Depression and mental health issues touch so many families to varying degrees. Today, I have an emotional memoir written by a mother and son,
Amanda Prowse and Josiah Hartley, that shares one family's experiences in facing the days and effects of the son's mental health journey. What did I think of The Boy Between: A Mother and Son's Journey from a World Gone Grey? Read my review, learn about the authors & enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.
Book Title: The Boy Between - A Mother and Son's Journey from a World Gone Grey by Amanda Prowse and Josiah Hartley
Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18+), 286 pages
Genre: Author Memoir, Family
Publisher: Little A
Release date: November 2020
Content Rating:
R: 1. Infrequent use of F word in context (estimated 10 times in book),
2. Mildly questions religious faith during a testing time, 3.
References to thoughts about suicide (not graphic)
"A candid, moving and inspirational book, I am blown away.”
Jonny Benjamin MBE, award-winning mental health campaigner and author
of The Stranger on the Bridge
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About the Book
Josiah was nineteen with the world at his feet when things changed. Without warning, the new university student’s mental health deteriorated to the point that he planned his own death. His mother, bestselling author Amanda Prowse, found herself grappling for ways to help him, with no clear sense of where that could be found. This is the book they wish had been there for them during those dark times. Josiah’s situation is not unusual: the statistics on student mental health are terrifying. And he was not the only one suffering; his family was also hijacked by his illness, watching him struggle and fearing the day he might succeed in taking his life. In this book, Josiah and Amanda hope to give a voice to those who suffer, and to show them that help can be found. It is Josiah’s raw, at times bleak, sometimes humorous, but always honest account of what it is like to live with depression. It is Amanda’s heart-rending account of her pain at watching him suffer, speaking from the heart about a mother’s love for her child. For anyone with depression and anyone who loves someone with depression, Amanda and Josiah have a clear message—you are not alone, and there is hope.
My Review
The Boy Between is an Emotional, Real Memoir. Reading this book is like reading two memoirs in one. Josiah (Josh) tells his family's story through his own perspectives and emotional points of view while mom Amanda does the same. Neither one sugar coats nor spares sharing the realities of their individual experiences--instead, each one shares an authentic, emotional, personal account of events faced by their family as they struggled beneath the weight of Josh's mental health challenges.
The Book is a Memoir--Yet More. I think it is important to note that the "characters" in this book are real people, facing a real dilemma without a script or a plot outline. Memoirs are often meandering and repetitive. This book shares the family's realities of life with depression--and readers may not like nor agree with the characters' actions or emotional responses. While Amanda's story and Josh's story are their stories, the methods and measures are not exactly a guidebook for self-help. The authors open the doors to both sides of a complicated situation that families facing similar struggles may learn from and find points that resonate within the pages.
Would I Recommend The Boy Between? I always find memoirs interesting. I love life stories--especially when the authors share impactful, honest stories--and not just the glossy highlights of picture-perfect memories. Each author presents individual writing styles that reflect their personalities and separate the memoir between them. This book shares the emotional journey from both sides of the story in a way that reading only the individual stories cannot. I would recommend the book to those facing mental health challenges--either personally or with a loved one. It isn't going to offer resources and self-help guidance--and you may not "love" the "characters" and their responses--but you will develop an understanding of depression through very real memories and stories.
Buy the Book
Meet the Authors
Amanda Prowse is an award winning international bestselling author best known for her contemporary fiction novels. A radio broadcaster and TV presenter renowned for her empathetic and emotional books, she is known in the UK as the 'Queen of family drama'. Her books have sold over 8 million copies in dozens of languages around the world.
connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
Josiah
(Josh) Hartley is the son of Amanda Prowse who has co-authored with his mother to tell the story of his journey through life so far. Born in the England, Josh was fortunate enough to attend one of the country's elite public schools from an early age and was awarded a place at one of the UK's top Universities where he planned to work towards a medical doctorate. But just at the moment when he should have been having the time of his life, he started feeling nagging tugs of self-doubt which spiraled into a depression during which time he planned his suicide. Luckily, his family intervened and after a roller coaster couple of years, he is alive and well and sharing his story to help other families who find themselves in the same position navigate their way through those difficult times.
Enter the Giveaway
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