Terry Helwig

Six female children, children who moved an incredible amount of time, and a sociopathic mother who left the children to fend for themselves while she, with cowboy boots and low cut blouse, sang and danced her way into too many honky tonk, down and out bars with men of suspicious character, while throughout, there are few who could deal with this tragic true story that ended with a mother who overdosed on drugs, and inadvertently killed the seventh child, a little two year old boy.

The author is a friend of Sue Monk Kid, and it was that author who encouraged Terry to put emotions on paper to tell those who read it, that there is hope, but it may take a long road of harsh smacks, rusted trailers, crowded beds and a mother who had children like puppies, but could not have the innate care that mother dogs possess.

This sad, tragic story is written by the eldest child. Difficult to read, this tugs at the heart strings, and leaves the reader praying surely something good can come of a group of rugged children longing for food, a stable parent, and a solid roof over their heads.

This was difficult to read, but worth the journey.… (mehr)

This is a memoir that I picked up after reading Sue Monk Kid's The Invention of Wings, which I also recommend. The two authors are friends and Kidd encouraged Helwig to put her story in writing.

It is a memoir about growing up as the oldest daughter of a young, unstable mother. The story is reminiscent of Jeanette Walls' memoir, The Glass Castle, but is much more believable because the writing is less fantastic. At the same time, Helwig uses language and metaphor to communicate the depth and breadth of feelings she experienced at the hand of a mother she loved but could not trust.

I won't go into the details of her story, but it is a story worth reading. And as I reflect on some of the children that moved in and out of my elementary schools in small town in the '60's, I suspect that aspects of her story are more common than many of us would like to believe.… (mehr)

WOW. A powerful story of hurt and hope and healing. A fascinating coming of age novel and memoir. Terry Helwig's story begins in Iowa, where she and her sister live with their biological father and teenage mother. Their mother eventually abandons them and leaves them with their father and his parents. Later, she comes back and takes them to Texas to live with her new husband- the man they would come to think of as Daddy. Two girls eventually become six as they travel from town to town in Texas, Colorado, and eventually California following their step-father's job. Living with their mothers dependence on pain pills and numerous infidelities, the sisters become self-sufficient and band together to survive. Their story is sad at times, heart warming at times, and always hopeful. I truly enjoyed this book.

Read this book of...
*you enjoy memoirs
*you love stories that take place in the 1960,s
*you love stories of family
*you love stories about sisters… (mehr)