Amanda's new book, Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero, is available now.
Seeing your favorite Broadway stars live on a Broadway stage may not be a reality for a while, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them live from your screen. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge is keeping up with all of their latest projects on Backstage Live, bringing you in-depth interviews twice weekly.
Watch as he chats with Broadway veteran Amanda Kloots, who in her new book, Live Your Life, bravely reflects on love, loss, and life with her husband, Broadway star, and Tony Award nominee Nick Cordero, whose public battle with COVID-19 and tragic death made headlines around the world last year.
"I started writing this two weeks after Nick passed. I went to Ohio, just to get some peace and quiet. I put Elvis to bed and I just started writing. I needed to get things out of my head," explained Amanda. "There were so many medical terms and doctors' names and dates... when everything happened to Nick, it was so crucial I knew. And I also knew I had five months to write the book, so I thought, 'Well, it's time to start writing.'"
Live Your Life is the story of Nick and Amanda's life together-of their beautiful relationship, of Nick's dramatic fight for survival, of those sudden tragic months that permanently changed her world and ours-and of their interrupted future as a family. From the confusing early days of his illness to searching for signs of hope in every update from the doctors to the healing sound of Elvis's laughter, Amanda details how she approached even the most devastating moments with the personal optimism and faith that have shaped her life. Written with her sister Anna Kloots, who was with her every step of this journey, Live Your Life explores how Amanda's willingness to accept help from an entire community of people-friends, family, and even total strangers-played a vital role in enduring this hardship. In the process, she offers a touching meditation on how even the worst times have silver linings that deepen our connections to the world around us and to the people who matter most.
What would Amanda say to those who question if COVID was a hoax? "I'm living proof that it's not. Try to look me in the eyes and tell me that this didn't happen and that it didn't effect young people. I'll say, 'Please join me on my 95 day battle in the hospital with my husband.' You don't want this virus!" she said. "If you are able to get the vaccination and you're not doing it, I question 'Why?' You're not only protecting yourself, you're protecting others and you are helping move the whole world forward."
Click here to order Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero today and watch as Amanda shares even more about her journey over the past year.
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