A Smoke and a Song: A Memoir

January 2021, ten months into the global pandemic, Sherry Sidoti's mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer, so Sherry prioritizes a trip to Manhattan over long-awaited empty-nesting and her 'second chance' with fiancé Jevon. With new life blooming and loss looming, she is beckoned to answer the question that has haunted her since childhood: is freedom found in 'letting go,' as the spiritual teachers (and her mother) insist, or is it found by digging our heels deeper into the earth and holding on to our humanness?

A Smoke and a Song is Sherry's story of her quest to make meaning from the memories homed in her body. Writing with tenacity, tenderness, and wry New York City humor, Sherry stumbles toward self-actualization, spiritual awakening, and, despite it all, love. This is a story steeped in art and spirituality that explores the complexities of womanhood, transgenerational maternal bonds, attachment, loss, and leaning into our wounds to find the wisdom.