ESCAPE VELOCITY
HOW ONE 70-YEAR-OLD PUSH-PULLED HER WAY OUT OF HER TOO-MUCH-NOT-ENOUGH FAMILY
70 MICRO-MEMOIRS, 70 WORDS EACH
Coming February 27, 2026 / Stay tuned for pre-order info and more announcements!
ABOUT THE BOOK
In Escape Velocity, a genre-bending constellation of 70 micro-memoirs of 70 words each, Deborah Sosin unravels a story of family entanglement with her loving but overbearing parents. Too much intrusion. Not enough space. What one therapist later dubbed “a mirage of intimacy.” A feisty, perceptive girl, Sosin strains against her family’s gravitational pull in search of a separate self. While navigating the confusing terrain of 1970s feminism, she endures a near-rape, enters a fraught romance with a gay man, and makes a momentous choice about an unexpected pregnancy.
Anna Hall’s striking illustrations add depth and humor to the scenes, which include transformative therapy sessions, an empowering alpine road trip, a clothing-optional retreat, and some miserable midlife dates. Escape Velocity also features Sosin’s poignant, often hilarious, teen diary excerpts and provocative “psychology interludes” that weave in concepts she learned as a therapist. At 70, Sosin faces the loss of both parents and the challenges—and delights—of flying solo. Escape Velocity sheds light on what it means to claim our true selves without severing our close family bonds.
PRAISE
“Deborah Sosin’s cleverly conceived Escape Velocity is a potent mix of intimacy, wit, and mounting angst over the inevitability of aging, offered in crisp, seventy-word capsules of remarkable honesty. Sosin portrays a fascinating, surprising life, ending on a perfect note of hope and resilience.”
—Dinty W. Moore, author of Between Panic & Desire and editor of Brevity Magazine
“In this collection of short moments chosen from a life of confusion, resentments, mistakes, epiphanies, friendship, loss, and laughter, Deborah Sosin traces the bumpy path to becoming who she is now: a woman complete in herself—imaginative, curious, full of life, and, perhaps best, someone she can rely on. Anna Hall's illustrations are marvelous, perfect. I loved this book.”
—Abigail Thomas, author of A Three Dog Life and Safekeeping
“Combining the psychological insight of a therapist, the sensitivity of a poet, and the skill of an expert storyteller, Sosin has pulled off a dazzling magic trick, capturing seventy years’ worth of transformation in seventy meaning-packed moments. Escape Velocity is a shimmering ode to the strength of the human spirit, and to the surprising ways our constraints can set us free.”
—Nicole Graev Lipson, author of Mothers and Other Fictional Characters
“In Escape Velocity, Deborah Sosin's crystalline seventy-word micro memoirs chart a decades-long journey to liberated selfhood, proving that freedom—hard-won and glorious—can arrive at any age."
—Darien Hsu Gee, author of Allegiance and Other Small Histories
“Sosin’s beautifully precise seventy-word entries are expansive, deeply thoughtful, and often very funny explorations of the moments that shape a life. Generous, heartbreaking, and evocatively illustrated by Anna Hall, Escape Velocity reminds us of the transformative power we hold when we tell our own story.”
—Hester Kaplan, author of Twice Born
“In spare, illustrated morsels infused with psychological insights, Deborah Sosin unfurls a moving, later-in-life coming-of-age story that will resonate with many—especially those who have struggled to untangle themselves from complicated family dynamics and limiting societal expectations.”
—Sari Botton, author of And You May Find Yourself...Confessions of a Late-Blooming Gen-X Weirdo and editor-in-chief of Oldster Magazine
“With the tactile skill of an old-world artisan, Deborah Sosin has conjured a wide-ranging palette of miniature vignettes for Escape Velocity, each with the vivid tone and luster of a colorful mosaic tile. And she has assembled these precise singular fragments into a cohesive self-portrait of a life journey that is both intimate and far-flung, glistening with themes of independence, love, loss, sexual awakening, psychological constructs, family ties that bristle and bind and evolve with the author’s emerging self-awareness.”
—Robbie Gamble, poetry editor at Solstice Literary Magazine
READ ABOUT THESE WONDERFUL AUTHORS ON MY FEBRUARY 13 SUBSTACK, "BLURB BRAGS & LIT LINKS."
BACKGROUND AND LINKS
Check out "The Macro Micro-Memoir Challenge," on Brevity Blog, January 22, 2025, which details the conception and construction of my new book , Escape Velocity.
Ten excerpts from Escape Velocity (formerly titled This Is Seventy) published on Sari Botton's Oldster Magazine on May 26, 2025, and went viral! Over 59K views and counting. I'm honored, excited, and grateful for all the comments and feedback.
Another excerpt, "Bosom Buddies," appeared in Short Reads on June 25, 2025.
Please visit my Substack, "Write It Like It Is: Everyday Observations and Existential Musings," for my weekly post . All-access for all subscribers, free or paid.
Crowdfunder heroes
Thank you for helping to launch my book!
Out-of-this-world gratitude to everyone who so generously contributed to the FreeFunder campaign to support the publication of this book. (Donations received before January 27, 2026, are also listed in the book.) See below for open campaign link and more information.
Benevolent Booster (under $70)
Anonymous
Jacqui Bloomberg
Sari Botton
Joanna Cooke
Katie DeBonville
Jodi Sh Doff
Dorian Fox
Irene Stern Frielich
Ethan Gilsdorf
Liz Gray
Suzanne Hanser
Jeff Ikler
Maria Judge
Jill Johnson
Maida Korte
Julia Leef
Brian Lies
Richard Lindo
Judi MacKenzie
Betsy McGovern
Jerry Minkoff
Jen Minotti
Deb Olshever
Pam Pacelli
Pam Petro
Diane Pienta
Elise Church Schmidt
Amy Sokal
Nancy Stolarz
Mia Wenjen
Phyllis Wilner
Liftoff Champion ($70+)
Anonymous (3)
Gile Beye
Grace Coventry
Barbara Gaffin
Robbie Gamble
Josh Gordon
Jenny Lacika
Nina McGehee
Sandra Miller
Steve Moebs
Elyse Pipitone
Ginny Rowan
Jill Sandberg
Teri Thompson
Gravity Breaker ($140+)
Nancy Hirschhorn
Diane Shufro
Robin Stein
Intergalactic Orbiter($210+)
Anonymous (2)
Babette Trout Dammon
Donald Sosin
Help launch escape velocity: fundraiser
Self-publishing is an astronomical journey!
UPDATE: WE DID IT! YOU DID IT! In less than two weeks, I reached my goal of $5,000 to support creative and production expenses for my book. Deep gratitude to those of you who contributed. I'm astounded and thrilled.
It's not too late to join the party. See my open FreeFunder page for details and updates.