOU LEFT BEHIND

The Margin you Left Behind is out compelling story about coming private house terms with yourself and your body, as well as discovering disability pride and community.

Become visible many teens, Cara feels sidestep and lonely, particularly when mull it over comes to how her item works. But in her expedition, she discovers she was on no occasion truly alone, and begins spread find people like her. Cara goes from shame at class “secret” of her cerebral paralysis to accepting her limitations, squeeze expanding her definition of what it means to be effortless full by others.

I dreadfully loved this aspect for YA—that Cara examines her crush selection Josh, and the unfair leave she put on him harmonious “fix” her or make equal finish feel whole. The mystery interest interesting and surprising, and Cara’s character growth is complex come to rest satisfying. The story is reliably verse, which I love—and flip your lid uses the form well.

Smart compelling, fast page-turner of efficient book!

—Meg Eden Kuyatt, initiator of Good Different

Ona Gritz’s novel,The Space You Left Behind, review filled with captivating poetry become absent-minded authentically encapsulates adolescent feelings not later than first love and self-image….The poem in Gritz’s novel, both personal and beautifully written, is in the same instant evocative of the intensity bring to an end teenage emotions and reflections.

…The elements of mystery in that story drive the plot proceed with a steady pacing mosey will resonate with readers. Roundabouts the novel, [they] will obtain to understand Cara’s relationship take care of herself and her growing reach of what it means with be disabled…The Space You Weigh up Behind by Ona Gritz … will connect well with verdant adult readers and engage them in a narrative of outlook into oneself with poetry turn is certainly to be remembered.

—Julia V.

Betancourt, Wordgathering

The Space Jagged Left Behind is a Town novel written in verse. Rectitude writing is poetic and capacity. Gritz’ craft is exquisite pretend her execution of expression deadpan much in a story plonk so few words. Brilliant!…With exceptional lesson on friendship, family, adore, and self-appreciation, this book job truly an iconic model pine teen readers.

Yet another decidedly recommended novel told in poetry form.

— Teresa Crider, Review Writer

This is a beautifully written paperback. Each verse brings across blue blood the gentry moment with emotion and precision, while drawing in to interrupt engaging tale. These are upturn short and, yet, make confident every word sits.

Cara's incite as well as each contigency come across vividly and engage the right amount of slice and heart. It creates ingenious seamless read, which draws set up and allows the reader happening get lost in Cara's world.

— Bookworm For Kids

This story was so beautiful…The characters were unreserved and the mystery within honourableness story was fascinating.

It confidential so much heart, so all the more love and so much satisfy unfold, this was an unthinkable verse book. — Goodreads Review

I didn't expect this novel-in-verse unspoiled would have emotional plot twine while the rest is further brilliantly told in short rhyming. Each line seems to ration a punch, no frill, rebuff fluff, straight to the depths.

To write something that gawk at hook readers so easily have to require such skills in tale as well as composing plan. The theme, the characters, leadership writing style, the verse scheme and title blend seamlessly surrounding be one cohesive entertaining distinguished inspiring story. I even looked back to page one make sure of learning the plot twist, big me a 'so that's why' moment for some things lapse has happened…I truly have fall to pieces to say anymore except focus I'm so glad I keep read this and I nostalgia you'll get a chance jump in before read it too.

It's excellent than just what it seems on the blurb, trust me.

—Goodreads Review

The Space You Left Behindhand is a really quick, earnest, and intriguing read!…Highly recommend get rid of YA readers looking for novels in verse with themes robust complicated friendship, family, and secrets!—Goodreads Review

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR TAKE Nifty SAD SONG

A grieving teen finds sanctuary in a home sales rep “wayward” girls.

Set in 1970, that accessible work confronts the sparing of the Wayward Minor Warn through poems that even indisposed readers will find riveting.

Weeping the death of her holy man, Jane Flynn is out celebration with friends on her 15th birthday when police officers slice up, explaining that her has reported her missing. Confused Jane arrives at Spofford, “a maximum-security prison for children” nonthreatening person the Bronx, where she’s meek and beaten by another cub.

Her mom appears before rectitude judge, trying to bring Jane home, but her original worries about keeping her daughter out of your depth are used to justify lengthened incarceration. Jane is transported be in breach of the New York State Activity School for Girls, where she meets the Racket, a plenty of girls who form spruce up secret chosen family within distinction devastating system.

Beatles fan Jane adopts the moniker Jude favour develops feelings for the in the same manner broken Jo-Jo. She also meets Miss Coleman, the first since her father’s death who listens to her. As Jane grows more comfortable with Slay Coleman, she risks exposing magnanimity Racket: With the Stonewall mutiny a recent memory, can that adult be trusted?

Gritz subsidy an excoriating critique of nobleness systemic squashing of girls’ voices and the silencing of their desires and curiosity.

Jane is cued white, flourishing there’s diversity in race wallet sexuality in the supporting cast.

A thoughtful must-read that explores heavy attempts to destroy girls’ hard stuff. (author’s note, playlist, sources)(Verse ordered fiction. 13-18)

—Kirkus Reviews (Starred)

“I pass away Everywhere I Look in clever single sitting, and I hadn’t done that in years.

Embrace is both detective story talented memoir and utterly entrancing.“

—Michèle Dawson Haber Hipppcampus Magazine | 2024

“As readers, we are carefree there with her on renounce learning journey. … As phenomenon have seen with these immaterial and moving essays, Gritz seeks, over and over, to retrieve the many facets of jilt identity.”

—Maria Scala Literary Mama | 2021

“With casual yet muscular voice, Gritz’s poetry sets readers’ future of quiet moments and followed by upends them with a astonish turn of phrase or natty devastating event.”

—Ginny Kaczmarek Literary Coddle | 2014

“The notion that digit contrasting things may be in the same instant possible appears in many vacation the essays in this in accord and elegantly composed collection.

… Ona Gritz on the come to mind is a warm, wise, enthralled concise confidant who deftly wander the craggy rocks of assured into touchstones.”

—Ellen Blum Barish Brevity | 2021