The Family Secret An Anthology Author:Jay David (Editor) "Don't trust, don't talk, don't feel" has long been the credo of children of alcoholics. Now The Family Secret brings together the stories of adult children of alcoholics, as they write about their childhood experiences. Divided into four sections, the book reveals important truths about alcoholism and its effect on families. Part One, "Keeping ... more »the Family Secret," provides shattering examples of how families hide the disease from others. Part Two, "Living in Fear," illustrates how alcoholism and domestic abuse often go hand in hand. Part Three, "Early Exit," is about the untimely deaths brought about by alcoholism and their often tragic consequences. Part Four, "It Runs in the Family," shows how the children of alcoholics are at a much greater risk of becoming alcoholics themselves. Yet these are also stories of courage and survival.
Table of Contents
Foreword 5
Introduction 13
Pt. 1 Keeping the Family Secret
The New York Times 21
Breaking the Silence 29
Keeping Secrets 51
Parenting 79
Pt. 2 Living in Fear
Dear Dad: Letters from an Adult 89
My Mother's Keeper 113
Dancing with Daddy 133
Pt. 3 Early Exit
Growing Up 149
The Courage to Change 157
Pt. 4 It Runs in the Family
Little Girl Lost 171
The Seattle Times 201
from Going My Own Way 229
From Booklist
A steadily growing number of children of alcoholics have been coming out of the closet recently, and plenty of them have written books about their experiences. This anthology collects excerpts from the autobiographical writings of 12 children of alcoholics, most of whom are either famous themselves or have famous parents. Many readers will be familiar with the books from which these selections come (Russell Baker's Growing Up and Joyce Maynard's Parenting are the most notable), but for those new to the subject, this volume offers a useful sampler. Not surprisingly, the most moving of the selections are those by professional writers Baker and Maynard, who treat their parents' alcoholism as one aspect of a complex family situation. The other authors--including Suzanne Sommers, Gary Crosby, and Drew Barrymore--tend merely to recite the numerous horrors visited on them as a result of Mom's or Dad's drinking. Still, as polemics designed to inspire other children of alcoholics to talk about their own secrets, these star testimonials are undeniably effective. --Ilene Cooper« less