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LOVE, DEBRA
By: Fritz Hamilton
Open Hand Publishing: 1990
ISBN 0-940880-29-6
www.openhand.com
Reviewed by:
Kristie Henley
Love, Debra is a heart-wrenching book with a good story line
that makes the reader want to continue reading from start
to finish. The book is small, but packed with details that
describe the abuse cycle and addictive tendencies. It shows
that without proper intervention and working through issues,
troubles will follow victims no matter where they move.
This story, written in letter style, portrays a realistic
story of Debra's life. Debra, whose father and his girlfriend
sexually abused her and whose mother, an alcoholic, died when
she was a teenager, runs away to find a better life. What
she finds however is just as bad as the life she leaves. From
drugs and alcohol, to prostitution and abuse, Debra finds
that no matter where she tries to go to get away from this
deadly cycle, she always attracts the same lifestyle.
The dynamics of dysfunction in Debra's family, and the lifestyle
she runs to, leave the reader aching to reach in to hold and
comfort her, yet at the same time, wanting to grab her and
shake some sense into her. It describes the coping mechanisms
she chose to deal with her family's dysfunction, and shows
how without the proper intervention, changing directions may
be impossible.
Love, Debra could be an appropriate read for addicted adolescents
who hit a resistant stage in their recovery. It could also
be helpful for parents of addicted adolescents who need to
see how bad life could get for their child without intervention.
The realistic way this story portrays the addictive lifestyle
and pain in Debra's life might give families insight and help
them see intervention as a necessary opportunity to “break
the cycle.”
About the Author:
[Fritz Hamilton was born in Chicago, IL, in 1936. He has
a BA in Philosophy and an MA in English/ Education from Roosevelt
University. After spending some early years as a teacher and
social worker, Mr. Hamilton has devoted his full attention
to writing. Having lived many years in New York, Chicago,
and San Francisco, Mr. Hamilton now resides in Los Angeles]
Copyright © 2005, Woodbury
Reports, Inc. (This article may be reproduced without prior
approval if the copyright notice and proper publication and
author attribution accompanies the copy.)
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