120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Come visit us this weekend!πŸš€ Auckland Bookstore β€’ Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death

The Breathtaking Number One Bestseller
3.99 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 47,839 ratings, 6,360 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death by Maggie O'Farrell is a memoir that recounts the author's near-death experiences. Through seventeen personal essays, O'Farrell explores how these encounters have shaped her life, offering reflections on survival, fear, and the fragility of existence.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might like this book if you enjoy deeply personal and gripping memoirs that explore the fragility of life through a series of near-death experiences. It may also appeal to you if you're moved by beautifully written narratives that celebrate survival and the profound moments that shape our existence.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The Sunday Times No. 1 Bestseller - an extraordinarily intimate memoir of the the brushes with death that have made Maggie O'Farrell the woman and the writer she is today.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death is an extraordinary memoir that delves deep into the moments that stand between life and death, written by Maggie O'Farrell, a Costa Novel-Award winner and Sunday Times bestselling author. This book is not just a mere recounting of instances; it is an eloquent and thought-provoking exploration of the fragility and transient nature of life itself. The memoir is structured around seventeen near-death experiences that O'Farrell has encountered throughout her life. From a childhood illness that doctors feared she wouldn’t survive, to a harrowing adolescent moment of reckless escape that nearly turned fatal, each chapter presents a unique scenario. We follow her through a terrifying confrontation on a secluded path and a dangerously mismanaged childbirth, among other gripping narratives. Each brush with death is a vivid reminder of how close we always are to the end, yet how tenaciously we cling to existence. This compelling memoir is more than an autobiography; it is a celebration of life’s unpredictable beauty. O'Farrell's prose is hypnotic, providing keen insights and inspiration. Her storytelling is powerful enough to immerse readers entirely, making it difficult to put the book down. By the end, readers are left with a refreshed awareness of life’s uncertainty and an intense resolution to cherish each moment. I Am, I Am, I Am has received significant acclaim and recognition. It was featured on Desert Island Discs, Big Scottish Book Club, and The Zoe Ball Book Club. It was also selected as a Book of the Year in publications such as The Sunday Times, The Times, The Guardian, Irish Times, Observer, Red, and The Telegraph. Moreover, this poignant memoir was shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley Prize for Memoir and Autobiography in 2018. This book challenges readers to reflect on their mortality and ponder profound questions: What would you do if your life was in danger? What would you stand to lose? Absorbing and electrifying, I Am, I Am, I Am is destined to leave an indelible impact on its readers, urging them to embrace life's unpredictability and make every heartbeat count.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death by Maggie O'Farrell leaves readers feeling breathless, grateful, and fully alive. Critics describe it as stunning and dramatic, with one particularly bold and terrifying final chapter. Readers find it emotionally moving and unforgettable, with some even brought to tears. The memoir is widely praised and considered a triumph.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781472240767

Publisher: Headline Publishing Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 31 May 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Tinder Press

Illustration: 17

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 220g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Maggie O'Farrell is the author of HAMNET, Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020, and the memoir I AM, I AM, I AM, both Sunday Times no. 1 bestsellers. Her novels include AFTER YOU'D GONE, MY LOVER'S LOVER, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, which won a Somerset Maugham Award, THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE, which won the 2010 Costa Novel Award, INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE and THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT, which was shortlisted for the Women's Prize. She is also the author of two books for children, WHERE SNOW ANGELS GO and THE BOY WHO LOST HIS SPARK. She lives in Edinburgh.

More from Biography & Memoir

View all
  • Book cover for 'Swan Song: Diana, my sister' by Charles Spencer, featuring a black-and-white portrait of Diana with white and gold text on a gray background.
    New Release
    Swan Song
    Beautiful. Beloved. Hunted. The extraordinary life and death of Diana, as told by her brother, Charles – available to pre-order now. β€˜When asked, β€˜What was it like, growing up with Diana?’, my first thought is always, But I don’t know what it was like not to grow up with her…’ In September 1997, Charles Spencer stood in Westminster Abbey before...
    Hardback
    $5499
    Elsewhere:
    $6500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    Fictional Selves
    From the beloved actor and star of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Sex and the City comes a candid and deeply personal memoir. In this highly anticipated memoir, the beloved actor and star of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Sex and the City and more shares his utterly original account of his offbeat journey in Hollywood, his battles with fear and...
    Hardback
    $4799
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    The Steps
    The long-awaited memoir from a true Hollywood icon. We know Sylvester Stallone as one of the most revered actors, writers, and directors of all time, yet his life story is every bit as dramatic, intense, and inspiring as his greatest creations on screen. Bringing together a no-holds-barred account of a fascinating life with messages of hope, positivity, and resilience, in...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Signed Copy
    New Release
    Home Again
    Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoirΒ Home Again.This is more than a rock story.Β Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it.Β From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Dogs, Boys and Other Things I've Cried About
    From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee--known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue--comes an utterly winning memoir about a twentysomething woman's search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it. A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Famesick
    Chronicling the tumultuous decade between the premiere of Girls to her 2021 shotgunΒ wedding (minus the baby, because she has no uterus), Lena Dunham takes us through herΒ journey with her trademark mix of humor, unsparing honesty, and keen eye for detail. We peek behind the scenes - of her work, her family, her relationships, and her battle to reclaim her body...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $7299
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Signed Copy
    Stakes
    Read our interview with author Noelle McCarthy! A darkly funny, sparkling follow-up to the author’s bestselling memoirΒ Grand. You have to invite him in. You have to want the vampire’s badness in the house with you. Growing up in Catholic Ireland, Noelle McCarthy is captivated by Bram Stoker’sΒ Dracula. The vampire is a risk-free fantasy, a suave alternative to the fraught realities...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Built for This
    Raised among strong women, butcher's benches, and hard ideas about what men are meant to be, Brad Poulter grows up knowing he's different long before he has the words for it. But in late '90s small-town New Zealand, 'different' isn't discussed, it's managed. Joining the Royal New Zealand Navy offers escape, certainty, and belonging. The rules are clear, the uniform...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Even the Good Girls Will Cry
    Thanks to a thrown beer bottle and a fan letter to a P.O. box, Melissa Auf der Maur's first band scored an opening slot for the Smashing Pumpkins in her bohemian home town, Montreal. Sensing Melissa's talent, Billy Corgan recommended her to Courtney Love. Whisked from her local scene, Melissa joined Hole just after the deaths of Kurt Cobain and...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • An Ocean and a Day
    An utterly riveting, moving and poignant memoir of grief and loss that will speak to anyone who's ever lost someone they love. An Ocean and a Day is Hannah Richell's personal account of losing her husband, Matt, in a surfing accident on Tamarama beach in 2014. It is the story of the grief journey she travelled over the first two...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • A Place to Stand
    A Place to Stand by Clare Ward is a profound memoir that delves into the life of a country doctor living and working in the Hokianga Harbour area in the far north of Aotearoa New Zealand. This region is sparsely populated and poses numerous health challenges. This thoughtful account details Clare’s thirty-year career, highlighting the people she works with and...
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.