Bookish Friday - Reckless Grace by Carolyn DiPasquale
It's that time again for another book review for Women on Writing!
Book Summary
Fourteen-year-old Rachel guards a collection of secrets for ten years, journaling to vent her terror and loneliness.
Following Rachel's fatal overdose years later, her mother, Carolyn DiPasquale, stumbles upon her daughter's diaries. Shattered, she searches for answers, retracing her steps to figure out how parents and doctors missed three major mental illnesses.
What the single, working mother recalls is a far cry from what happens, as dramatically revealed in tandem chapters gleaned from Rachel's journals. While the mother sprints from task to task, the daughter details the baffling emergence and frightening progression of bulimia, diabulimia, and borderline personality disorder; her eventual substance abuse; and heart-wrenching reasons for not seeking help.
Despite her loss, DiPasquale hopes her story lights a path for victims of mental illness while awakening all readers.
Publisher: E.L. Marker ISBN-10: 1947966550 ISBN-13: 978-1947966550 ASIN: B09W69TT11
Print length: 546 pages
Purchase a copy of Reckless Grace on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author
Carolyn DiPasquale grew up in Franksville, Wisconsin, graduating from UW-Milwaukee with a double major in English and French. In 1983, she moved to Rhode Island where she raised three children while pursuing her Master’s in English at the University of Rhode Island. Over her career, she taught literature and composition at various New England colleges; worked as a technical writer at the Naval Underseas Warfare Center in Newport; and wrote winning grants as a volunteer for Turning Around Ministries, a Newport aftercare program for ex-offenders. She has been an active member of the Newport Round Table, a professional writing group (founded in 1995), since 2013.
DiPasquale currently lives in Richmond, Rhode Island where she has started working on a sequel to Reckless Grace. She has also ventured into writing children’s books. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and baking with healthy ingredients, hiking and trapshooting with her husband Phil, and volunteering at the New Hope Chapel food pantry in Carolina, Rhode Island.
Visit her website to follow her updates. You can also follow her on Instagram or Facebook.
And now for my take on Reckless Grace.
First off, I'm a mother of two daughters who are now 31 and 29. I also journal. So there were some things which intrigued me enough to volunteer to read the book. I have also done a tiny bit of therapy in my lifetime and my youngest, has undergone a bit of therapy over the past couple of years for things much, much less unfortunate than what Rachel was going through.
That being said, it was a hard book to read as a mother. Because most mothers, especially those of daughters, want nothing more than sunshine and roses for their daughters. As a mother, we want to be able to bandage the boo-boo and kiss it and make it - life - all better.
Unfortunately, life doesn't operate that way and we can't protect our children from all the hurt they may have to endure. And we, the onlookers, have to realize it's not our fault and we can only try our best.
I felt, reading the book, Carolyn, in reading Rachel's journals, while it was hard, was also soothing. I also know, in listening to my daughter talk about some of her therapy sessions, that how two people view events are often totally different. What I don't even remember as being something BIG in my daughter's life, was something traumatic to her. I know on several occasions her version of something which happened is totally different than mine.
And it's not to say either one of us is wrong. It's just each person's perspective on a situation.
I am glad Carolyn did have access to her daughter's diaries during the troubled times. While they were hard to read and process, I can't help but feel in some ways they were a comfort and a release of the self-blame for her child's early passing.
While I would not recommend this book as a fun beach read, I do recommend it to anyone who has happened to have someone in their lives which has gone through some bad times and wants to try and understand how that person may be viewing their situation.
Check out the other reviews of Reckless Grace for more insights.
Blog Tour Calendar
August 1st @ The Muffin
Join us at WOW! Women on Writing as we celebrate the launch of Carolyn DiPasquale's memoir Reckless Grace. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book. http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
August 1st @ Mindy McGinnis
Join Mindy as she features a guest post by author Carolyn DiPasquale on the topic of how mental disorders travel in packs. Don't miss this!
https://www.mindymcginnis.com/blog
August 3rd @ Pages and Paws
Join Kristine as she reviews Carolyn DiPasquale's memoir Reckless Grace. You don't want to miss this powerful memoir!
https://pagesandpaws.com/
August 8th @ Author Anthony Avina's Blog
Join Anthony as he features Carolyn DiPasquale's guest post about lessons learned from querying agents and publishers.
https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/
August 9th @ The Faerie Review
Join Lily as she features Carolyn DiPasquale and her memoir Reckless Grace. https://www.thefaeriereview.com/
August 10th @ Word Magic
Come by Fiona's blog where she shares the author's guest post about memoir writing. Don't miss this important post if you are interested in this writing genre!
https://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/
August 13th @ Boots, Shoes, and Fashion
Join Linda as she interviews Carolyn DiPasquale about her memoir Reckless Grace. https://bootsshoesandfashion.com/
August 15th @ A Storybook World
Join Deirdra as she features Reckless Grace by Carolyn DiPasquale. https://www.astorybookworld.com/
August 18th @ Pen and Prosper
Join Jennifer as she interviews Carolyn DiPasquale about her memoir Reckless Grace.http://penandprosper.blogspot.com/
August 19th @ Knotty Needle
Visit Judy's blog and read her review of Carolyn DiPasquale's memoir Reckless Grace. You don't want to miss this touching memoir.
https://knottyneedle.blogspot.com/
August 20th @ Choices
Join Madeline as she shares Carolyn DiPasquale's guest post about whether women can age with grace. http://www.madelinesharples.com/
August 22nd @ World of My Imagination
Visit Nicole's blog as she reviews Carolyn DiPasquale's powerful memoir Reckless Grace. https://worldofmyimagination.com
August 24th @ Author Anthony Avina's Blog
Join Anthony again as he reviews Carolyn DiPasquale's powerful memoir Reckless Grace. https://authoranthonyavinablog.com/
August 28th @ Liberate and Lather
Join Angela as she reviews Carolyn DiPasquale's memoir Reckless Grace. https://liberateandlather.com/
September 1st @ Peaches and Cream Pages
Join Kelly as she reviews Carolyn DiPasquale's memoir Reckless Grace. You'll definitely want to add this book to your reading list.
https://www.instagram.com/peachesandcreampages/
September 2nd @ Heidi Lynn's Book Reviews.
Join Heidi Lynn as she features Carolyn DiPasquale's memoir Reckless Grace.https://heidilynnsbookreviews.blogspot.com/
September 3rd @ Kelly Sgroi's Blog
Visit Kelly's blog today and read the guest post written by Carolyn DiPasquale about how to make your writing sing. Feel inspired today!
https://www.kellysgroi.com/blog
September 4th @ Free to be Me
Join Leslie as she reviews Reckless Grace by Carolyn DiPasquale. https://lesliesvoice.com
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