Bright eyes: surviving our monsters and learning to live without them - a memoir - bridey thelen-heidel

Fans of Jennette McCurdys Im Glad My Mom Died will root for Bridey Thelen-Heidel as she struggles to unshackle herself from her mothers chaos in this triumphant debut memoir.

Bridey is tethered to her moms addiction to dangerous men who park their Harley-Davidsons in the house and kick holes in all their doors.

Raised to be her mothers keeper, rescuer, and punching bag, Bridey gets used to stuffing her life into black trash bags, hauling them between Alaska and California, and changing schools every time her mom moves in a new monster--or runs away from one.

Desperately seeking the normal life shes observed in sitcoms and her friends families, Bridey earns her way into a fancy, private college, where she tries to forget who she is--until her mom calls with a threat that drops Bridey to her knees.

Watching doctors and police interrogate her mother at the hospital, Bridey realizes her mom has become a monster herself .

and she doesnt want to be saved.

But Bridey does.

Bright Eyes is about the indomitable spirit of a young girl forced to be brave, required to be resilient, and conditioned to be optimistic, and how she ultimately uses the same traits that helped her to survive her mothers chaos to create her own happily-ever-after.