Chasing Zebras: A Memoir of Genetics, Mental Health and Writing
Margaret Nowaczyk
November 23, 2021
300 pages | ISBN 978-1-989496-41-1
**Winner of the 2022 Sarton Award for Memoir**
**Shortlisted for the 2022 Hamilton Literary Award for Non-fiction**
**Shortlisted for the 2022 Kerry Schooley Book Award**
When Margaret Nowaczyk immigrated to Canada with her family from Poland she was determined to be Canadian, whatever that meant, and she was equally determined to be a doctor. Arriving as a teen with an English vocabulary deeply influenced by the few English books she had, including Somerset Maugham's The Painted Veil, Margaret made her way through medical school at the University of Toronto, followed by residencies at Toronto's SickKids until she settled in at McMaster University Hospital as a clinical geneticist. From leaving Communist Poland to enduring the demands of medical school, through living with a long undiagnosed mental illness to discovering the fascinating field of genetics, plunging into the pressures of prenatal diagnosis and finally finding the tools of writing and of narrative medicine, Margaret shares a journey that is both inspiring and harrowing. This is a story of constant effort, of growth, of tragedy and of triumph, and most of all, of the importance of openness. In the end, Dr. Nowaczyk invites us all to see that "life is precious and fragile and wondrous and full of mistakes." And to keep trying.
Advance Praise
“As a geneticist, Dr. Nowaczyk is ever alert for trouble – suspecting, diagnosing, often confirming the worst for families. As a writer, Margaret imagines the yet-to-be-visible, creating landscapes of profound emotion and risky truths for herself and her readers. Here is a physician who has answered the call to a perilous narrative life in the face of patients’ illnesses and her own. To tell and to write, in the end, is to see, however costly might be that sight. How fortunate are her patients and their families for her insight. How indebted is our field of narrative medicine to receive this moving testimony of the powers of shared creativity in our medicine and in our lives.” – Dr. Rita Charon, Narrative Medicine, Columbia University
“As a geneticist, Margaret Nowaczyk has seen ‘the enduring misery of the human condition.’ But as a writer, she has turned that misery into pure art. Chasing Zebras is a brilliant testimony to the healing power of words.” – Wayne Grady, author of The Good Father
“Chasing Zebras is a must-read book. Nowaczyk is a master storyteller, weaving strands of her personal and professional life to give enthralling testament to the resiliency of the human spirit and what it means to be human. From her immigration to Canada from Poland as a teen to her fierce determination to succeed academically and become a doctor, Nowaczyk’s strength shines through like a beacon. But the shadowed darkness of mental illness also follows her, despite being a well-respected geneticist with a loving husband and two sons. Nowaczyk does not shy away from her struggle with mental illness and recovery. Insightful, honest, vulnerable and intriguing this book captured my heart as well as mind.” – Rowan McCandless, author of Persephone’s Children
“Every medical person will identify with her doubts and stages of training. Every immigrant or refugee will recognize themselves on her journey. Margaret’s honesty endears, passion inspires and intensity compels. She explores the world of the clinical geneticist and reveals the kinds of discoveries that she and the families she serves have experienced as the field matured. Complexity is not avoided and the zebra stripes provide a metaphor for the many as yet unanswered questions that are part of living life as fully as possible. You will find yourself better ‘able to acknowledge life’s uncertainties.’” – Dr. Judith G. Hall, OC, professor emerita of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics, UBC
Articles
Books on Mental Health (All Lit Up, 10/10/2024)
We're delighted to see Margaret's great memoir, Chasing Zebras, on this important list.
Polish-Canadian Authors (Kasia Jaronczyk, 49th Shelf, 05/07/2024)
Margaret is included in this roundup of fiction and non-fiction by wonderful Polish-Canadian authors.
Read Hamilton (Open Book, 27/11/2023)
A wonderful gathering of Hamilton books in one place, including Margaret's memoir.
Finalists for Hamilton Literary Awards Announced (Hamilton City Magazine, 06/12/2022)
A write-up about the Hamilton Literary Awards, for which Margaret is nominated in two categories.
Rad Reads – Hamilton Style! (Jessica Rose, Hamilton City Magazine, 22/04/2022)
Margaret's book makes this roundup of rad Hamilton reads.
Books on Mental Health (All Lit Up, 03/05/2022)
Margaret's memoir is included in this All Lit Up roundup of books on mental health.
Magnificent Short Fiction (Margaret Nowaczyk, 49th Shelf, 10/03/2022)
Margaret puts together a recommended reading list of short fiction.
‘Chasing Zebras’ with Hamilton’s Dr. Margaret Nowaczyk details her battle with mental illness (Graham Rockingham, Hamilton Spectator, 12/01/2022)
A great piece about Margaret Nowaczyk's Chasing Zebras.
McMaster scientist writes memoir on her quarter-century in clinical genetics (McMaster Health Sciences News, 18/11/2021)
A lovely write up about Margaret's memoir.
Interviews
Women Asking Women: Tracey Lindeman and Margaret Nowaczyk (All Lit Up, 09/03/2023)
Margaret and Tracey Lindeman interview each other about – among other things – the patriarchal barriers to health, and what drove them to write their books.
E270 with Margaret Nowaczyk (Jamie Tennant, Get Lit, 20/01/2022)
Jamie Tennant and Margaret talk about her memoir, Chasing Zebras.
McMaster geneticist details work with rare diseases in children in memoir ‘Chasing Zebras’ (Annette Hamm, CHCH, 07/01/2022)
An interview with Margaret about her memoir.
Medicine and Memoir: An Interview with Margaret Nowaczyk (All Lit Up, 08/12/2021)
In this interview, Margaret talks to All Lit Up about finding her way to an MFA program and why writing makes her a better physician.
Read the Hammer, Fall 2021 (Hamilton Review of Books, 30/11/2021)
A short interview with Margaret about her memoir, her favourite local bookstore, and how Hamilton influences her writing.
Excerpt
Click here to read an excerpt of Chasing Zebras.
About the Author
Born in Poland, Margaret Nowaczyk is a pediatric clinical geneticist and a professor at McMaster University and DeGroote School of Medicine. Her short stories and essays have appeared in Canadian, Polish and American literary magazines and anthologies. She lives in Hamilton, ON, with her husband and two sons. Visit her website at www.margaretnowaczyk.ca.
