As Diana surveyed her newborn baby's face, languid body, and absent cry,
she knew something was wrong. Then the doctors delivered devastating
news: her first child, Emma, had been born with a rare genetic disorder
that would leave her profoundly physically and intellectually disabled.
Diana imagined life with a child with disabilities as a dark and insular
one—a life in which she would be forced to exist in the periphery
alongside her daughter. Convinced of her inability to love her
“imperfect” child and give her the best care and life she deserved,
Diana gave Emma up for adoption. But as with all things that are meant
to be, Emma found her way back home.
As Emma grew, Diana watched her live life determinedly and
unapologetically, radiating love always. Emma evolved from a survivor to
a warrior, and the little girl that Diana didn’t think she could love
enough rearranged her heart. In her short eighteen years of life, Emma
gifted her family the indelible lesson of the healing and redemptive
power of love.
This is a mother’s requiem to her perfectly imperfect child—a child who
left too soon, but whose lessons continue to inspire a life lived and
loved.
Industry Reviews
"The author effectively shows how she learned lessons from raising Emma
that allowed her to draw on a wellspring of love for other members of
her family. . . . An engaging work about how the tenacity of a young
girl changes her parents' lives."
-KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Rarely in life, in marriage, or in motherhood does a person have to
make the choices made in the life of this author. And as she makes them,
we go with her, deep into our own selves, traveling on her details to a
journey to our own consciences, hearts, and minds. This is a powerful
tale of family and of the kind of hard-fought courage that we always
hope exists in this world. Beautifully written and wonderfully told,
this is the book for right now.”
—MARION ROACH SMITH, author of The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life
“Emma’s Laugh traces the author’s moving, exhilarating, and
devastating journey as a parent. Told with humor, humility, and grace,
it is filled with deep sentiment but never falls into sentimentality.
This moving family story had me at the edge of my seat, clutching a box
of tissues, never wanting it to end.”
—MARIA KUZNETSOVA, author of Oksana Behave!
“Emma’s Laugh is an honest and beautiful look at parental love.
From her early rejection of her special-needs child to her gradual
falling in love with her daughter, Kupershmit shows us how much a mother
is willing to give of herself for the sake of her child. I read with my
heart in my throat all the way to the end.”
—MONICA WESOLOWSKA, author of Holding Silvan: A Brief Life
“Emma’s Laugh made me laugh, and cry, and smile, and cry again.
Kupershmit delivers literary love with a capital L. This is what
motherhood is. This is what love is. Just as Kupershmit climbs into a
crib to ‘mold herself’ around her daughter when she suffers headaches
and pain, I felt myself molding to this story, ever involved, rooting
for mother and daughter and this family all the way.”
—ELIZABETH COHEN, author of The House on Beartown Road: A Memoir of Learning and Forgetting
“How important it is that Kupershmit has given us this gem of a book. It
is a story of heartache and of reality—of despair, strength, and
resilience. This book, in its tenderness and sensitivity, will offer you
solace and companionship. I’m so glad it exists.”
—MIRA PTACIN, author of Poor Your Soul and The In-Betweens
“Diana Kupershmit has written a remarkably honest and unflinching
account of her journey from rejection to acceptance raising a
special-needs child. A heartbreaking and heartwarming tribute—and a
testimony to one mother’s endless love for her extraordinary child.”
—HEATHER SIEGEL, author of The King and the Quirky
“Diana Kupershmit’s innate gift of storytelling and astute observations
carefully invite the reader to bear witness to a heartbreaking journey
toward acceptance. This gorgeous and honest memoir holds up the lens to
motherhood and dares to address the profound grief that is capable of
burying us or propelling us. Emma’s Laugh is a mother’s love letter to a
remarkable child and a beautiful reminder to each of us that in life,
the two most valuable things are time and laughter—everything else is
simply details.”
—JESSICA CIENCIN HENRIQUEZ, author of If You Loved Me, You Would Know
“Diana Kupershmit writes an incredible story after be
