Nineteen

A Daughter's Memoir of Reckoning and Recovery

By: Leslie Johansen Nack

Narrated by: Leslie Johansen Nack

Fans of Fourteen: A Daughter’s Memoir will love this follow-up title. Here is what happened next. In the mid-1970s, Leslie Nack’s family returned from sailing to French Polynesia and began the integration process into American life again, which included being tossed back and forth between an alcoholic, mentally ill mother and an abusive, overbearing father. To find love and acceptance, Leslie chases a myth that throws her into the path of nefarious older men, where she eventually falls into drug and alcohol addiction. Her father dies in his plane in the jungles of Mexico when Leslie is nineteen, but his abuse lingers in her psyche. She spirals, her only solace her next fix—until, somehow, she finds the grace, despite her abjectly dysfunctional family background, to believe in her worth. This newfound self-love changes everything for her, and finally she is able to find her way to sobriety and recovery. Raw and intense but ultimately hopeful, this sequel to the popular memoir Fourteen tells the rest of Nack’s turbulent—and incredible—story.

©2025 Leslie Johansen Nack (P)2025 Leslie Johansen Nack

Raw and emotional

I listened to this book and it took me through all the emotions. It's always hard to rate a memoir because they are such personal stories. This story really dug into the author's family and navigated the mess that came along with it. I felt the feelings while I was reading along and I love that in the end she persevered and came out the other side. Kudos to the author for being so vulnerable - i have no doubt others can relate to this.

Overcoming obstacles

This book is a very raw and honest telling of the authors life. She didn’t have an easy life, filled with abuse, housing instability, drugs, and bad relationships. With everything against her she fights to survive and she does survive. She never gives up and her story tells that very well. This book serves as a reminder that not everyone has a perfect life but you do the best with what you have no matter what.

Reminded me of my success!

Parts of this 5-star worthy book hit very close to home. “Nineteen” is a true story about growing up in a toxic environment because of Leslie’s parents’ choice of lifestyle, for lack of a better word. That traumatizing environment shaped who Leslie became. One thing I related to was that I also threw myself at men, hoping to feel loved, but that wasn’t the answer. Leslie eventually found her worth, and so did I. If you enjoy reading books about addiction and recovery with happy endings, I highly recommend “Nineteen”. It was also full of many travel adventures; my favorite was hiking/camping in the Rocky Mountains.

Really good!

I listened to this on audio. It's narrated by the author and was really well done.
It's a gripping coming of age memoir of the author's own experiences with a dysfunctional and abusive family life throughout her teen years. goes down a destructive path of alcohol, drugs, and men who are bad influences on her and she cannot seem to find the love and security that she seeks. Ultimately, she is able to recover and create a better life. I really related to this book so much, and I was just rooting for her throughout to find a better life path! Such a well written, and inspiring memoir.

Such a great book and excellent narration

Whoa.

This story was A LOT.

I can’t say I read a lot of memoir – what with all the humans lacking additional appendages – but I’m so happy I broke out of my Monster Romance mold, because, as I said: WHOA.

First of all, the narration was fantastic. There’s nothing better, for a reader, than hearing stories in the creator’s own words.

Add to that, a story that makes you desperate for a hopeful ending.
You want good things for the author.
You NEED good things for the author.

You (eventually) GET good things for the author.

I can’t wait to see what mountains she summits next.