It Didn’t Start Out That Way

by Judy Bridges

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“Like the best memoirists, Judy Bridges writes with such candor, humor and clarity that I felt like I was going through life with her instead of reading about it.”
— CHRISTINA CLANCY, author of The Snowbirds, Shoulder Season, and The Second Home

ABOUT THE BOOK

84 years in the making, 60 homes, 18 schools, and 3 husbands. In this collection of essays, Judy Bridges takes us on an intimate journey through her life, where Dad is a hero and a heartbreaker. Gram shoots her favorite husband in the pocket. A pick-up teaches a street-smart lesson. Bridges puts it all on the table. She sees her life and her characters from all sides, up and down, and brings them to life in this wildly honest memoir.

Publication Date: June 2024 | Price $15.99 | ISBN: 978-1-7365519-6-7
240 pages | Paperback | Category: Memoirs

AUTHOR BIO

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MORE ADVANCED PRAISE
for It Didn’t Start Out That Way

“Beautifully wrought and richly detailed, a story of love, loss, and resilience …. this is memoir at its finest.”  — JEANNÉE SACKEN, Award-Winning Author of the Annie Hawkins Series: Behind the Lens, Double Exposure, The Rule of Thirds

“Sometimes poignant, always illuminating, her insights will resonate with those who endeavor to live an examined life ….” — SHAUNA SINGH BALDWIN, Author of The Selector of Souls, The Tiger Claw, What the Body Remembers

“Judy Bridges’ students have been waiting for this book. It is everything we knew it would be, and more than imagined. These stories are told with candor, heart, and humor when appropriate; quiet rage when deserved. This memoir is layered. On the one hand, it is a recollection and reflection of a life. Bridges makes you see people you have never met, yet feel you have. On the other hand, and even more magically, it shows how a writer transforms a life into art. On my bookshelf is Judy’s Shut Up And Write, an instructional book on the craft of writing. Next to it is a space for It Didn’t Start Out That Way, the master’s example.” — SHARON NESBIT-DAVIS, Author of Intended: A Marriage in Black & White, Writing Coach, Facilitator of Creative Recharge Workshops.

“With vivid detail and graceful prose, Bridges takes the reader’s hand and leads them through a life well lived. From a childhood navigating two different households in two different states to her quest to find a sense of home, in place and in a partner—plus beautiful tributes to the relatives who shaped her along the way—this book sings with resilience and love.” — KIM SUHR, Author of Nothing to Lose and Close Call (forthcoming from Cornerstone Press Fall 2024)

“If you’re drawn to captivating stories (and who isn’t!), consider yourself very fortunate to encounter Judy Bridges’ memoir, packed with a lifetime of vividly described adventures, mindful observations, challenges, heartbreaks, celebrations, shared in riveting detail, akin to a cinematic rooming house bursting at the seams with fascinating characters of all kinds. Within the first few pages, I felt blessed that Judy invited me into her living room, where I wanted to stay and stay.” — HARVEY TAYLOR, Milwaukee Icon, Storyteller in Song and Poem, Author of lines like, “What if birds remember you in their prayers?” and of over 50 books of poetry.

“Judy’s voice is so appealing, you’ll feel like she’s your best friend, one who is smart, funny, and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. In It Didn’t Start Out That Way, you’ll learn about the wacky characters in her very extended family, the men who abused her and loved her, and the not-so good old days of the 1940s and beyond. Judy has set a new bar for memoirs, and it’s a high one.” — CAROLYN KOTT WASHBURNE, Noted Freelance Writer and Editor, Adjunct Associate Professor Emerita, Department of English, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

“Who writes like this? ‘The paper was yellowed and crackly, coming apart at the creases where it’s been open and folded, again and again, each time breaking my mother’s heart.’ Judy Bridges does. On every page. I “luff” Judy, and I know you will, too.” — SARA RATTAN, Winner of Short Story Contests in The Wisconsin Academy Review and Glimmer Train

“Judy Bridges has been responsible for pointing a remarkable number of writers onto the path of creating excellent writing, and her new memoir is her moment to show the world that she’s a master of prose in her own right. Judy reveals the big and simple truths of her life with gentle humor, the wisdom of distance, and incredibly humane clarity. Anyone who has ever sat down to write a sentence will appreciate the magic Judy conjures in stringing together captivating tales using language and images that are imminently accessible and feel real and authentic to the life of the writer. A story like Husband Number One becomes a tale of strength and empathy in Judy’s hands, the marvel of someone telling a difficult truth of her own lived experience. Judy Bridges has done in this memoir what every writer hopes they can do—write what they know and succeed in keeping the reader wanting more. I hope Judy lives to be 200 years old—it boggles my mind thinking about what she’d delight us with in a second volume.” — JONATHAN WEST, Writer, Actor, Consultant, and Author of Milwaukee’s Live Theater.

“Judy Bridges understands the way place can unsteady and shape us. Her stories reveal such atmospheric grace and understated power. Like the best writers, Bridges knows the exact moment to let wildness rush into each dazzling story and ruin us. Her entire collection sings with a complicated love for country, home, and family in these stunning stories.” — ROBERT VAUGHAN, Editor-in-Chief at Bending Genres and Author of Microtones, Iptychs+Triptychs+Lipsticks+Dipshits, Addicts & Basements, and FUNHOUSE

“Legendary writing coach Judy Bridges is at the top of her game in this beautiful memoir, with deft writing that manages to be both rich and lean at the same time. She invites the reader to jump on a roller coaster of her own life’s journey ─ a ride filled with engaging stories, vivid characters, and the kind of hard-earned wisdom one gains from living an authentic life.” — ANNE ROONEY, Writer, World Traveler

MEDIA

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