As part of The Women of Wisdom Series™, I am introducing three memoirs, each addressing the issue of abuse. Though the stories are different, the message is in many ways the same. Each memoir sheds light on the impact of abuse on us and provides lessons in survival. The women describe their journeys from a place of strength and courage, characteristics they undoubtedly honed through their difficulties.
These women are people just like you and I and what I love about memoirs. Thanks to modern technology, and the increase of Indy Publishing, we are able to see into the lives of everyday people It’s so exciting that women are stepping up, one by one, and sharing their stories. They benefit from the telling, we benefit from the listening.
We all can learn from an author with a compelling story to tell. It doesn’t matter whether or not the book is worthy of a literary award. What matters is what we take away. Memoirs by women over fifty to speak to the courage, fortitude, persistence and enduring love, characteristics that the women of our time, and our generation, exhibit every day . These stories give me courage. The author’s endurance gives me hope. Memoirs help us make sense of our own lives.
Women have suffered enormous wounding at the hands of those who had power over them. I count myself among the survivors and like most women who carry scars, we continue to learn a little more each day how to thrive. Like Kelly Clarkson reminds us, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” … and I might add much, much wiser.
COMING NEXT WEDNESDAY: “Harvesting Wisdom” by author Joan Rough
[tweetthis]Throughout history women have been abused. It has not only made them stronger, but wiser.[/tweetthis]
EVER FAITHFUL TO HIS LEAD: My Journey Away from Emotional Abuse by Kathleen Pooler
Ever Faithful to His Lead: My Journey Away from Emotional Abuse is a compelling read written by a strong and courageous woman. Pooler’s story drew me in from page one and held my attention to the end. She paints a clear picture of her life as a victim and the inherent quagmire of confusion, denial, hope, despair, anger, self-recrimination, and blame that naturally ensues. Pooler never wallows in the angst of it all, rather draws her readers into her quest for understanding, truth and freedom from victim-hood.
Women who came of age in the fifties and sixties were taught to be obedient, faithful, caring, helpmates to their spouse – we were taught to be “ever faithful to his lead”. We also were growing day by day in self-awareness and learning to value ourselves as intelligent, creative, capable people.
Breaking free of abusive relationships became, during our generation, more possible and doable than ever before. Kathy Pooler is one such woman and tells her story, in a clear and steady style that co-mingles her challenges with her emerging understanding.
Pooler just touches on the role her roots of faith played in her emancipation. I’m sure she will have much more to say about this in her next memoir, now in progress.
GHOST NO MORE: A True Story of Child Abuse and Rescue by Cee Cee James
Cee Cee James tells a heartbreaking story without a trace of self-pity. The account of her life as a child in a home without love will rock your world and renew your faith in the power of the human spirit to survive.
A little girl, desperate for her mother’s love, Cee Cee James brings us into the day-to-day world of the child victimized by a parent. We experience the workings of the child’s mind struggling to survive emotional and physical abuse. James reveals through the lens of her story the sad truth that children will suffer enormous abuse at the hands of a parent and still strive to win acceptance, approval and most of all love – even when it is never, ever forthcoming. It broke my heart to see this little girl take the tiniest hope and run with it, only to see it dashed against the rocks of a woman’s inability to love her child.
As difficult as this book was to read, I could not put it down. The life force in this little girl was so strong and fierce and carried me forward to the end.
CONFLICTED HEARTS: A Daughter’s Quest for Solace from Emotional Guilt by D.G. Kaye
A girl’s relationship with her mother lasts a lifetime, but it is often not until we reach midlife that the complexity of a difficult connection comes into focus. What we come to believe about ourselves as adults through our interactions with our mother’s as children, is often not an accurate reflection of who we really are. This conflict, this inner disparity, either drives us toward disintegration or the truth.
D.G. Kaye took on this battle. In her book, Conflicted Hearts
, she shares her story as she struggles to come to terms with her challenging and complex relationship with a mother she both loved and despised. It is a journey that all of us can relate to in one way or another. Kaye writes with honesty, candor, humor and courage as she peels back the layers and gains understanding and perspective. In the end we not only learn about the author, we learn about ourselves and may even come to see our own mother/daughter relationship a more clearly.
Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy this journey into one woman’s world. When you put down the book, you will feel as though you’ve gained a friend.
Oh, these look great, Dorothy! I’ll definitely check them out. Thank you so much for sharing!
They are all fast reads.
Dorothy thank you for including me in this wonderful series, and for sharing my work. It’s so empowering to know that after years, we’ve all stepped out of our shells and can finally speak the truth. The best part about writing about the pain is finding that are stories give some hope and inspiration to the so many that haven’t found their voices. Thank you. 🙂
PS. I’ll be reblogging this next week. 🙂
I’m thrilled to have you be a part of it, Debby. I believe that finding our truth at last and learning to speak it boldly is what it’s all about. I hope to step up to the plate one of these days real soon.
I think you’re doing a fine job Dorothy! 🙂 (Arg, and PS, I just noticed a terrible typo on my last comment – are, instead of our, my bad, so sorry. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing my story. It brought tears to my eyes. Sending hugs out to every survivor out there…. You are worth happiness.
Thank you, CeeCee, for having the courage to share your story. You give all women the courage to seek sanity and the strength to fight through difficult times. It was honor to read and share with my readers.