Miss Edith had once told me that everyone has a free will and could choose whatever he or she wants out of life. Jess chose a slow form of suicide, drinking himself to death. He'd made his choice, a brown bottle of booze instead of our children and me. My heart bled for him, my knight in shining armor, the one I'd daydreamed of so often when I was a teen. As a young girl growing up during the Depression and World War II, Amy lives in constant fear of her two alcoholic parents. Neglected and alone, she leaves home early and marries at eighteen. But she unwittingly continues the cycle of abuse as she enters a life of misery with her alcoholic husband, daily enduring his emotional and physical cruelty. After a terrifying night in which her husband threatens to kill her, Amy decides enough is enough. She moves her six children out of the old farmhouse and back to the city. With new resolve, Amy earns her GED, applies for college, and successfully graduates with a nursing degree. But most importantly, Amy regains her self-esteem and learns firsthand the awesome power of healing. | Growing Up a Shadow by Lois M Gentry, Paperback | Indigo Chapters