Review: Ghellow Road by T.H. Waters

On the cover, it states that GHELLOW ROAD is 'a literary diary of a young girl's journey'. That young girl is Theresa Waters, the author. Theresa is the second of two children, born in 1965 to doting parents. The story begins when Theresa is a young girl and continues until she goes to college. There are a few years in the beginning that the Waters family seemed like any other: happy, loving, content. But soon things began to change and as hard as Theresa's outgoing father tried to camouflager what was really happening within their family, he could only cover up so much. Theresa's mother's behavior became more and more disturbing and even as young as she was, Theresa soon realized there was definitely something wrong. Rainy's bouts of despondency and paranoia became more regular and began to affect both children and the marriage. Eventually, a tragic event changes their lives forever and for the first time, Theresa is forced to navigate through the demons of her mother and try to piece together the most normal family life she can. She finds refuge in the friends she makes at school and when she reaches her teenage years, she spends more and more time away from home, enjoying the normalcy of her friend's lives. Life on Ghellow Road was anything but normal and this book takes a heartbreaking and poignant look in to the world of mental instability and a very brave and resilient young girl who has to fight every day to find happiness and peace, the things she wants the most.

My thoughts:

When I was contacted about reading this book, I really had no idea what to expect. I knew that coming from the point of view of a child, it would probably be a very honest and raw interpretation of a very difficult time. What I found was so sad that I would often think of her even when I wasn't reading. Having had a wonderful childhood with two amazing parents, I couldn't imagine what her life must have been like. I'm only a year older than Theresa and while reading her story, I couldn't help but compare my life to hers. It made me even more grateful (and even a little guilty) for the years that I was allowed to be a kid and not have to worry about anything because I had the security and knowledge that my parents would take care of me. Theresa had that taken away from her and that in and of itself is heartbreaking.

The book is written somewhat like a diary, having no chapters, just breaks in the story. It moves along quickly, highlighting important times and events in her family's life.

What struck me as I kept reading was the repeated resilience of Theresa, especially in her adolescent years. Those years are difficult under the best of circumstances and for Theresa they were made even worse by her mother's odd, unstable behavior and complete lack of responsibility towards her children during her periods of absence. Theresa basically raised herself and even held down part-time jobs during summer vacations. She never gave up - just trudged on. That is impressive. It angered me that during the times when her demons were under control, Rainy put her own life first and Theresa and her brother were left to fend for themselves. I'm not even a parent and I had a hard time with that.

One of the saddest things is the divide that developed between Theresa and her brother. During a time when they should have leaned on each other, Rainy simply shipped him off and seemingly showed little emotion or concern for him again. The result of that action would come back later and rock Theresa to the core.

As I mentioned, the book ends when Theresa is eighteen and heading to college. It is amazing to me that she even made it that far without more serious damage. I think having grown up in the 70's played a big part in Theresa's ability to bounce back and take control of the next phase of her life. I don't mean to say that it made it any easier, but given everything that is out in the world today, I think there would be much more dangerous consequences. I would love to know more about Theresa's life now that she is an adult and find out if her family has healed somewhat from the pains of past.

This is an interesting and insightful book and I am very grateful to Ms. Waters for contacting me to read it and highlight it on my blog. Reading stories such as Theresa's should make the rest of the world see just how important it is to understand mental illness and the effect it has on their families. This book certainly has made me appreciate my family. I would encourage you to read GHELLOW ROAD. Even though it is a tough read, it is impressive and I promise it will linger in your mind long after you've read the last page.

GHELLOW ROAD

Author: T.H. Waters

Publisher: Verefor Publishing Company LLC

Published: October 2010

Format: Paperback

Pages: 302

Source: T.H. Waters

Grade A

[TSS] Forgiving Troy by Thom Bierdz

The complete title of this hauntingly sad memoir is FORGIVING TROY - A True Story of Murder, Mental Illness, and Recovery. It is written by Thom Bierdz, an actor/artist who I first came to know through the very popular daytime soap The Young & the Restless back in the mid 1980's.

In this compelling book, Thom tells how he and his family cope with the death of their mother, Phyllis, in 1989 at the hands of their brother Troy. Troy is the youngest of four siblings in the Bierdz family living in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He always required more attention than the other three children and by the time he reached his teens, it became a more serious problem for Phylis, who was a single mother after her husband walked away from the marriage years earlier without looking back.

With Thom living in Los Angeles, following his dreams of acting and painting, brother Gregg away at college and sister Hope married and focusing on her own family, Phylis was left to handle Troy the best she knew how. Over time Troy became increasingly agitated and even violent and ended up in trouble with the law. Though he was sentenced to various facilities, he always escaped and in the process attacked innocent employees, doctors and nurses. But the court system seemed not to offer much help because more and more the very facilities that could possibly help Troy refused to accept him because of his violent tendencies. With Troy becoming more secretive and angry, Phylis discovered frightening things about her 'miracle baby'. His anger towards Thom was evident in drawings her made depicting how he planned to kill his openly gay, famous oldest brother.

Then on July 14, 1989, Thom got the call that changed his family forever. Troy had beaten their mother to death with a baseball bat and all indications were that he was on his way to California to kill Thom next.

What follows in the pages of this unforgettable memoir is how the Bierdz family, each in their own way, deals with the devastating truth about Troy and that he took their mother's life seemingly at first, with little remorse. Thom Bierdz writes an amazingly honest and gut-wrenching account of the days and years that follow. Thom's fight with his own demons are a huge part of the story and in the end, helps him to understand and even try to forgive Troy not always with his sibling's support. Through all the years of coping and coming to terms, Thom struggles to deal with his own psyche - insomnia, his sexuality, his shame in his own violent tendencies, his inability to function in social settings and fear of the spotlight all fill his mind and make him question if he and Troy are, in fact, similar. Unfortunately, the tragedy of the Bierdz family doesn't end with Troy. The book, however, does end on a promising note and proves that unconditional love does exist even in the worst of circumstances.

My thoughts:

Once I started reading this book, I simply could not put it down. Not only did my heart break for Thom and his family, I became frustratingly annoyed by the judicial system with respect to people with mental disease. Troy was fortunate to have a brother as vigilant, loving and strong as Thom to be able to put aside his own grief to help his brother.

Not only is this a fascinating story, but the way the book is laid out is impressive. The chapters highlight important events in his family's life and takes the reader masterfully through the years following the crime. The book also includes many pictures of Thom's paintings that are impressive yet daunting. It's no wonder he has received such accolades and praise.

I'd like to thank Thom Bierdz for sending me this book that will resonate with me for quite some time. I've been a fan of his work on Y & R for years, but now having read his book, I have a whole new respect for him. I encourage you to pick up this book if you're looking for a true account of unconditional love. This book is available at ThomBierdz.com.

FORGIVING TROY

Author: Thom Bierdz

Publisher: Tom Bierdz, Inc.

Published: 2009

Pages: 288

Grade: A+

Booking Through Thursday: Current Reads

It certainly has been awhile since I've participated in Booking Through Thursday and I must say, I've missed it and its good to be back!

This week's topic is about current reads. Here are the questions:

What are you currently reading? What made you choose it? Are you enjoying it? and Would you recommend it?

My responses:

Right now I'm reading a non-fiction book called FORGIVING TROY: A TRUE STORY OF MURDER, MENTAL ILLNESS, AND RECOVERY by Thom Bierdz. There are a few reasons I chose this book. Initially it was because I received a request from the author to send me a copy for review. Secondly, the author is an actor on the very popular soap opera, The Young & the Restless, which I have watched for many years, so I was familiar with who he was. Thirdly, I was intrigued by the mental illness aspect of the story and was curious to see how it played out. To say I'm enjoying this type of book sounds odd, but yes, it is an extremely insightful, interesting yet heartbreaking story that I am glad I chose to read. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers, especially those who have an interest in mental illness and subsequently, the judicial system with regard to dealing with these cases.

Click here for more Booking Through Thursday posts to see what books people are reading and why.