Q&A with Aileen Weintraub, Author of Knocked Down
Writing a funny memoir and finding the humor in hard times
This month I talked to Aileen Weintraub, author of Knocked Down: A High-Risk Memoir that comes out on March 1st.
What is your book’s origin story?
After becoming pregnant, I had been placed on bed rest for five months due to Monster fibroids. It changed my life. It took away my autonomy, ended my career, and affected my marriage. When my son was five, I still hadn't really processed the trauma, so I began to write.
I knew so many other women had experienced bed rest, and I wanted them to know they weren't alone. It took ten years to write this book. I wrote on the school pickup line, I wrote while waiting at the doctor's office, and even in the bathtub. But I wanted my story to have light and space in the world, so I just kept at it until I had a solid draft.
What role does humor play in your life and/or writing?
My dad had a great sense of humor and I think he passed it on to me. It's very often how we connected and how as a family we got through some pretty tough times growing up. When a review of my book came out in Hadassah magazine they called me a humorist. I was so honored. Humor serves a very important purpose in my writing. My book is about a serious life-threatening topic, everything that can go wrong does, but even through the grief and tears, there are pockets of joy. We have to tap into those moments as much as possible. I use humor to connect with my readers and to provide levity during difficult situations.
In the book, there is a scene at my father's funeral, probably the saddest day of my life, and my mother loses her keys. We all look toward the grave to see if we're going to have to start digging. It sounds horrifying, but looking back, it's pretty funny. My father would have had a good laugh over it.
What is something you can recommend to readers that makes you laugh?
I love watching funny movies from the eighties and nineties with my son. Anything with Owen Wilson or Will Smith is always a good choice. I'm also loving Offspring on Netflix right now, which is more of a dramedy.
When I'm really down and need to cheer myself up my secret weapon is googling Texts Gone Wrong. I don't know why, but reading autocorrect fails cracks me up every time.
Thanks, Aileen! Read more about Aileen and her book here.