“a remarkable memoir.”
— The New York Times Book Review
One of NPR and Amazon’s best books of the year.
“Nietfeld’s gifts for capturing the fury of living at the mercy of bad circumstances, for critiquing the hero’s journey even while she tells it, make ‘Acceptance’ a remarkable memoir.” —The New York Times Book Review
“A raw, insightful memoir—from childhood neglect to Harvard and Big Tech—tenderly baring the underbelly of what we call ‘success.’” — People
“Heart-pounding. . . . Nietfeld’s raw resilience and candor will keep readers enthralled until the very last page. This hits hard.” —Publishers Weekly
“Acceptance isn’t a phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes tale, and for precisely this reason it’s a must-read. Instead, the memoir refuses silver linings and serves as a necessary corrective to the gospel of ’grit.’” — NPR
“If Educated was a book that shook you, you need to pick up Acceptance by Emi Nietfeld . . . an ideal book club read.” - Iowa Public Radio
“A narrative with all the propulsion of a novel . . . Acceptance will draw inevitable comparisons to Jeanette Walls’ The Glass Castle, for good reason. . . . Acceptance is a gripping, urgent memoir.” - Southern Review of Books
“This is a propulsive memoir, written with the craft and fire of a page-turning thriller.” -Chicago Review of Books
“Gripping, inspiring, and darkly humorous.” — Philadelphia Inquirer
“An incandescent tale of grit and rage, written in a voice resonant with heart, humor, and hope.” - The Boston Globe
“Acceptance is gripping, fascinating, funny and thought-provoking. . . . Nietfeld’s book and her life are extraordinary accomplishments, and she’s wonderful company.” —Minneapolis StarTribune
"It is no simple story of transcendence, and instead complicates the narrative of pulling one’s self up by the bootstraps. It is page-turning, raw, and darkly funny.” - Buzzfeed
“In breaking from the Cinderella-story convention of social mobility memoirs, Acceptance achieves exceptional candor and beauty.” -Cleveland Review of Books
Excerpts
Literary Hub
When Your Mother is a Hoarder
Slate Magazine
Applying to College as a Homeless Teen
The Information