Identity Theft: Rediscovering Ourselves After Stroke Pre-Order

PRE-ORDER NOW FOR THE 25% DISCOUNTED SALE PRICE! 

Your pre-order will be available in your Audiobrary app on September 16, 2025. Upon the publication of the audiobook, you will receive a notification in your app and email saying it’s live! However, once you place this order, the project will preemptively appear in your app. In there, you will have an audio message from Julia filling you in on what to expect.

(Run Time: approx. 10 hours)

Identity Theft, Second Edition is an update to the award-winning book that follows Stanford professor Debra Meyerson’s journey to recover from a severe stroke that initially left her physically incapacitated and unable to speak. In addition to providing realistic expectations for the hard work needed to regain everyday capabilities, Meyerson and Zuckerman focus on the less frequently documented – but equally critical – emotional journey as she and her family rebuild identity in recovery. The second edition adds perspective from an additional five years of continued recovery and rebuilding their lives, including insights from the work of the nonprofit they co-founded – Stroke Onward.

Virtually every stroke survivor is haunted by questions like “Who am I now?” and “How do I rebuild a meaningful and rewarding life?” after losing so much of what they had before — capabilities, careers and jobs, relationships, and more. Identity Theft, Second Edition is a book full of hope for survivors—from stroke or other life-changing injuries or illnesses — as well as actionable advice for their care partners, families, and communities.

The first edition of Identity Theft centered on Debra’s experience: her stroke in 2010, her extraordinary efforts to recover, and her journey to redefine herself. But she also draws on her skills as a social scientist, sharing stories from several dozen fellow survivors, family members, friends, colleagues, therapists, and doctors she met and interviewed. By sharing this diversity of experiences, Debra highlighted how every stroke is different and every recovery is different. She provided a valuable look at the broad possibilities for successfully navigating the challenging physical recovery, and the equally difficult and frequently unspoken emotional journey toward rebuilding one’s identity and a rewarding life after a trauma like a stroke.

The new content in this second edition was written by Debra and her spouse, Steve Zuckerman. As they have shared in countless talks, "Just as the original book was headed to the printers, we decided that 'the finish line had become a new starting line.'" They co-founded the nonprofit Stroke Onward to build an organization that can catalyze change in the healthcare system to better integrate the emotional journey of rebuilding identity into a lifelong recovery process. This edition draws on five more years of experience as a post-stroke couple and what they’ve learned from thousands more survivors, family members, and healthcare professionals. They’ve added new insights about the long-term recovery process and how we can change the stroke system of care to better support all survivors and their families.

Debra Meyerson (Co-author), previously a tenured professor at Stanford University, studied, wrote, lectured, and taught about diversity, gender, identity, and organizational change. In September 2010, Debra’s life and career were derailed by a severe stroke that initially left her paralyzed on the right side and completely mute. Years of intensive therapy and a relentless work ethic enabled Debra to regain her independence, but she still lives with physical limitations and speech challenges. Debra wrote Identity Theft to help other survivors and those closest to them navigate the emotional journey that she found very difficult—and rewarding. Debra lives with her husband in Menlo Park, California, and has three grown children.

Steve Zuckerman (Co-author), is Debra’s husband and life partner since 1988, and her care partner since her stroke in 2010. He had a successful first career as a business leader and then, in 2006, launched West Coast operations for Self-Help, a nationally recognized nonprofit financial and policy institution with a mission to create and protect ownership and economic opportunity for underserved communities. After co-founding Self-Help Federal Credit Union in 2008 and serving as president for twelve years, he stepped out of his leadership role (still working there part-time) to launch and build Stroke Onward, with Debra, to support stroke survivors and their families and catalyze change in the stroke system of care.

Their 4,500-mile bike ride called Stroke Across America in 2022 helped raise awareness for Stroke Onward and stroke survivorship care.

Julia Whelan (Narrator) Dubbed "The Adele of Audiobooks" by The New Yorker, Julia Whelan is an author, screenwriter, lifelong actor, and acclaimed audiobook narrator of over 600 titles. Her performance of her own debut novel, the international bestseller My Oxford Year (coming soon to Netflix), garnered a Society of Voice Arts award. Her 2022 novel, Thank You For Listening, was a Best-of-the-Year pick at Amazon, Audible, and NPR as well as a Goodreads Choice Award nominee and winner of the Golden Poppy. She is the founder of Audiobrary, a new audio publishing company and app, and her latest books – the 8-part romance audio series Casanova LLC and the annotated Victorian poetry anthology The Poetry Of My Oxford Year – debuted exclusively on Audiobrary. She is also a Grammy-nominated audiobook director, a former writing tutor, a half-decent amateur baker, and a certified tea sommelier. jmwhelan.com