Veronica's Grave: A Daughter's Memoir
Barbara Bracht Donsky
(Author)
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
2017 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award: Silver for Memoir 2017 National Indie Excellence Awards: Finalist 2017 Independent Press Award: Distinguished Favorite for Memoir 2016 Beverly Hills Book Awards: Memoir Finalist 2016 Readers' Favorite: Silver Medal for Non-fiction Memoir New York Public Library Top Pick Summer 2017When Barbara Bracht's mother disappears, she is left a confused child whose blue-collar father is intent upon erasing any memory of her mother. Forced to keep the secret of her mother's existence from her younger brother, Barbara struggles to keep from being crushed under the weight of family secrets as she comes of age and tries to educate herself, despite her father's stance against women's education. The story is not only of loss and resilience, but one showing the power of literature--from Little Orphan Annie to Prince Valiant to the incomparable Nancy Drew--to offer hope where there is little. Told with true literary sensibility, this captivating memoir asks us to consider what it is that parents owe their children, and how far a child need go to make things right for her family.
Product Details
Price
$19.95
$18.55
Publisher
She Writes Press
Publish Date
May 10, 2016
Pages
338
Dimensions
5.4 X 8.4 X 0.9 inches | 0.9 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781631520747
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About the Author
Barbara Bracht Donsky, a reading specialist with a former private practice for children in Oyster Bay, New York, served for many years as president and capital campaign coordinator of the Boys and Girls Club of Oyster Bay-East Norwich. A magna cum laude graduate of Hunter College, with an MS from C. W. Post, Long Island University and an EdD from Hofstra University, her publications include Trends in Written Composition in Elementary Schools in the United States, 1890 -1960, named dissertation of the year at Hofstra University, and articles in educational journals. Her short story, "What's the Matter with Harry?" was also published in a The Naples Review in Florida. She lives with her husband in New York, where she writes a weekly blog, Desperately Seeking Paris.
Reviews
Chosen as a NYPL Top Staff Picks for Summer 2017
"A triumphant story of a woman coming to terms with the loss of her mother and an inspiring, though haunting, testament to the endurance of the human spirit." -Kirkus
"Veronica's Grave is the compelling memoir of a woman coming to terms with the loss of her mother. In the process of discovering her mother, she ends up discovering herself . . . the author's narration is descriptive, drawing readers into her world, her emotional pain, and her angst. The pictures shared in the book help readers connect with the author, making her life more tangible to them . . . It's a good book for everyone, especially parents as it reminds them that they need to hear their children at any and every age." -Reader's Favorite
"Veronica's Grave shows both the warmth of a loving family and the mistakes when secrets are kept. A compelling tale that gives wonderful insight to the readers." -Mary Higgins Clark, author of more than 50 best-selling novels, including All Around the Town, Loves Music, Loves to Dance, and While My Pretty One Sleeps
"Veronica's Grave is worthwhile reading for any young woman who has had to struggle to assert herself against a patriarchal and traditionally religious upbringing. For sheer joy of spirit and joie de vivre, Barbara Donsky's memoir surpasses many another work of its like an experience that promises to be a rewarding read for mother and daughter alike, it fully deserves the acclaim that it has so far achieved." -Book Pleasure Review, July 2016
"Veronica's Grave: A Daughter's Memoir is a compelling account of how a young woman, confronted with the unexplained loss of her mother, relies on her own inner resources and determination to not only discover the family secret of who her mother was but, in the process, discovers her own self and her own unacknowledged potential." -Peter H. Kudler, M.D, Department of Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center
"Barbara Donsky captures the words and experiences of a small child and her evolution into adulthood better than any author I have read since Jeannette Walls published Glass Castle. Donsky's memoir, Veronica's Grave, is so beautifully written and rich with so much detail and so many metaphors (that actually work) that her experience, struggle with, and silent damage from family secrets comes alive and rings true. Even better, she may be the first American woman whom I can imagine understands what I mean when I say I like myself better in France." -Roni Beth Tower, Ph.D., author of Miracle at Midlife: A Transatlantic Romance
"The voice Barbara chose resonated with someone like myself who grew up at a similar time. It was a time that women with dreams and visions had to carve their own paths with few role models to lead the way. Your book evoked many memories of discovering the world as a child, teenager, and a young adult." -Ruth Waldbaum, M.D., Diplomate Board of Adult and Adolescent Psychiatry, Distinguished Fellow American Psychiatric Association
"Readers who melt reading about the good old days will be charmed by the protagonist, a girl named after Saint Barbara, who can't shed her father's insistence on calling her Bob. We learn that for her those days were neither charming, nor good. From the moment we meet some of the quaintly named characters like Betty, Dot, or Agnes, we know we have time traveled to the fifties and sixties. The Bronx streets of her working class family-Decatur and Webster Avenues, the Third Avenue El-are forever beloved by Barbara even when she manages the extraordinary feat of escaping her mundane existence. If you remember Buster Browns, Betsy Wetsy, five cent cigars, Necco wafers, and Elsie the Borden cow, or Bendix washers, you will find yourself on a wonderful nostalgic ride. But Barbara's intelligence and persistence takes her on a jou
"A triumphant story of a woman coming to terms with the loss of her mother and an inspiring, though haunting, testament to the endurance of the human spirit." -Kirkus
"Veronica's Grave is the compelling memoir of a woman coming to terms with the loss of her mother. In the process of discovering her mother, she ends up discovering herself . . . the author's narration is descriptive, drawing readers into her world, her emotional pain, and her angst. The pictures shared in the book help readers connect with the author, making her life more tangible to them . . . It's a good book for everyone, especially parents as it reminds them that they need to hear their children at any and every age." -Reader's Favorite
"Veronica's Grave shows both the warmth of a loving family and the mistakes when secrets are kept. A compelling tale that gives wonderful insight to the readers." -Mary Higgins Clark, author of more than 50 best-selling novels, including All Around the Town, Loves Music, Loves to Dance, and While My Pretty One Sleeps
"Veronica's Grave is worthwhile reading for any young woman who has had to struggle to assert herself against a patriarchal and traditionally religious upbringing. For sheer joy of spirit and joie de vivre, Barbara Donsky's memoir surpasses many another work of its like an experience that promises to be a rewarding read for mother and daughter alike, it fully deserves the acclaim that it has so far achieved." -Book Pleasure Review, July 2016
"Veronica's Grave: A Daughter's Memoir is a compelling account of how a young woman, confronted with the unexplained loss of her mother, relies on her own inner resources and determination to not only discover the family secret of who her mother was but, in the process, discovers her own self and her own unacknowledged potential." -Peter H. Kudler, M.D, Department of Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center
"Barbara Donsky captures the words and experiences of a small child and her evolution into adulthood better than any author I have read since Jeannette Walls published Glass Castle. Donsky's memoir, Veronica's Grave, is so beautifully written and rich with so much detail and so many metaphors (that actually work) that her experience, struggle with, and silent damage from family secrets comes alive and rings true. Even better, she may be the first American woman whom I can imagine understands what I mean when I say I like myself better in France." -Roni Beth Tower, Ph.D., author of Miracle at Midlife: A Transatlantic Romance
"The voice Barbara chose resonated with someone like myself who grew up at a similar time. It was a time that women with dreams and visions had to carve their own paths with few role models to lead the way. Your book evoked many memories of discovering the world as a child, teenager, and a young adult." -Ruth Waldbaum, M.D., Diplomate Board of Adult and Adolescent Psychiatry, Distinguished Fellow American Psychiatric Association
"Readers who melt reading about the good old days will be charmed by the protagonist, a girl named after Saint Barbara, who can't shed her father's insistence on calling her Bob. We learn that for her those days were neither charming, nor good. From the moment we meet some of the quaintly named characters like Betty, Dot, or Agnes, we know we have time traveled to the fifties and sixties. The Bronx streets of her working class family-Decatur and Webster Avenues, the Third Avenue El-are forever beloved by Barbara even when she manages the extraordinary feat of escaping her mundane existence. If you remember Buster Browns, Betsy Wetsy, five cent cigars, Necco wafers, and Elsie the Borden cow, or Bendix washers, you will find yourself on a wonderful nostalgic ride. But Barbara's intelligence and persistence takes her on a jou
