Loft Mentor Series Fellow Publishes Memoir

Wise Ink Creative Publishing is pleased to announce the release of You're Too Young to Understand. In this unflinching and heartfelt family memoir, Liz Fiedorow Sjaastad chronicles how she confronted the trauma of her past while caring for aging parents who had struggled to care for her.

"Sjaastad bares her soul in this beautifully written book. How she copes is a lesson for us all." —Mindy Greiling, former state legislator and author of Fix What You Can: Schizophrenia and a Lawmaker's Fight for her Son.

Growing up with a mother with untreated schizophrenia and a turbulent alcoholic father, Liz was left to deal with the daily machinations of her mother's paranoid mind.

Shedding light on the complexities of parental mental health and generational trauma, Liz shares the story of a life led despite the fears of "becoming her parents" and how she shows up for her parents—and herself—when it was needed most.

A transformative read, You're Too Young to Understand offers . . .

• hope for those looking to break the cycle of generational trauma.
• a compassionate and honest look at brain illness and anosognosia.
• a common bond for readers with refugee parents managing their own PTSD.
• insights for those navigating end-of-life decisions with difficult parents.

Giving voice to isolating experiences, this memoir is a vulnerable look at growing up in the shadow of mental illness—and how somehow, we find our way through it.  Release date is Tuesday, May 6, 2025. 

"Sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, Sjaastad offers the possibility that even without much in the way of a parental roadmap, we can still find our way to love and forgiveness." —Laura Flynn, author of Swallow the Ocean

"Sjaastad's compelling memoir will break your heart, then fill it full of her generosity of spirit." —Kate St. Vincent Vogl, author of Lost & Found: A Memoir of Mothers

"Liz's love for her family members—no matter how frustrating those relationships were—shines, as does her writing." — Anika Fajardo, author of Magical Realism for Non-Believers: A Memoir of Finding Family

"This is a book of tiptoes on eggshells. Yet, it is a book of deep beauty: the relationship between Liz and her sister—and the delicate look back into the past—reveal moments of love and a few clues into the mysteries of her parents.— Nicole Helget, author of Stillwater and The End of the Wild

And it is that task, understanding the humanity of our parents, that is the universal truth told in this powerful and moving memoir." — Xavier Amador, PhD, author of the international bestseller I Am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help!

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Liz Fiedorow Sjaastad was born in 1967 and grew up in Galesburg, Illinois. She received her BA from Knox College in 1989 and her MS from Loyola University Chicago in 1992. After a career in organization development, Liz began writing. She received Minneapolis's Loft Literary Center's Mentor Series Fellowship in 2021.This is her first book.

Her life story has inspired more than just a book—it has fueled her advocacy. Liz spent seven years on the board of Touchstone Mental Health, is on the board of NAMI Ramsey County, and continues to share her voice to build awareness of schizophrenia to help end the stigma that prevents understanding, research, and important changes for those suffering.