Too Much of Not Enough by Jane Pollak

What does a “satisfied life” mean to you?

Jane Pollack explores her life in this poignant, smart memoir and gets deep down to her roots following a journey of a mother, a wife, a daughter, an artist… diving right in and showing us her desperate need for self-discovery and acceptance and love.

She has this yearning, that may stem from a tumultuous relationship with her own mother, and appears to translate into an equally turbulent marriage.

She writes very matter-of-factly, leaving no details out of her troubled relationships – and I found myself rapidly turning pages, and rooting for her progress to find if she ever reaches her goal to live her best life, to find her true happiness.

I didn’t relate to a lot of things in the book though, as Jane and I are very different. Our lives not much alike at all. But, it was so very interesting to see how everyone’s life can be shaped from birth, from tiny experiences as we age, snippets of incidents that occur that may seem insignificant, but can change the whole trajectory of your life.

In that way – we are all the same.

Her quest to true empowerment and happiness takes her through several relationships with friends, and groups of women, as well as individual therapy sessions, and it’s inspiring how hard she works to life her best life.

And it reminds you that we are all just a beautiful work in progress.

Thank you to Get Red PR and Jane Pollak for this inspiring read!

You can get your own copy here!

 

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: She Writes Press (April 30, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1631525271
• ISBN-13: 978-1631525278

 

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About the book:

Jane Pollak spent most of her life “looking for a family.” Raised by a mother who was emotionally unavailable, she grew up believing that love came from performance rather than from being seen, heard, and acknowledged for her true self. It followed that she married an extrovert who performed for his students and yet was unable to connect with his wife.

In this poignant, instructive memoir, Pollak investigates the roots of misguided love and paints a picture of what it means to live a satisfied life. Her tale starts in the couples’ counseling office, where her soon-to-be ex-husband drops the bomb that he’s seeing someone else. From there, Jane goes on to find self-empowerment through her La Leche League group, her career as an artist, her travels around the world, her journey through twelve-step recovery, and her experiences while dating in her sixties. At last, she forges a blissful life on her own in Manhattan, conducting business and enjoying time with family, friends and a bit of romance.

Inspiring and deeply relatable, Too Much of Not Enough is a primer on how to be the proactive agent of one’s own best path.

 

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About Jane:

Jane Pollak was born in the heart of the Midwest, in Columbus, Ohio, but she inherited the city gene from her New York City-native parents. When she was five, they returned the family to a neighboring suburb, White Plains, where Pollak grew up. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a BA in studio art and theatre and an MA in art education from Columbia University Teachers College. Her first book, Decorating Eggs: Exquisite Designs with Wax & Dye, was recently republished by Schiffer Publishing. Her second book, Soul Proprietor: 101 Lessons from a Lifestyle Entrepreneur (Crossing Press, 2001), shares what she learned as a home-based business owner who successfully turned her passion into a thriving company. When Pollak’s marriage ended in 2011, she moved back to Manhattan, where she currently resides contentedly single. She has three grown children and three grandchildren.

 

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