Broken Open

A Mother's Journey to Survive Her Children's Addiction and Mental Illness

Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
210 Pages
Reviewed on 12/28/2020
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Broken Open: A Mother's Journey to Survive Her Children's Addiction and Mental Illness by Maureen Towns is the heartrending story of the author who shares her journey and lessons she learned taking care of three of her four children that had mental health issues or addictions. This book is for all those who are desperately walking on eggshells through chaos when what they need is calm, those who feel they are losing themselves while supporting those they love, those who want to get back to their earlier phase of being energetic and happy, and those who think they are helping and not hurting. The book will help all those readers by offering them hope that things can be different and help them restore calm in their lives despite challenges and adversities.

Maureen Towns is honest when it comes to sharing her story and Broken Open is a good guide to all those parents who are facing challenges when it comes to dealing with mental health issues of their children; to empower their children without getting lost themselves in the process. Her kids, Sam, Ben, Sydney, and Ally, have contributed to the book by sharing their stories with readers. The lesson the author has learned along the way is her transition from being a fearful, frantic, and controlling mother to someone who is empowering, calm, and trusting. It is a story of hope, courage, and strength, and will go a long way to helping parents deal with kids who have mental illnesses and addictions.