The Boy Between is a title that leaves you wondering what will happen between the pages. I think that's what got me wanting to read this book. Being the mom of two "boys" I was curious to see what this author had to say about all that time "Between"!
As it turns out this book had me right from the start. One of my favorite "women's lit" authors co-wrote this with her son. Amanda Prowse is better known for her lovely stories of women who find their strength through the ways they are tested. She has written many (over 25) books and is probably one of the most prolific writers in the UK. But I must say, she is loved around the world for her great stories.
The Boy Between, is not FICTION, it is real and downright heartbreaking and thought provoking. Josiah (Josh) Hartley and Amanda Prowse are mom and son, co-authors of this book. Chapter by chapter you read about what is happening in Josh's life from the perspective of Mom (and dad) and then from Josh's perspective.
THIS IS NOT AN EASY STORY TO READ! But it is one that I wish every parent or caregiver SHOULD and Would READ!
If you have ever had someone in the family or close friend suffer from Depression, this book is an eye opener for you! We all think we know what depression is and unless you have suffered from this debilitating mental state, you cannot begin to know! Josh writes honestly and very openly about his life and how this mental condition makes life not just difficult, but almost impossible to deal with.
Through many trials and tribulations during his life, his parents are forever hopeful that the fog of depression will lift and give Josh some peace and solace to face another day. They are his support network even when they didn't realize that that was what Josh needed. What Josh was living through, they were living through it as well. This story has two very different sides to it and seeing both of them helps us to understand better! It is the life of Josh and the life of his parents as well. They are not two separate and distinct lives, they are forever intertwined and wrapped around each other.
If there is one thing that everyone should take away from reading this book, it's the notion that DEPRESSION is the elephant in many people's lives and that ignoring it will not make it disappear. It needs to be talked about and understood in each and every circumstance. The biggest problem being that every circumstance will be different and one solution will not necessarily fit all!
The world today is a very hard place for our young people to grow up in. They are bombarded with ideals of perfection from social media and opinions from the world at large. The pressure for these young minds to deal with is sometimes more than they can bear. That is when their spirit and/or their minds can become broken. Awareness must be the key!
As parents and caregivers, we need to understand that each child is
different with many varied strengths and weaknesses. That it is
alright for them not to follow the majority and that forging their own path
in life is not a sign that they are "less", rather they are different.
If there was ever a time when we should be celebrating everyone's
individuality it is NOW! Before there are more statistics of young
people not being able to cope with today's world and it's expectations of
our young people.
This book in my opinion is one that should be read by everyone and right now it is available for free with a KindleUnlimited membership or with an Audible trial.
Put this book on your MUST READ list, you won't be sorry!
