Review – How to Cope with Intense Drama and Survive by M Lemont & Taylor Green
Review : It took me a long time to read this book. When I was reading How to Cope with Intense Drama and Survive, I found myself gripped and propelled forward with a pace and nuance I have rarely experienced. I love to read. I am a writer, so I read a lot. This review is difficult, not in the sense that I have anything negative to say, but I am somewhat speechless. As a woman who has a family history filled with current and past mental illness, this was a very difficult read.
The narrative is enthralling and concise. The descriptions are horrific and mind-blowing. The emotional upheaval I experience throughout this book is unmatched thus far in my lifetime. The only thing I can equate this book to is the ocean. Beautiful, clarifying, refreshing, and inspiring. In the same breath, this story, like the ocean, is overwhelming, thought-provoking, real, emotional, horrific, and powerful.
How to Cope with Intense Drama and Survive is the closest dual sided narrative about mental illness in the world. Leaving out the medical jargon and social stigmas it tells the hard, ugly truth. Pulling you in and not letting go, even when you walk away from reading it for a while. It changes your perspective, your empathy, and your understanding of the devastation mental illness has on not only the person but the people surrounding them.
A few years ago, I watched a scene in one of my favorite shows, The Blacklist. In it, the Main Character describes the aftermath of suicide.
Have you ever seen the aftermath of a suicide bombing? I have. … The shock wave knocked me flat, blew out my eardrums. I couldn’t hear. The smoke… It was like being underwater. I went inside. A nightmare. Blood. Parts of people. You could tell where (he) was standing when the vest blew. It was like a perfect circle of death. There was almost nothing left of the people closest to him. 17 dead, 46 injured. Blown to pieces. The closer they were to the bomber, the more horrific the effect. That’s every suicide. Every single one. An act of terror perpetrated against everyone who’s ever known you… Everyone who’s ever loved you. The people closest to you… the ones who cherish you… are the ones who suffer the most pain, the most damage.
This emotional speech shook my core. This book flattened me.
Kudos to M LeMont and Taylor Green on such a masterpiece. Well done.
.
Blurb
Do you have family or childhood experiences you’ve kept secret? Do you know why the pain still hurts? ANOSOGNOSIA unaware tearing you asunder. See how deep the bullet lies. The True Story of Beth Wellington. Gripping!
“Potent…Powerful & extremely moving; the words are like getting hit by a train.”
~WH Bone Publishing
Mamma yelled, “How does that feel?” still pinching Fred’s thigh. You don’t ever hit your little brother Billy … Ever!! You think you’re tough?? There, does that hurt?!!’ She pinched it even harder.
Fred screamed, “Please Stop!! You’re hurting me. I’m sorry!”
I hated Mamma, I hated what she was doing, Fred didn’t deserve any of it… tears kept coming down his eyes, so much pain and for what?? Billy was looking red and guilt-ridden…for causing all this.
Mamma just kept pinching Fred and wouldn’t let go. I cried and screamed, “Leave him alone!” I pushed Fred away as hard as I could. I grabbed the broom and shoved it to Mamma. I fell to the floor. “There take it!” I yelled, “Hit me! Hit me! You leave Fred alone!” I cried.
Then Mamma stared down at me with wild eyes full of hate. I didn’t care– I just wanted it to stop.
“Beth!” she held the broom over her head and screamed, “Get your ass off that floor!”
I screamed back at her, on my knees with my arms stretched out “Hit me! Hit me! Do it!!” I said it over and over again.
***
If someone had a terrible childhood then their parents probably did too and their parents before them… and the cycle continues. Read Beth Wellington’s Story–how she broke the cycle of physical & psychological abuse at the hands of a dysfunctional family. She took care of her sick mother, schizophrenic brother, and sister on Kidney Dialysis three times a week, and the sad part, none of them knew they all were mentally ill.
“Haunting, Unforgettable story and to think that all of it really happened.” ~P Morgan
Every 13 minutes someone in the United States dies by their own hand. More than 41,000 died last year and 1,400,000, suicide attempts.
One out of every four people suffer from some form of mental illness and go undiagnosed until tragedy strikes. If you know someone that has abusive parents or has been emotionally abused or bullied, they could have a mental disorder. This book is not a medical manual, but instead, it’s an inspiration and self-help guide to give victims hope and to increase awareness. It is based on a true story of how one woman found the courage and strength to survive the cruelty and emotional trauma of her family. It’s an intense real-life drama, intriguing and poignant. It deals with serious challenges related to mental illness and could be upsetting for some people who have endured similar incidents of trauma.
“Refreshingly Raw, Profound & Honest.”
~C Burnett
“Drama that never ceases … a real page-turner…” ~Buzz
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