A Life in Smoke: A Memoir

by Julia Hansen

Book Overview

"I accepted the certainty of my untimely death with gallows humor and a calculator. I'd read somewhere that each cigarette you smoke knocks seven minutes off your time on the planet. To amuse myself, I did the math: 153,000 cigarettes = two years of my life, up in smoke."

Julia Hansen first lit up at nineteen. Twenty years later, she was editing books about health -- and smoking a pack or two a day. She denied her son fast food, but...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743289595
• ISBN13: 9780743289597
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Many themes great book

I loved this book. There are so many life lessons that all hum into one beautiful book.

Great read

Wow! As a Respiratory Therapist, I work with people everday who are suffering the debilitating pulmonary effects of years of smoking. Most of my patients want to quit and just can't. From a scientific point of view I can understand how difficult it is to quit but I never thought about the emotional hold smoking has on people until I read "A Life in Smoke". I was hoping that Julia's book would help me obtain some insight of how my patients feel about their smoking and their many failed attempts to quit. It did just that. I never realized the intimate friendship that people have with their cigarettes and what a important part of their survival those cigarettes are. I believe the book helped me to become more understanding, more empathetic and less judgemental. I'm going to recommend it to all of my co-workers.

Understanding smokers

For the first time, I have a glimpse into what it's like to be a smoker and why they do it. I've never understood the call of cigarettes--the few times I've tried one, I haven't felt a 'rush' or anything compelling me to have another, just a smokey icky taste in the mouth. Julia Hansen's tales of smoking and how she used the habit as a way to keep people and emotions at bay touched me deeply. There's a twist at the end that's both not surprising and disappointing, but you'll have to read it. An author who has found her voice, I hope she writes more.

Try, try, try again

As an avid never smoked non-smoker, my eyes were opened to the complexities of trying to break this one little habit. I have much more respect for my friends and family members that have accomplished this feat through the years. Hats off to Julia for not letting past defeats lessen her determination. This book is a thumbnail view into the highs and lows of her very interesting life. It is a great read for anyone interested in how other people handle everyday life.

A Life in Smoke: A Memoir

Fantastic Read! I found this to be a completely heartfelt realistic view of the life of a smoker trying to quit. The tongue-in-cheek humor actually comes across as a coping mechanism instead of snarky storytelling. It is easy to find yourself truly caring about this person and wanting them to succeed!