Leslie Johansen Nack
Nineteen: A Daughter’s Memoir of Reckoning and Recovery
March 5, 2026
4 PM PST | 5 PM MST | 6 PM CST | 7 PM EST
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After forty years of sobriety, thirty-five years of marriage, and raising a family in a healthy home, Leslie Johansen Nack discusses her two memoirs, Fourteen and the recently published sequel memoir, Nineteen, and how misplaced shame stemming from childhood trauma drove her toward self-destruction. The contrast between the adventures of sailing in sometimes life-threatening situations with her predatory father and the lack of protection from her mentally ill, alcoholic mother leads her to older men and drug abuse after her father dies suddenly in a plane crash. But all is not lost. In a pivotal spiritual experience, Leslie finds herself and the way forward toward healing and sobriety.

1. Breaking generational trauma
2. Writing about our parents while they’re still alive, and after they’ve passed.
3. What happens when parents don’t protect their children
4. Healing from shame and embarrassment, and why is this our biggest burden
5. Claiming our power with truths and writing about them unapologetically
6. Sobriety, therapy, and a healthy family life

Book 1: Fourteen – Focuses on survival. It’s the story of a young girl forced to grow up at sea, learning to navigate both literal storms and the “stormy temper” of a predatory father. It’s about finding power in the natural world when you have none at home.

Book 2: Nineteen – Focuses on reckoning. After my father’s sudden death in a plane crash, the “adventure” ended, but the trauma remained. This book follows my descent into addiction as I tried to mask my pain, and my eventual path to sobriety, healing, and building the healthy family I never had.

See Leslie and Nineteen at the following events:
Tucson Festival of Books, March 14 and 15, 2026
Truckee Lit Crawl, April 10 and 11, 2026
LA Times Festival of Books, April 18 and 19, 2026
Lit Fest in the Dena, May 1 and 2, 2026
Northwest Book Fair, June 27, 2026

Bio
Leslie Johansen Nack is the author of two award-winning books: her debut memoir, Fourteen, and her historical novel, The Blue Butterfly. Her recently published sequel, Nineteen: A Daughter’s Memoir of Reckoning and Recovery, concludes her raw, deeply personal story, which chronicles her path to sobriety and a renewed sense of hope. Nack graduated from UCLA with a degree in English literature, and she overcame past traumas to raise two children in a healthy, loving home. She is a member of The Authors’ Guild, The Historical Novel Society, and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. She lives outside Seattle with her husband of thirty-five years.

lesliejohansennack.com
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