This book is a seriously funny romp through menopause, night sweats, and a good deal of mental healing. The author never holds back when it comes to things like giving God the what for because he always seems to be pestering her with problems that keep her asking herself 'what now'? She also doesn't play around when it comes to dealing with those nasty little buggers we call hormones, or in her case, her lack of them. Forget the Shock Jock. Meet Shock Mom. By Chris Bertrand Jacqui Brown wants to break down barriers, bulldoze the walls of silence, relegating that game face of "I'm OK; You're OK" back to the closet. Brown, author of Recovery's a Bitch. as if Menopause Alone Wasn't Bad Enough! brings her raw, in your face and purposely unnerving style to your nearby Kindle, paperback and blog. By page three, she she has you asking yourself, "What the..?" Then, you find you're committed. Envision picking glass shards from your body after an explosion. You're horrified. You can't stop, but neither can you look away. It's also unclear if leaving the shards in or taking them out will cause more pain, or even death. So you keep reading. Yet, when all the bloody pieces are laid on the table, and the catharsis is done, you're the better for it. Her nonstop rant has accomplished its goal. Brown has shouted and sworn all those words and the previously whispered behind the door concepts of teenage addiction, rehab and relapse out loud for long enough, that the inability to speak of it disappears. A few years back, Brown, a stay at home mom was living a privileged So Cal life. Then the "devil" took up residence. Her teenage daughter became addicted to drugs. Gallows humor and a game face sufficed for a while, as she made offhanded remarks to friends in carpool and at Starbucks about the latest extrication of their daughter from a nearby drug house and near death experiences. When full blown menopause met the tornado of her daughter's addiction, the Jacqui Brown perfect storm hit. The gloves came off. The game face was shoved in the closet, but thankfully the humor stayed. From the wild highs, lows and hormonal fluctuations of menopause, and from being completely and utterly responsible for her daughter's every move, error, her ultimate happiness or unhappiness, even of her existence. Jacqui Brown's path to her own recovery involves an unfiltered, gut wrenching, guffaw-filled intimate look inside. The pain, the laughs, the sagging neckline and drooping breasts can be felt right through the pages written as though the reader were on the other end of a longwinded telephone conversation. The result is feeling like you've lived it, and can perhaps learn from her journey. Brown's passionate book performs "shock" therapy without a medical license, but in full control of the ultimate trump card, motherhood. The taboo topic of surviving a family member's addiction has just been thrust into everyday conversation, brought into the bright light. by a mom. REVIEW: "Last week I ordered both of your books I thought it might help to read something from a mother's point of view instead of a doctor, and I am so glad I did! Thank you! I spent 2 days reading non-stop! Right now I am at that point in my life where I am trying to make changes and if they aren't made I realize nothing will change. Your words gave me encouragement and strength! I cried, laughed, and did a lot of thinking. The way that you write is special. You really send a strong message with humor and caring from your heart! Your words have lead me to an understanding that its not my fault and no matter what I do I have to live and let him grow and live with whatever choices he makes. There are some other changes I am trying to do to with my marriage and my faith, reading your books has given me so many strong points to get started." Cherie
Brown's debut novel "Dancing With The Devil" set the ball rolling in 2009. It has been hailed as one of the most brutally honest books written about addiction and the collateral damage it causes'. 'Recovery's A Bitch' is the follow up powerhouse she wrote after nursing her daughter back to health after nearly a decade of addiction. She is a reporter, film maker, stand up comedian, and as she likes to say, a Goddess in her own mind.
