Healing in Someone Else's Words

Every once in a while you'll come across a book that speaks to your core. As an avid reader, I have countless favorites that I'll read again and again like comfort food. And then there are those books that you only need to read once to have a profound impact. Over the past two years my family has been struggling with my oldest son's descent into severe manic episodes. His mental health diagnoses have varied over the years, none of which offer comfort during violent rages. Yet, a few days ago I stumbled across a book that offered more healing than any parenting book, psychological study, or any how to cope with x, y, or z mental illness pop psychology best seller. Nope. I found the book my soul needed in the true crime section of the local used-book store, I discovered a book that offered more empathy, connection, and insight than any other book I'd read so far in regards to my son's struggle. "Sins of the Son" is a true story of a father whose son's drug addiction lead to a life of crime and eventually murder. Although I still cling to a naive hope that my son's life will follow a different trajectory, the authentic feelings of hopelessness, resentment, and fear found within the pages of Carlton Stower's "Sins of the Son" did something no one else has been able to do for me for a long time. The words within his book made me feel as though I no longer alone. His words reassured me that sometimes good parents can have troubled kids. That sometimes best intentions still lead us all to hell. As an author, I cannot imagine my words offering that same solace to someone else - but if they could...I would feel it was all worth it.