With raw honesty and thoughtful reflection, Laura Dennis crafts a stunning psychological thriller in her true-life memoir, Adopted Reality. She weaves in three major life events adoption, reunion with her birth mother, and a bipolar episode following the 9/11 terror attacks where her beloved Uncle Tom died in the Twin Towers and she believes she was responsible for his death, writes reviewer Kathy Pooler. And most amazing is that it took Dennis only six months to write and publish her thriller of a story. I was especially interested in Dennis' writing about her manic episode because it rang true of what I remember about my son's bipolar disorder. My questions have mostly to do with that aspect of Dennis' story rather than her adoption and reconnection with her birth mother. I'm so glad that Laura Dennis accepted my invitation to join me for a Q&A here on Choices. Madeline: I am so impressed with the way you have managed your manic and depressive states and with the clarity … [Read more...]
Revisiting some probing questions
Laura Dennis graciously hosted me on her blog, The Adaptable (Adopted Mommy Expat on Fridays, June 14, 21, and 28. She asked me a series of questions about my book, Leaving the Hall Light On, my son Paul's bipolar disorder and suicide, and my grieving and surviving process. I think her probing questions are worth repeating and showcasing here. On Friday June 14, she asked: Are There Early Indicators for Bipolar Disorder? Laura writes, "The death of a child is unfathomable. The suicide of one's young adult child after his suffering through years of a mental illness? Awful beyond words. ¦ Painful to the point of, How do I get beyond this and not kill my own self? ¦ Devastating, like, I'll just live on anti-anxiety pills for the rest of my life. Which came first, the bipolar or the stress? Laura Paulyour eldest son and the one you lost to suicide, was a creative, gifted musician. In trying to make sense of his death, you discuss events that could have indicated he was … [Read more...]
