Lifesaving Lessons: Notes From An Accidental Mother (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
I liked this book. I just grabbed it from the table at my local library (I hardly ever go into the stacks anymore) which holds suggested reading, both fiction and non-fiction. I've read some of Linda Greenlaw's earlier books and enjoy her fluid writing style, her memories of her experiences. and found this one as easy to read as the others. But the topic of this one is different: she became the guardian of a teenager originally from Tennessee with a very dysfunctional family. She happens to live on the island with her 'uncle', who is an alcoholic and abuser. (He ends up in prison.) Of course, this story has a happy ending in that the girl completes high school, turns a bad attitude around, completes college and so forth and so on.What interested me was how Greenlaw, with no parenting experience, manages the highs and lows (which are many more than the highs) of parenting a sullen teenager with a family history of abuse and neglect. of course, this is her memoir, so everything sounds peachy-keen. But I find Greenlaw an interesting person and this story equally so. Linda Greenlaw is one of my heroes. A woman who has made a name for herself in a traditionally male field, she is also a wonderful writer. This book, while wonderfully descriptive of Maine island life, is a bit of a departure. A young girl, who lives on the island with her "uncle" is discovered to be the subject of unbelievable sexual abuse. Island folk take care if their own but who will step up to take care of this girl? In her 40's, with no husband or children of her own, Greenlaw steps in to fill the breech. Her new ward is a very disturbed child and quite a handful, but Greenlaw refuses to give up. A heartwarming story and well told.
What do You think about Lifesaving Lessons: Notes From An Accidental Mother (2013)?
Very interesting and enjoyable. Listened to it on a trip to New Haven, CT, to bring Mom home.
—Helenast
Enjoyed this account of Linda's adoption of a teenage girl.Very realistic.
—Lil
slow start BUT then it goes from 1st to 5th gear in one sentence.
—Sammyb09
