Silence of Shame: A Child Caring for Her Bedridden Mother

Named one of the Best Books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews. In this personal narrative Wendy J. Menara reveals the rare perspective of a child living in the shadow of death while tending to a chronically ill mentally abusive bedridden parent. She shares episodes of her life caring for her mother and the heartbreak at age thirteen of losing her. By the time she entered first grade in the early 1970s her parents had divorced her father was rarely in her life and her volatile pain-wracked mother was bedridden with multiple sclerosis. With no other options the optimistic child and her siblings fed groomed and cared for their mothers deteriorating body. Though her mother was abusive Wendy refused to stop loving her. Only after her mothers death would she discover damaging secrets and hidden identities that would forever change her world. Told in vignette form Wendy J. Menaras compassionate chronicle Silence of Shame: A Child Caring for Her Bedridden Mother is for those seeking insight into dysfunctional family relationships and weathering the challenges of caring for a loved one with a debilitating illness. But most of all its a story of resilience-when the role of the caretaker and the cared for are prematurely reversed there is no choice but to become a responsible adult long before growing up. Incisive courageous writing in a vivid family account that proves both sensitive and challenging . . . Illustrated with family photographs throughout the memoir closes with an unexpected revelation and offers a message of hope and healing that will be of value to others who have faced similar circumstances. - Kirkus Reviews (named one of the best indie books of 2020)As a retired family court judge Silence of Shame gave me brutal insight into what one family had to endure. I wish it had been available while I was still on the bench. It is an honest compassionate work that should be required for court and social workers.Joel Massie Retired Family Court Judge