Awake: A Memoir

Jen Hatmaker's memoir recounts the traumatic end of her twenty-six-year marriage and what followed. On July 11, 2020, at 2:30 a.m., she discovered her husband speaking to another woman from their bed—an event that upended her life completely. In the months that followed, she transitioned from a prominent public figure and New York Times bestselling author to a divorced parent of five managing depression and anxiety while learning basic financial responsibilities. Through candid, humorous vignettes spanning forty years, Hatmaker describes the disorientation of midlife: the collapse of her marriage, the unraveling of religious and cultural systems she had previously upheld, and the grief of unwanted change. She examines the broader systems and narratives that shaped her life—including gender limitations, religious subservience, body shame, and self-erasure. Awake documents both her personal crisis and recovery, exploring how she navigated being lost and found her way forward. The memoir serves as both an individual account and a critical analysis of the cultural stories and myths that have shaped women's lives, offering a perspective on midlife renaissance and entering the second half of life with awareness.