Post #123 – Memoir Writing News – Matilda Butler
A Memoir Giveaway
I’ve just heard from another WomensMemoirs community member. She’s got a giveaway and book sale for you…
It has been almost a year since I spoke with Martha Graham-Waldon. At that time, her memoir Nothing Like Normal: Surviving A Sibling’s Schizophrenia
If you’d like to read her original article about memoir writing and healing, just click here.
It’s great to reconnect with Martha. Below is the note she sent me:
“In celebration of my memoir’s one year book birthday on November 14, I am having a Anniversabook sale! From Nov 11 to 17 Nothing Like Normal
will be on sale on Amazon for only 99 cents! I will also be hosting a Goodreads Giveaway starting on November 11 through November 17. Please help me celebrate my Memoir’s Anniversabook day!”
Here’s your link to the Goodreads giveaway. Be sure to go and enter.
Want to know more? Here are a few reviews of Martha Graham-Waldon’s memoir…
A compassionate guide to dealing with mental illness in a family member
By Kathleen Pooler
“This beautifully written memoir invites us into the life of a family struggling with mental illness in one of its members. Written from a sister’s point-of-view, the author shows the turmoil, confusion and grief of watching a beloved sister fade away from schizophrenia.??
“Graham-Waldon’s writing is eloquent and vivid. She paints the picture of a loving family and childhood then slowly unveils how her sister’s breaks from reality shatter their hopes and dreams. Underlying her sister’s progressive descent into mental illness is a deep and lasting love of a family who refuses to give up hope. The journey is an arduous one and takes the reader through the tumultuous journey.??…
“Beyond that, it is an enlightening and engaging read for those who those who love real stories about real people.”
A well-written, important, and intimate journey into the world of schizophrenia
By Mary Jo Doig for Story Circle Book Reviews
“I highly recommend this well-written, important, and intimate memoir to those who have had mental illness connect with their lives, or others who have not, yet want to learn more about how schizophrenia affects the individuals in a family. I look forward to reading more of Graham-Waldon’s work.”
A Must-Read!
By Romeo
“Martha Graham-Waldon has deftly taken us into the world of schizophrenia and described in vivid and heartbreaking detail the challenges presented to an otherwise “normal” family.
“Martha wisely shares her very happy childhood with the reader, which only adds to the poignancy of her story. She and her sister grew up very closely bonded, sharing years of wonderful memories with her parents and brothers. And the gradual dissolution of her beloved sister into the clutches of this cruel disease tested her family enormously. They are a solid and loving family unit, and I was filled with admiration at the lengths to which they were willing to go to keep Kathy with them as a family member, even as she was slipping away…
“The beauty of this memoir lies in the powerful family ties that held together even as their loved one was disappearing. I was very moved by the love that sustained and still sustains Martha Graham-Waldon. The lessons learned from her family’s struggle elevate us all.
A gem of a book!
By Sherry R. Day
“Well written, good blending of family stories, heartfelt and engaging. The author handled a difficult subject in a way that others can gain strength from. It is also a coming of age story following the author’s journey from youngest sibling of four to womanhood. Highly recommended!”
About the Author:
Martha Graham-Waldon is a writer, mental health advocate and armchair activist who resides in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California with her family and a menagerie of pets. Her articles have been published locally, internationally and online. She is a winner of the 2015 Women’s Memoirs contest for a vignette based on her memoir in the anthology TALES OF OUR LIVES – Fork in the Road: Award-Winning Stories from WomensMemoirs.com
Her memoir Nothing Like Normal: Surviving A Sibling’s Schizophrenia
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