My Mother's Keeper: A Daughter's Memoir of Growing Up in the Shadow of Schizophrenia

by Tara Elgin Holley and Joe Holley

Book Overview

Separated from her mother at an early age, Tara Elgin Holley became her mother's legal guardian at age 16 and set about trying to rescue the blonde fairy princess she remembered from the shambling street person her mother had become. An inspiring story of one woman's struggle to struggle through the pain to reach a better understanding of her mother, herself and a devastating mental illness.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380723026
• ISBN13: 9780380723027
• Release Date: July 1998
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 369 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book that provided much comfort

As a young woman with a mother who has paranoid schizophrenia, this book was invaluable to me. My mom was missing for 12 years, and I received this as a gift not long after finding her (about a year and a half ago). It was personally very comforting for me to read this wonderful book, and I would recommend it to anyone. Ms. Holley's close bond with her mom reminded me of the bond I had/have with mine, and the inherently conflicted feelings that result from that bond.

A Must Read

My Mother's Keeper is an excellent autobiography/biography in one of a mother and daughter and their separate and entwined lives. I am a mental health RN and have been studying about schizophrenia. This book has helped me see in places I have never been able to see into before. I now have a broader perspective of schizophrenia and how families must feel also. Ms. Holley's writing is easy to read and follow. So much so, that it is very hard to put the book down. This is definitely a must read for anyone who wants to find out more about schizophrenia.

Moving telling of a difficult story

This was an exceptionally well written memoir, one that must have been very difficult to write. Ms. Elgin moves gracefully along the line between her mother's story and her own, and (it appears) honestly grapples with the ups and downs of both. Thank you.

Accurate, yet sensitive and personal

This book provides an accurate description of the development and chronic course of schizophrenia, one of the most debilitating illnesses of our time. The Holleys' sensitive portrayal of Mrs. Elgin's life touched me deeply. I thank them for giving us and honest depiction of this illness.

A must read for anyone curious about schizophrenia

I fell in love with this book from the first page and couldn't put it down. The author takes you through the beginning of a beautiful singing career of her mother to the painful discovery of a life long mental illness. It truely gave me a new understanding of schizophrenia and the affect it has on family and friends.