Overview

How Do you Hold a Family Together When the World is Falling Apart? When Esmeralda lost her husband to cancer just weeks before the world shut down in 2020, she found herself alone in Idaho with two young children, a broken heart, and a global pandemic knocking at the door. But grief didn't break her. Instead, it became the soil where something fierce and beautiful could still grow. In A Year of Us, Esmeralda shares her true story of navigating unimaginable loss while parenting through lockdown, fear, and isolation. With lyrical warmth and raw honesty, she captures the moments of chaos and quiet strength-fishing trips to honor a father's memory, makeshift birthday cakes in a grieving kitchen, and the simple joy of laughter when joy felt impossible. This is not a story of perfection. It's a story of persistence. Of showing up, even when your soul is cracked. Of building forts out of blankets and courage. Of a mother's promise to fight for light in the darkest year. Tender, poetic, and deeply human, A Year of Us is a love letter to resilience, a reminder that even in the rubble, families can rise.

Full Product Details

9798993032108

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Reviews

""We are never tired of the beautiful. Life is a style, and the blood of the thought."" 
Enrieta Sina, Notable Writer & Author; Interview published in Flober Newspaper, Albania 
""I never wrote so much for an author, and I will never do it again, but she moved my heart."" 
Albert Habazaj, Writer, Author, Poet, Director of the Universiteti ISmail Qemali Vlore, Albania 
 ""With this book, Esmeralda has brought a missing writing spirit that has been missed in Albania. The woman, the wife, and the mother who sacrificed everything for herself and her two kids, who are the true heros through their actions no matter their size."" 
Eqerem Canaj, Writer, Albanian Historian and Linguistic and Literature Expert



Author Information

Esmeralda Bregaj (Zace) is a multilingual poet, memoirist, and mother whose words transcend borders and heartbreak. Born in Vlore, Albania in 1979, Esmeralda has spent her life moving between cultures, languages, and countries-always carrying her passion for storytelling with her.She began writing as a child, winning her first literary competition at the age of nine. Since then, her poetry and essays have been published in journals and anthologies across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Her first poetry collection, The War of Thoughts, earned national recognition in Italy and was followed by Meraki, a poetic celebration of soul and sincerity.Esmeralda now lives in Boise, Idaho, where she works in education and founded ""Italian at Your Service,"" a language institute dedicated to cultural connection. Her writing has been recognized by literary organizations around the world, including Tamikio L. Dooley's International Literature Journal and Worldsmith International.A Year of Us is her first memoir in English-a deeply personal account of love, loss, motherhood, and quiet bravery in the face of grief and global uncertainty. With lyrical tenderness, she brings readers into her world, where resilience is rooted in family and joy is an act of courage.When she's not writing, Esmeralda is raising her two beautiful children, whom she calls her greatest poetry.Learn more at esmeraldabregaj.com or reach her at info@esmeraldabregaj.com.

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