Written from the vantage point of a daughter who bears witness to her mother's recurring bouts of clinical depression, this memoir makes a poignant pull at the heart and sticks to the bones. In words that have long dwelled in silence, Nancy Graham recounts her mother's roller coaster journey into the deep dark hell of the disorder, and what it was like to be forced along for the ride.The experience of depression is not an uncommon one, and the emotional and psychological havoc it wreaks upon all members of a family is frequently underestimated. Graham unravels and re-winds the tattered threads of the lives insidiously tangled when mental illness shadows a family. She writes with honesty and compassion, creating a large, clear canvas of family, society, and the medical tumbleweed that mishandled her mother's frequent forays into the unforgiving abyss of a major depressive disorder. Graham's book is about transcendence, creativity, and the complexities of mother-daughter love when the maternal bond is so intangibly severed. It is also about sexual coming of age and discovery. Mostly, it is about salvaging love and the triumph of the Spirit and the will of a girl, moving through childhood and puberty to adulthood, walking a ground that she defines with each step, and the bittersweet legacy of it all. (20100121)
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"People who have survived what could have been a mutilating experience have much to tell the world about courage and simple human dignity. Nancy Graham's luminous story is a treasure."
Review
"People who have survived what could have been a mutilating experience have much to tell the world about courage and simple human dignity. Nancy Graham's luminous story is a treasure." (June Callwood 20100219)
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By nanci harris
Format:Paperback
It's not often for me that as a professional in the field of addiction treatment I have the opportunity to read a book that so poignantly and eloquently chronicles the impact of depression on a family.
Written from the perspective of a daughter who bears witness to her mother's descent into a vicious cycle of chronic depression which began as a postpartum episode, this book simultaneously manages to describe the horrific impact on the entire family but in a way that you want to keep reading to find out what happens. Ms. Graham's mother undergoes hundreds of electroshock treatments over the years, numerous hospitalizations and all the while, the medical establishment consistently and miserably fails to address the impact on the family and to find an effective means of helping her mother.
It is only decades after the initial episode that her mother finds a semblance of peace after finally being prescribed lithium. However, the damage has been wrought on the family and Nancy Graham writes of the individual impact on each of her family members in a way that is heartwrenchingly honest, candid and with compassion. The book handles enormously difficult material laden with emotion but is so well written you are compelled to keep turning the pages.
Most of the information treatment providers encounter is factual and informative. What Afraid of the Day manages to accomplish is to convey the facts but in a way that touches your heart and creates a lasting impression for how you might do your work differently in dealing with depression, substance abuse and many other issues.
This is a book that is a must read for both service providers and those who might have experienced the same devastating experience.
Nanci Harris
Community Development Director
The Jean Tweed Centre
Format:Paperback
There are some books that are blessings for those who read them - for the beauty of the words, the honesty of the message, and the incredible learning that we gain as we turn each page. Afraid of the Day is one of these books. Afraid of the Day takes us inside Nancy Graham's life, as she and her family lived with the reality of her mother's 20-year struggle with depression. The author invites her readers into her life, as she pieces together what growing up in the shadow of depression has meant, what it has cost, and how it has shaped who she was and is. She also provides valuable information about the symptoms, treatments and ripple effects of clinical depression, and the changes in awareness about depression within the medical community over the years. The acknowledgement - for my Mom, in trying to make sense of it all - speaks volumes; Afraid of the Day is a journey towards understanding and healing, and a bringing into the light of an illness that has been cloaked in darkness. It is a beautiful testament to the human spirit, to courage, and to the gift of writing. Nancy Graham's words are powerful, raw and heartbreaking. Their honesty grabs at your spirit and demands attention. Even if depression is not an illness you know personally, by the end of page 262, you will have journeyed there with her, richer for the experience.
Annemarie Shrouder
Siren Magazine, Features Editor
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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5.0 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
book review for afraid of the day: a daughter's journey
July 29 2003
By nanci harris
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
It's not often for me that as a professional in the field of addiction treatment I have the opportunity to read a book that so poignantly and eloquently chronicles the impact of depression on a family.
Written from the perspective of a daughter who bears witness to her mother's descent into a vicious cycle of chronic depression which began as a postpartum episode, this book simultaneously manages to describe the horrific impact on the entire family but in a way that you want to keep reading to find out what happens. Ms. Graham's mother undergoes hundreds of electroshock treatments over the years, numerous hospitalizations and all the while, the medical establishment consistently and miserably fails to address the impact on the family and to find an effective means of helping her mother.
It is only decades after the initial episode that her mother finds a semblance of peace after finally being prescribed lithium. However, the damage has been wrought on the family and Nancy Graham writes of the individual impact on each of her family members in a way that is heartwrenchingly honest, candid and with compassion. The book handles enormously difficult material laden with emotion but is so well written you are compelled to keep turning the pages.
Most of the information treatment providers encounter is factual and informative. What Afraid of the Day manages to accomplish is to convey the facts but in a way that touches your heart and creates a lasting impression for how you might do your work differently in dealing with depression, substance abuse and many other issues.
This is a book that is a must read for both service providers and those who might have experienced the same devastating experience.
Nanci Harris
Community Development Director
The Jean Tweed Centre
5.0 out of 5 stars
Afraid of the Day: a daughter's journey
July 29 2003
By annemarie shrouder
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
There are some books that are blessings for those who read them - for the beauty of the words, the honesty of the message, and the incredible learning that we gain as we turn each page. Afraid of the Day is one of these books. Afraid of the Day takes us inside Nancy Graham's life, as she and her family lived with the reality of her mother's 20-year struggle with depression. The author invites her readers into her life, as she pieces together what growing up in the shadow of depression has meant, what it has cost, and how it has shaped who she was and is. She also provides valuable information about the symptoms, treatments and ripple effects of clinical depression, and the changes in awareness about depression within the medical community over the years. The acknowledgement - for my Mom, in trying to make sense of it all - speaks volumes; Afraid of the Day is a journey towards understanding and healing, and a bringing into the light of an illness that has been cloaked in darkness. It is a beautiful testament to the human spirit, to courage, and to the gift of writing. Nancy Graham's words are powerful, raw and heartbreaking. Their honesty grabs at your spirit and demands attention. Even if depression is not an illness you know personally, by the end of page 262, you will have journeyed there with her, richer for the experience.
Annemarie Shrouder
Siren Magazine, Features Editor
›
Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews
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