Everyone But Myself

Everyone But Myself

Julie Chavez

Taking care of everyone can push moms to the brink. Julie found her way back. 

 

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Like so many mothers, Julie Chavez runs herself ragged trying to meet the needs of everyone else… until an unexpected panic attack forces her to find a new way. 

Funny, deeply honest, and inspiring for readers facing overwhelm in their own lives, Everyone But Myself reads like a best friend’s confessions. Julie shares how she pulled herself back to solid ground while embracing chaos along the way.

For Julie, an elementary school librarian and mother of two boys, the signs of mounting anxiety and depression had been there for a while. She did her very best to ignore them. Then, one night, while her husband is away on business, Julie finds herself locked in a debilitating panic attack that throws her life into a tailspin. 

What follows is funny, unflinchingly honest writing about managing it all, comically negligent doctors, husbands who can't read minds, family outings gone wrong… and the life-affirming joy of working in a school library, surrounded by books and children every day.

Written with humor and hope, and sure to resonate with mothers spread thin by the demands of modern family life, Everyone But Myself offers an intimate portrait of how one woman found her way back from the edge.

What people are saying...

“A balm for the working mother and for caregivers of all kinds, Everyone But Myself reminds us that the business of living is predicated upon the relationships we forge with ourselves. With tenderness, warmth, and an attentive eye, Chavez documents the journey of a woman learning to belong to herself. This beautifully written memoir is a road map for learning to live with great love, essential service, and a bold, unbreakable commitment to our own sacred needs.”

Abby Maslin

author of Love You Hard: A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love

“When you are used to giving to others but saving nothing for yourself, the sense of depletion is so strong it’s hard to make changes. In this thoughtful, gentle memoir, Chavez shows how she began to choose herself, and, little by little, regain hope and purpose. I found myself grateful Chavez began to take steps to choose herself, and hopeful that I could do the same.”

Anna Whiston Donaldson

author of Rare Bird: A Memoir of Loss and Love

“In the space of one summer, illness and tragedy threaten a woman’s sense of self and her professional and domestic stability, too. But little by little, with the help of those who love her (and assists from brand-new friends), [Chavez] finds her way back to mental health and joyfulness in this candid and deeply heartfelt memoir that will resonate with any reader who has struggled to be all that the world asks.”

Courtney Maum

author of The Year of the Horses: A Memoir

“In this beautifully written and brutally honest memoir, Chavez takes the reader on a journey through the trials of motherhood, mental health, and self-discovery. We walk away with a renewed ability to accept our frailty, leading us to a place of self-kindness, mindfulness, and common humanity.”

Stephanie Thornton Plymale

author of American Daughter, CEO of Heritage School of Interior Design, and founder of Heritage Home Foundation

“Chavez’s book gently—and sometimes not so gently—suggests that finding the words to ask for mental health help isn’t the hardest part, that it’s actually acknowledging the roadblocks we’ve been taught to just push through. Her journey is a vulnerable one, yes, but also bitingly funny and incredibly relatable. She’s the reassuring pal we all need, the one who’ll show up with an armload of lattes and color-coded pens and paper so when she says the struggle is real and hand-draws you a map of her personal exit route? What a gift.”

Keely Flynn

award-winning arts columnist and humorist for Chicago Parent Magazine

“We flipped over Julie Chavez’s book. Hilarious. Poignant. Overall awesome. This is one of those books that we know our fellow moms out there will be obsessed with.”

Cat and Nat

coauthors of Cat and Nat's Mom Secrets: Coffee-Fueled Confessions from the Mom Trenches

Why Zibby Loves It…

I fell in love with Julie when I met her in my online book club. The same way that she made me laugh and smile and think and feel during our discussions is how I feel about her amazing, voice-driven, sensitive, and heartfelt memoir. Her experiences will undoubtedly help so many parents struggling to keep it all together. This is the memoir you’ll want to give your best friend.

Immersive and thought-provoking, Everyone But Myself is the perfect reminder to put your own oxygen mask on first.