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HOW IS DAN DOING?

Name: HOW IS DAN DOING?
Author: Margo Davidson
ISBN: 978-1478734222

COPING WITH ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER: A MEMOIR

by Margo Davidson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 2014

Candid and heartbreaking memoir that may appeal to those whose experiences mirror the author’s.

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A mother chronicles the struggles of having a child with antisocial personality disorder.

Davidson explains that she wrote this book, her first, “mainly to tell other parents about my experiences, hoping to guide them in finding solutions to this intricate, tangled and heart breaking mess of a psychological disease.” The story, indeed, focuses on Davidson’s own experiences, beginning with her tranquil childhood in Louisiana and moving into her life as a young married woman and aspiring writer before arriving at the adoption of Daniel, her first child and only son. Daniel is a good baby at first, but, as Davidson writes, “it didn’t take long for this angelic adorable baby to change into some kind of hyperactive fiend,” beginning around the time he learned to walk. From that point onward, the story is one of strife and combat between mother (and sometimes father) and son, with mom trying to rein in disruptive behavior and Daniel trying to get away with as much as he possibly can, seemingly unconcerned about pleasing his parents or adapting to societal standards of morality. This conflict continues into Daniel’s adulthood, with a dysfunctional pattern of financial abuse and enablement going on for years. Telling her story is clearly cathartic for Davidson, and she is a capable writer, so the book is ultimately hard to put down. Davidson is unguarded in unburdening herself, confessing to early thoughts of wanting to return the toddler-aged Daniel to the adoption agency and to the years of foolish decisions, both in terms of parenting and money. But overall the book is an exercise in steadily divesting herself of guilt and blame. While (as Davidson explains) this is a necessary and fundamental step for the parent of an antisocial child, it nevertheless may leave the reader with a sense of intentional revisionism leveled toward the personal histories of both mother and son. For that reason, the hopeful epilogue is somewhat discomforting, leaving readers wondering whether the most recent positive changes are legitimate or even possible.

Candid and heartbreaking memoir that may appeal to those whose experiences mirror the author’s.

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2014

ISBN: 978-1478734222

Page Count: 108

Publisher: Outskirts Press Inc.

Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2014

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.