Rootlines: A Memoir

(Paperback)

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Description

Rikki and her sister, Linda, have fallen out-but when Linda emails that she has lethal tumors and her only survival hope is a bone marrow replacement, Rikki is ignited with a wild passion to become the perfect donor with the healthiest, most vigorous stem cells possible. Together, the sisters challenge the lymphoma while healing the twisted roots of their family pain.

Reviews

2020 Nautilus Book Award Silver Winner in Memoir & Personal Journey

A remarkable story of hope and determination passionately recounted.
Kirkus Reviews

Fascinating, engaging, and moving . . . on the level of Robert Pirsigs Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, with the immune system taking the place of the motorcycle.
Richard S. Marken, PhD, author of Controlling People: The Paradoxical Nature of Being Human

A hard book to put down, and a gift that marks a path for others to follow. Inspiring!
C. Deborah Laughton, publisher and senior editor at Guilford Publications

This is a story of relentless and unwavering improvement. . . . Read this tale of a badass who jumped into the ring with no hesitation, sparring with people half her age and double her size.
Jake Timoteo, Certified Personal Trainer and Muay Thai Fighter

Author Bio

Rikki West is a birdwatcher, book lover, and student of meditation who started training in Muay Thai at age sixty-two. She holds a bachelors in genetics from the University of California at Berkeley and a masters in integrative humanities from San Francisco State University. Her greatest passion is ideas, and her greatest thrill is understanding a new subject, perspective, or person. Thai kickboxing and meditation support her aspiration to awaken as much as possible before her lights go out. Now retired from a thirty-five-year high-tech management career, she is the mother of Lauren Magnolia and godmother of Morgan Lisa, and she lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her spouse, Jill.