What makes a person a happy, well-adjusted person? Shouldn't a child raised in a loving home become a bright, positive teenager? Yes, there will be some teen angst and pushing of boundaries. But why would troublesome turn to anger and destruction?
Augusta, Gone: A True Story is Martha Tod Dudman's examination of this very issue. Martha is a single parent who believes she has tried her best to give her two children opportunities and encouragement. But her daughter Augusta changes from a lovely young girl to a hostile and sometimes violent and self-destructive teenager. "It's like sticking my hand into the garbage disposal," is how she describes the pain of facing what her daughter has become. Confused, hurt and feeling helpless, Martha wonders to herself over and over how much of it is her fault? What else could she have done? How could she have been a better mother? Although it is a difficult journey, she believes "You don't get to give up on your kids". And that is the hope of the book.
If you like Augusta, Gone, you may be interested in Martha's follow up Expecting to Fly: A Sixties Reckoning which focuses on her own journey from hippie, free-spirited youth to motherhood.
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