A heartfelt and informative guide to recovery with searing literary recollections.
A woman surveys strategies that she used to recover from the lingering psychological trauma of sexual abuse in this self-help book.
In this book’s opening pages, Bossarte, an arts teacher with a doctorate in developmental neuroscience, writes that she was molested as a child by her grandfather, which left her with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and relationship difficulties. Her book focuses on her healing journey from high school onward and provides practical advice for others struggling with similar issues. She emphasizes the importance of one-on-one therapy and discusses ways to vet prospective therapists, recommending that one should look for a person who specializes in sexual abuse and ask lots of questions about methodologies and fees. She also recounts her positive experiences in group therapy and explores ways to promote well-being outside of counseling, including exercise (she’s partial to yoga), meditation, her hobby of “contemplative photography,” nature walks, scented bubble baths and candles, and creative projects to give voice to one’s expressive instincts. Other chapters address the knotty issues of whether and how to confront an abuser—Bossarte says that she never confronted her grandfather, who died when she was a teenager—or others who might have known of the abuse but didn’t intervene. She also discusses how to come out as a survivor to family members and partners. A final section reprints Bossarte’s poetry about abuse, and an appendix offers readers lists of self-help books, meditation instructors and apps, and survivor support groups.
Bossarte’s practical advice is often well tailored for abuse survivors, as when she notes that certain yoga poses can be triggering, as can some turns of mind while meditating. At times, though, she provides commonplace advice: “You can connect to your creativity through journaling and writing…through art classes for drawing, painting, pottery, or jewelry making, woodworking, sculpting, or blacksmithing!” The author also presents a rudimentary tour of alternative forms of therapy, such as qi gong, acupuncture, and chakra healing. The book has its greatest impact when it focuses on Bossarte’s personal experiences. She doesn’t dwell on details of her abuse, but her depiction of her resulting state of mind is deeply felt and riveting: “I remember hating my body and my lack of control as hormones raged during my teen years. Hating the changes that drew his eyes like flies to a corpse….I dared to dream of using my hands to kill myself, end it all, and set myself free.” Bossarte’s poems are especially hard-hitting and evocative, whether they’re taking readers into her grandfather’s house—“Opening door creaks, / feet shuffle on wooden floors. / A monster creeps into the room, / intent on devouring my innocent heart”—or relating the psychic damage of the abuse: “My childhood: a watercolor painting, / your touch smudged and blurred, / your intentions acid on my canvas.” In these passages, Bossarte conveys a cathartic sense of disaster and loss that makes her story of resurgence feel all the more resonant.
A heartfelt and informative guide to recovery with searing literary recollections.Pub Date: April 22, 2021
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 250
Publisher: Passion for Life Press
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An uplifting ode to the power of taking small steps to make big changes.
Manbeck offers direction for life’s journeys in his children’s book debut.
Using just one or two pithy sentences per page, the text encourages readers to bravely forge their own paths in the world. Whatever one hopes to accomplish or whatever one’s destination in life, the starting point is “here,” a point of view that suggests that there is power and wisdom in embracing the present moment. Manbeck assures readers that “you can go anywhere!” and includes all-caps imperatives on almost every double-page spread: “Begin”; “Take your time”; “Keep going”; “Be patient”; etc. A major thrust of the narrative is the futility of comparing oneself to others since every person is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all formula for how life should unfold. The whimsical illustrations, rendered in gouache and mixed media with digital editing, show sprightly children and their childlike anthropomorphic animal companions romping on giant fantastical play structures that recall Rube Goldberg machines. Some spreads feature a montage of the characters adventurously exploring a range of fun activities: butterfly watching, rollerblading, riding a penny-farthing, etc. Flowers and butterflies—with their associated meanings of transformation, hope, courage, success, and new beginnings—are used liberally as motifs throughout the colorful artwork. The characters have various skin tones, and one of them uses a wheelchair. Many wear party hats, conveying a mood of celebration; indeed, this book would make a good baby-shower or graduation gift.
An uplifting ode to the power of taking small steps to make big changes. (Gift book. 0-5, adult)Pub Date: May 10, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-79721-010-0
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Has heart but lacks craft and efficiency.
In Ferguson’s debut novel based on a true story, a driven businesswoman takes extreme and innovative measures to combat prejudice and propel her career.
Though qualified and proactive as a real estate manager, Rhoda, an African-American, finds herself frequently shut out of high-level positions due to racism even in 21st-century Manhattan. In one instance, she’s hired during a phone interview only to be told once she arrives at the Upper East Side office that the broker position has been filled. Yet when she returns disguised with a blond wig and lightened skin, calling herself GeeGee, she’s hired on the spot. In a similar fashion, Rhoda ignites her struggling hair extension side-business. Following advice from a peer that she will need to have a white “face” of the company, Rhoda calls on GeeGee. Eventually, with the support of the NAACP, she testifies and wins a victory affirming that companies are forbidden to ask for race identification when hiring and they may not look outside of skill and experience to fill a position. The conceit of this novelized “true story” is intriguing, although which parts are based in fact and which in fiction is unclear. The dialogue-heavy prose doesn’t have much fluidity, often due to preceding dialogue tags in which a sentence ending with a comma introduces a paragraphlong quote. There’s a similar problem in the novel’s exposition, particularly due to the use of passive voice, which slows scenes down. Toward the end, Rhoda falls in love with a white man who initially knows her only as GeeGee. Once that episode is resolved, Ferguson describes the wedding night with the sensual expertise of a seasoned erotica pulp writer. For the preceding pages, though, another edit could help shape the spirited tale.
Has heart but lacks craft and efficiency.Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2013
ISBN: 978-1481744447
Page Count: 240
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
