Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard
Official Website of the Memoir
THE BLINK OF AN EYE
How I died and started living
or
A memoir of dying - and learning how to live again (US edition)
BOOK
THE BLINK OF AN EYE
THE BLINK OF AN EYE
US edition to be published May 14, 2019 by The Experiment
The precision of the author's prose, as well as her empathy for her husband and children, also suffering through this long ordeal, makes for a rich reading experience...An inspirational story of beating the odds.
- Kirkus Review
With a foreword by Bill Bryson, this is a true stunner, unbearably sad yet full of hope.
- Booklist (American Library Association)
A frightening, and powerful piece of work.
- Sunday Post
Once you have read the extraordinary book by Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard, it does not come as a surprise to learn that she and her family have learned to treasure the smaller things in life, the things that we never really notice… Her fighting spirit emerges on every page of the book.
- Sunday Herald Magazine
Includes a checklist for every caregiver seeking the best-possible outcome for an ailing loved one, inspired by Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard’s experiences described here.
Published May 31, 2018 by Hodder & Stoughton
Paperback published January 24, 2019 by Hodder & Stoughton
Statistically, I shouldn’t be able to write this book. I should be dead. Or at least scraping along, brain damaged and unable to take care of myself. Thinking back, it is difficult for me to understand that I’m still here. I know what it’s like to wake up from a long-term coma. I know the horror and pain from being paralysed in a body only able to observe the world around you, not to participate. I know what it’s like to understand everything, when everybody thinks you know nothing. I know what it’s like to fight every single day just to be able to breathe. I was given a second chance in life. My book is my way of paying it forward, to give a voice to those who have none.
- Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard
Rikke has been on the cusp of life and death being locked-in – and survived, not only to tell her tale beautifully but with a scientific understanding which makes her unique. I’m thrilled to publish her wonderful memoir which I hope will inspire many others.
- Publisher Rowena Webb
BLINK
Danish translation published May 7, 2018 by Politikens Forlag
Translation by Tonny Worm.
Jeg slugte bogen nærmest i én mundfuld. Den er så stærk og bevægende og har et vigtigt budskab til os alle.
- Randi Glensbo, blogger
Så virtuost, at man næsten føler, at man selv er den angste patient i sygesengen…
- Medicinsk Tidsskrift
Få bøger har gjort større indtryk på mig.
- Jørn Lund, sprogforsker og sprogpsykolog
Jeg læste Blink på én dag. Fra første til sidste side. Og da jeg havde læst den sidste side, sad jeg tilbage med en følelse af, at den bog var den bedste, jeg længe havde læst… Den her bog er så stærk, at det næsten ikke kan beskrives… Undervejs gav bogen mig klump i halsen og tårer i øjenkrogen, men jeg kunne ikke lægge bogen fra mig… Blink – da jeg mistede livet og lærte at leve er en exceptionel fortælling og jeg kan kun anbefale den vidt og bredt. Jeg kan ikke sætte et stempel på, hvem der skal læse den. Den skal bare læses.
- Benedikte Jensen, blogger
TESTIMONIALS
“
The most spellbinding and harrowing story I believe I have ever heard. It is the story you are about to read.
BILL BRYSON,
THE FOREWORD OF THE BOOK
It’s a wonderful meditation on the human condition and a testament to the power of love. It was heartbreaking and life-affirming in equal measure. An extraordinary story and a joy to read.
“
MAX PEMBERTON,
columnist and author of Trust Me, I’m a (Junior) Doctor
“
Powerful... As gripping as a thriller, The Blink of an Eye compels you to appreciate everything you daily take for granted.
CAROLINE SANDERSON,
SUNDAY EXPRESS
The Blink of an Eye will tell you what it is like to be conscious in a body that cannot respond to the outside world. It will help you understand what conscious is.
“
“
Told with clear and unsparing detail… a touching reminder that love and human contact are important for healing. Above all, The Blink of an Eye stresses the miracle and fragility of life.
RACHEL JAGARESKI,
FOREWORD
TEMPLE GRANDIN,
author of Thinking in Pictures and The Autistic Brain
BIO
© photos Katrine Philp
Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard, PhD, is co-founder and CEO of Graphicure, a start-up company developing software solutions that empower patients to better understand their disease and manage treatment. She is also a co-founder of the Danish Science Club, a mentorship network for students and young adults. She is the author of the memoir The Blink of an Eye - a celebration of love and family and every little thing that matters when life is in the balance, where she, as a scientist, is uniquely able to describe her physical and mental journey to recovery.
See more in Danish at Athenas.
IN THE NEWS (UK)
DAILY MAIL 20 May 2018: An extract
THE GUARDIAN 27 May 2018: the important thing is that she was able to write it, and to communicate not only how it feels to be locked inside a coma, but also what got her out of it – and how her life is changed forever as a result of that extreme experience.
VICTORIA DERBYSHIRE May 2018: Video I & II
ITV LORRAINE Christine Lampard, 2018: I read the book in 5 hours and cried 10 times in the first two chapters.
BBC RADIO LONDON Jo Good, 2018: Audio
MARIE CLAIRE June 2018
BBC WORLD SERVICE OUTLOOK WEEKEND: Audio
LISTOWEL WRITERS' WEEK
In conversation with Carlo Gébler about THE BLINK OF AN EYE
Saturday 2 June 2018, 7.30pm
Venue: The Plaza Centre
HAY FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE
In conversation with Bill Bryson about THE BLINK OF AN EYE
Wednesday 30 May 2018, 5.30pm
Venue: Tata Tent
CONTACT
For general and media enquires, please contact my agent Antony Topping:
Greene & Heaton | Tel: 020 8749 0315 | info@greeneheaton.co.uk
For booking in Danish, please contact my Danish agency:
Athenas | Tel: +45 35 11 21 31 | kontakt@athenas.dk
Athenas Profile: Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard
Write to me: info@blinkthebook.com
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