Frida and Me

"An inherently absorbing, singularly fascinating, completely compelling, and truly extraordinary memoir that is as deftly crafted as it is impressively candid." - Midwest Book Review In 1976 Nancy Weintraub was a rebellious teen, a child of the 60s, a free spirit. She and a friend set out, against her parents' wishes, to spend a year in San Miguel de Allende attending art school and perfecting their Spanish. Nancy was in heaven as she experienced international travel and the art scene,...
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"An inherently absorbing, singularly fascinating, completely compelling, and truly extraordinary memoir that is as deftly crafted as it is impressively candid." - Midwest Book Review In 1976 Nancy Weintraub was a rebellious teen, a child of the 60s, a free spirit. She and a friend set out, against her parents' wishes, to spend a year in San Miguel de Allende attending art school and perfecting their Spanish. Nancy was in heaven as she experienced international travel and the art scene, but a horrific accident in a lonely Mexican desert took away her life as she knew it. As her family, friends, many doctors, and complete strangers made heroic efforts to save her life, many of her hopes were dashed forever. Unknowingly suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Nancy spent the next 10 years running from one bad situation to the next. Trying to reinvent herself, she changed her name to Eli. Her healing really began after learning about the Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, whose life mirrored her own in so many ways, and meeting an art therapist. Through art therapy, she came to realize that Nancy had died in the wreckage on that rain-slick road, and she didn't know the person who had emerged. It seemed her free-spirited gypsy self was gone. Gradually, the artist and writer Eli emerged from the shell of Nancy, and through art she found her way back to life and love. Frida and Me takes the reader through this remarkable woman's journey, from the giddy days of her once-in-a-lifetime adventure, through the darkest abyss imaginable, putting her on a new path toward helping others recognize art as a tool to heal. Her inspiring presentations have helped trauma victims and clinicians alike, and readers of her story cannot help but be affected by her courage and determination. As she states in the Prologue, "This book is about that journey and my proven experience in the use of art as a tool to help overcome the overwhelming patterns of PTSD. I literally have art and art therapy to thank for saving my life."