When her 16-year-old daughter confesses to thoughts of suicide and addiction, Ann believes she has failed as a mother. In her desperate attempts to recuse her child from depression, she turns to the wisdom of an ancient mother-daughter story, the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone. The author learns the importance of protecting her daughter, the need for compromise, the challenge of letting go, and the secret of returning to herself. A story both gut-wrenching and inspiring, this fast-paced memoir examines the complex beauty of mother-daughter relationships and the universal desire for renewal.
“I thought if I could blame myself for my daughter’s problems, I’d also be powerful enough to fix them,” Batchelder says. “What I discovered is that we are all on the spectrum of addiction, in that we are attached to certain outcomes. We crave a happy ending for our children and ourselves. But life doesn’t always work out that way. Sharing stories helps us recover from the need to be perfect and fosters compassion for ourselves and others.”
"'Craving Spring' is a hard-won journey toward radical acceptance…in its simplicity it is incredibly moving,” —NICK FLYNN, award-winning author of 'Another Bullshit Night in Suck City'
“A masterful storyteller, Ann Batchelder takes us deep into the heart of a mother’s love while demonstrating the power of myth to illuminate a path toward healing. This book is a gift to anyone trying to navigate the complexities of the mother–daughter relationship.” —ANITA JOHNSTON, Ph.D., psychologist, and author of 'Eating in the Light of the Moon'
ANN BATCHELDER was editor of FIBERARTS Magazine for ten years and guest curator at the Asheville Art Museum. She has written for Insider Magazine, Hippocampus, and her article about Barbie was recently published in NEWSWEEK. The mother of two adult children, she lives with her husband in Asheville, NC. Learn more about Ann and 'Craving Spring' at www.annbatchelder.com
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