As I read it, I wondered if Cora's thoughts about assisted living were mirrors of my mother's. However Cora and my mother have very different reasons for being in assisted living. Cora's life was out of balance and she needed help getting it back.Along the way, we find out through her journaling how she came to be at this point in her life. After a lifetime of letting others take the lead in her life, Cora takes back control.I'm glad our library recommended it. This would be a great book for book clubs because it touches on many issues such as the health industry, the conflicts of children taking care of parents, seniors and drugs, weight issues, parenting issues, employees at nursing homes. What does it take for someone to turn their life around? Or to even realize that they should? I looked up Bedlam and it means "bedlam - The word bedlam is a contraction of Bethlehem, a hospital in London that became a lunatic asylum." So it's a great title because Cora thinks everyone in the nursing home is crazy, but at the end of the story she's also out of her own craziness. (copied review) Cora Sledge is horrified when her children, who doubt her ability to take care of herself, plot to remove her from her home. So what if her house is a shambles? Who cares when she last changed her clothes? If an eighty-two-year-old widow wants to live on junk food, pills, and cigarettes, hasn't she earned the right? When her kids force her into The Palisades, an assisted-living facility, Cora takes to her bed, planning to die as soon as possible. But life isn't finished with her yet, not by a long shot. Deciding that the truth is the best revenge, Cora begins to write a tell-all journal that reveals once and for all the secret she has guarded since she was a young woman. In entries that are profane, profound, and gossipy, shechronicles her childhood in rural Missouri, her shotgun wedding, and the terrible event that changed the course of her life. Intermingled with her reminiscences is an account of the day-to-day dramas at The Palisades--her budding romance with a suave new resident, feuds with her tablemates, her rollicking camaraderie with the man who oversees her health care, and the sinister cloud of suspicion that descends as a series of petty crimes sets everyone on edge. The story builds to a powerful climax as Cora's revelations about her past mesh with the unraveling intrigue of the present.
What do You think about Breaking Out Of Bedlam (2010)?
Funny but heartbreaking. A woman's family put her in assisted living despite her protests.
—TheGirlOnFire
Pretty good. It was at least interesting with a few twists. But also sad.
—Nozxa
Good story. Very sad book. The language was too coarse for my tastes.
—antonella97
