Friday, May 3, 2013

BLOG TOUR: Healing from Neglect by Janene Baadsgaard


ABOUT THE BOOK

The greatest joy in life is to love and to be loved in return. Many of us are hurting, however, because those we choose to love don’t love us back. With profound insights, firsthand accounts, and multiple solutions for recovery, this book heals hearts that have been broken by destructive relationships and provides the path to trust again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Janene Baadsgaard has written extensively with warmth, valuable information, insight, and humor about family life for over thirty years. She is the author of hundreds of newspaper columns and features, many magazine articles, and over a dozen books. She is a graduate of Brigham Young University in Communications with a journalism emphasis and has taught courses in writing and literature for Utah Valley State College. A popular speaker, Janene has shared her wit and wisdom with thousands at such events as BYU Education Week, BYU Family Expo, BYU Women’s Conference, and Deseret Book’s Time Out for Women, as well as at numerous other civic and church sponsored events. She is the mother of ten children and grandmother to many. She lives on two acres in Spanish Fork, Utah. Her hobbies include reading, writing, singing, playing the piano and violin, and gardening.

Some of her books titles include Is There Life After Birth?, A Sense of Wonder, Why Does My Mother’s Day Potted Plant Always Die?, On the Roller-Coaster Called Motherhood, Families Who Laugh . . . Last, Financial Freedom for LDS Families, Grin and Share It: Raising a Family With a Sense of Humor, Sister Bishop’s Christmas Miracle, Expecting Joy, The LDS Mother’s Almanac, Winter’s Promise, Fifteen Secrets to a Happy Home, and For Every Mother.  To learn more about Healing from Neglect and author Janene Baadsgaard visit her website: janenebaadsgaard.com.

REVIEW

I have to say that the topic of this book is not a happy one. Neglect and abuse of spouse or children or anyone for that matter is not an easy topic to address, yet Baadsgaard does a great job of it.  She doesn't avoid the ugliness and the damage done through neglect/abuse and yet offers hope for both the guilty and innocent.  She starts by looking at what exactly neglect is and how it can be identified in the behavior and actions of others. Neglect causes great harm to all parties. That harm can be physical, emotional, mental, or social or all of the above.  I appreciated the frank discussion of the causes of neglect and some of the excuses that people use to justify their actions.  But I really liked her emphasis on there being no excuse that justifies treating other people that way.

The book focuses on some of the ways that neglect can be addressed but emphasizes that facing the problem is paramount to finding healing.  Children are especially vulnerable to neglect because they generally don't know any different and so they think that what they experience is normal.  Children then are especially in need of help.  Adults on the other hand can be helped but ultimately must make the decision to help themselves.  Until the problem and the pain associated with it are faced there really isn't much room for healing.

A powerful book that addresses an important topic in a healthy and productive way, Healing from Neglect offers hope and a chance for a better life. I highly recommend this book as an informative and inspirational read.


No comments:

Post a Comment