A poignant reflection on the eternal tension between life and death.
A debut author reflects on the duality of existence in this memoir.
“Birth and death are woven into the fabric of all living beings,” writes Dukes, adding that it’s “a cycle we all share, one that cannot be avoided.” In this memoir, the author blends spiritual observations on the interconnectivity and paradoxes of life and death with her own memories. A baby born prematurely in the 1950s, Dukes was later diagnosed with congestive heart failure and underwent heart surgery that was accompanied by a near-death experience. “I touched death, I saw death, I experienced the afterlife, and I returned,” she asserts. Her life would be marked by further episodes of trauma and grief as she aged, including a bout with breast cancer at age 45 …. These times of suffering are underscored by the author’s resilience, as seen when Dukes and her husband, tired of Covid-era constrictions, moved to a Greek island. The book eschews a chronological narrative, instead offering vignettes that jump across multiple decades. The author also declines to use a single narrative approach, with some chapters written in first person and others narrated in third person. Describing her childhood illness, Dukes refers to herself as “drummer girl,” writing from the perspective of an omniscient narrator, which allows her to couch her own experiences in a broader reflection on parenthood, fear, and death. This approach makes for a memoir that reads more like a novel, rife with symbolism and metaphors. A stuffed animal named Green Dog, for instance, appears at various intervals across the book’s timelines, and a doctor’s sketch of an elephant drawn in pencil on yellow-lined paper becomes a recurring character as “the keeper of memories, the remover of obstacles.” Often literary in feel, the work features poignant soliloquys, original poetry, and references to authors from Chinese linguist Lin Yutang to novelist Rachel Cusk.
A poignant reflection on the eternal tension between life and death.” — Kirkus
drummer girl
available March 17, 2026
Notes from the author
I touched death,
I saw death, I experienced death,
I returned
I have never been fearful of death. It is the dying, the suffering, the sloughing of the body, and the weakening of the mind that frightens me most. I have visited death’s doorstep. There, I was called by an energy that has no adequate descriptors in our limited language. The words bliss and beauty and warmth fall short. I was met by a highly energized, womb-like presence. Unconditional love and a transcendent sense of peace enveloped me. It was here, in this other world, that I found HOME.
— Sally Dukes
“And if there is one thing I know it’s that writing comes out of tension,
tension between what’s inside and what’s outside, surface tension…”
- Rachael Cuske
The elephant,
the remover of obstacles, the keeper of memories, stomps the path through the forest floor, so that others can find their way forth.
Image courtesy of: Murad Swaleh
Early Acclaims for drummer girl
UNFLINCHING VULNERABILITY
In drummer girl, Sally Dukes transforms an early near-death experience into a powerful exploration of trauma, resilience, and awakening. From the operation that saved her life to the spiritual paths that helped her reclaim it, Dukes writes with unflinching vulnerability and extraordinary insight. This is a gripping, deeply human, and lyrical memoir about the imprint of childhood, the mysteries of consciousness, and the courage it takes to heal.
- Andrea Burnett, Founder, Andrea Burnett PR
HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL
This is not just a story you read - this hauntingly beautiful memoir is a journey you feel, drawing you into each moment as though you were walking beside the author herself. With raw honesty and lyrical grace, it illuminates the inseparable truths that where there is light, there is darkness, and where there is life, there is death. Powerful, moving, and unflinchingly real, Drummer Girl stretches our capacity to face mortality, suffering and mindfulness, while reminding us that there is only the present, there is only today, and this precious life cannot be taken for granted. It is a profound call to turn inward - showing us that while we seek answers in the world around us, the deepest truths can only be found within. A rare and unforgettable book that lingers in the heart long after the final page.
Jess Riehl | riehlconsulting.com
FINDING GRACE
Reading Drummer Girl is like sitting with a wise old friend who has walked through fire and found grace on the other side. Sally Dukes' story is raw, vulnerable, and ultimately infused with inspiration and hope—this book is a gift for anyone navigating trauma, loss, healing, and transformation.
Cheryl Contee | Co-Author of AI For Nonprofits
BEAUTIFULLY EVOKED
In the splendidly written, compelling drummer girl Life after Death - the story of a journey home we follow Sally Dukes as she travels across beautifully evoked realms, both inner and outer, on her pilgrimage to find healing. Using short sentences and evocative details, she writes of her quest to hold both mysteries in the palms of her hands - the often-brutal beauty of life on earth and the siren pull of peace she felt as she neared death as a very young child.
Katie Amatruda | PsyD, MFT, BCETS
HEART OF SURVIVAL
Drummer Girl is a deeply moving journey through loss, resilience, and the search for home. With raw honesty and lyrical storytelling, Sally brought me into the heart of survival — from the fragility of childhood to the complexities of love, death, and rebirth. It’s not just a read, but a meditation on what it means to live fully in the face of uncertainty. A beautifully written story that stays with you long after the last page.
Josh Trevorrow | Founder, Purvida.co.uk
UNIVERSALLY RESONANT
Sally Dukes’ Drummer Girl is an intimate, layered narrative that blends memoir, metaphor, and myth to trace the arc of a life shaped by trauma and transformed through spiritual seeking. At once deeply personal and universally resonant, this book explores what it means to survive—and ultimately transcend—the limits of the body and psyche.
Xav Dubois | Founder, Kenwood Solutions Group
LIVING PROOF
Peaceful. Poetic. Rhythmic. The Drummer Girl and her arresting journey stand as living proof, affirming that life and death are one, the light abides and home is yours. As you read, your heart will mend.
Ushi Patel | CEO, Ushi Ink, | Designer of the Seeing Me Method.
A MOVING MEDITATION
“With drummer girl, Sally Dukes delivers a moving meditation on grief and resilience, told with passion, restraint, and emotional intelligence. Across her wide and highly unique journey, her story's heart is allowed to emerge naturally, rather than being forced. This is a memoir that trusts its reader - and rewards them for it. drummer girl captures a life well lived.”
Paul Wayne Pennington, Adjunct Law Professor and author of Gut Punch
A HOMECOMIING
Sally Dukes' memoir is an evocative description of her early childhood trauma and her lifelong search to find and give value to its gift, the author's great "knowing.” Through her inner and outer travels, and especially her great ability to communicate her sensory memories, we, who have not come close to near-death begin to experience the shimmering and pulsating truth of her "homecoming," a homecoming that brings the willing reader along. For her skillful writing, her courage and persistence, we can be grateful.
Sarah S Sugatt, LICSW
I AM TRULY GREATFULL
I just finished drummer girl by Sally Dukes and found myself captivated from the start.
Her writing style is very effective in describing the journey from an early illness where she “saw the light,” and the return and the exploration of the dance between life and death.
Having experienced significant loss in my life, drummer girl helped me further explore and deepen the understanding of my own experiences. For this, I am truly grateful.
I read the book on a flight, started shortly after take-off and only stopped when the landing gear hit the tarmac. drummer girl is simply compelling.
Guy Marini | Author, The 6 R Method to Enhancing Employee Experience
MODEL FOR US ALL
Drummer girl draws us into a life-changing experience beyond time and space, an ever-expanding dimension of great power, overwhelming beauty and ineffable love. Some call this plane the Presence, a gift from All That Is. Drummer girl views that gift as her real “home”. Riding on her burning desire and urgent paces, we join her in her pilgrimage to find home and the inner self within it. Her venture is a model for us all.
— Julia Assante Ph.D. (Columbia U), Author of The Last Frontier
CONNECTING WITH THE TRANSCENDENT
in life and death, joining with all, words often fall short. Rarely does language convey this hugeness of existence. Sally Dukes’ breathtaking memoir excels at guiding us into the intersection, the infinite pinpoint of what it is to search and deepen into one’s life
Katherine C Woodhouse, MS, LICSW
Image courtesy of: Artur Aldyrkhanov. @aldyrkhanov
