{"product_id":"no-stars-in-jefferson-park-a-memoir-paperback-softback-9780810149519","title":"No Stars in Jefferson Park; A Memoir (Paperback \/ softback) 9780810149519","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eNo Stars in Jefferson Park\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eA Memoir\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eMaggie Andersen (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780810149519, Northwestern University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 15 October 2025\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e272 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.394 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e“\u003ci\u003eNo Stars in Jefferson Park\u003c\/i\u003e is an instant Chicago classic, excavating the deeply moving and complex personal histories behind the forming of a now-renowned theater company—but this luminous story also transcends any one city or art form. Here, Andersen boldly wrestles with the essential questions of love, loyalty, freedom, sacrifice, collaboration, self-discovery, betrayal, tenacity, forgiveness, and the intimate power of bearing witness to another's whole life. This book is a gift.” —Gina Frangello, author of \u003ci\u003eBlow Your House Down: A Story of Family, Feminism, and Treason\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “Poetically weaving together memories and history, this is a work of staggering vulnerability about finding your place in the world through risks and mistakes, honesty and forgiveness, and loving deeply though it all. \u003ci\u003eNo Stars in Jefferson Park\u003c\/i\u003e feels like your best friend sharing her tale in a dark Chicago dive bar over a glass of good bourbon.” —Sandra Delgado, actor, writer, and producer \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e “\u003ci\u003eNo Stars in Jefferson Park\u003c\/i\u003e shows us people who are complicated and messy, people who behaved badly and wonderfully and I loved them through all of it. Andersen takes us deep into a single, unique experience of class, art, disability, choice, love and loss; it is a timely, visceral, heartbreaking story.” —Amanda Delheimer, Artistic Director, 2nd Story\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Chicagoan’s coming-of-age memoir finds courage in the face of immense loss\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e In her early twenties, Maggie Andersen was a founding ensemble member of Chicago’s storied Gift Theatre with her then-boyfriend, Michael Patrick Thornton. But after a series of spinal strokes left Thornton paralyzed, Andersen made the heart-wrenching decision to leave him, along with their growing company and, later, her beloved city. \u003ci\u003eNo Stars in Jefferson Park\u003c\/i\u003e alternates between two narratives: the energy and excitement of making art in Chicago’s thriving storefront theater scene and the devastating day-to-day realities of rehabilitation and rebuilding—and somewhere in the middle finding the courage to choose yourself. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Over the past twenty-plus years, the Gift—now performing in the working-class neighborhood of Portage Park—has become one of the most vital storefront theaters in Chicago, with Thornton’s career taking him to Hollywood and Broadway. But Andersen’s story has brought her back home. \u003ci\u003eNo Stars in Jefferson Park\u003c\/i\u003e is a testament to lifelong friendship, a love letter to Chicago, and a profound coming-of-age story about the pain and necessity of putting yourself first.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Northwestern University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52555677401368,"sku":"9780810149519","price":17.96,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/no-stars-in-jefferson-park-a-memoir-paperback-softback-9780810149519","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}