She Writes Press | Feb 16th 2027
For fans of transformational memoir, Glassman shares an impactful account of her formative experiences, first growing up in a dysfunctional family and later embracing her LGBTQ identity.
Growing up in 1950s New York, Diana Glassman has much to contend with from a young age: a frequently loving but mercurial brother, an ineffective and self-involved mother, and a father who beats her brother and, until she is nine years old, sexually abuses her.
It’s only after starting junior high school that Diana begins to find her footing. There, friendships, which she easily makes, become deeply important to her, and she substitutes those—along with a series of love affairs, as she grows older—for the love she doesn’t always get at home. After her father sends her to Europe with her best friend when she is nineteen years old, she also develops a lasting passion for travel. But it’s not until after her return from Europe, when she moves out of her parents’ home, that she’s finally able to begin to forge an independent life of her own—exploring her sexuality and becoming her own person, one stumbling step at a time.
An emotional examination of the lasting effects of family violence and incest, In My Life is Glassman’s candid—and, ultimately, hopeful—account of her growth arc from a shy, abused young girl to a woman who eventually learns to love herself, finds peace, and forms a positive, long-lasting love relationship.
Pre-order now
In My Life
A Memoir of Growing Up, Coming Out,
and Finding Lasting Love
Praise for In My Life
“An engaging memoir from New York to California, Diana Glassman gives us detailed and gorgeous memories taking us through innocence, trepidation, family secrets, abuse, sex, love and freedom through the exploration of the 60s and 70s, and the ravages of AIDS in the 80s, she was a woman realizing herself. So well written it will absorb you in her life story entirely.”
—Kathrin Lake, author of The Happy Hammock memoir series
“This memoir offers an honest and courageous look into Diana’s life, filled with adventure, discovery, friendships, relationships, love, and painful experiences. I was moved by Diana’s willingness to share her journey so openly and by the way she continued to grow and move forward through each chapter of her life. Her story stayed with me long after I finished reading it.”
—Dianna L. Grayer, PhD
“A beautifully descriptive, heartwarming, oft times heart-wrenching account of becoming, that pulls you in and won’t let go. I was privileged to have lived part of it with my best childhood friend, Diane, and so grateful we reconnected in later life. This memoir is a gem.”
—Irene Majcher featured in Nassau County Voices in Verse, Bards Annual, E Pluribus Unum, Gathering, and Reflections: A Spiritual Journey
“With her powerful writing, Diana shines the light on childhood and growing up in New York City. Her writing is brilliant, dark, honest and funny; a bouquet of words, a shimmering reflection.”
—Margaret Caminsky-Shapiro, Sonoma County Writing Practice