ǂThe ǂburning light of two stars : ǂa ǂmother-daughter story

"Caregiving an elderly parent, especially against the backdrop of a difficult shared past, can be a bruising spiritual ordeal. We who must travel this territory don't need any more sentimental narratives about it. What we do need is the healing medicine of truth-telling, and Laura Davis brilliantly and generously gives it to us. I literally could not put this book down." —Katy Butler, bestselling author of __Knocking on Heaven's Door__ and __The Art of Dying Well__ **This riveting memoir by Laura Davis, the author of __The Courage to Heal__, examines the endurance of mother-daughter love, how memory protects and betrays us, and the determination it takes to fulfill a promise when ghosts from the past come knocking.**When she published __The Courage to Heal__ in 1988, Laura Davis helped more than a million women work through the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. But her decision to go public with her grandfather's incest deepened an already painful estrangement with her mother, Temme. Over the next twenty years, from a safe distance of three thousand miles, Laura and Temme reconciled their volatile relationship and believed that their difficult past was behind them. But when Temme moves across the country to entrust her daughter with the rest of her life, she brings a faltering mind, a fierce need for independence, and the seeds of a second war between them. As the stresses of caregiving rekindle Laura's rage over past betrayals, they threaten her intention to finally love her mother "without reservation." Will she learn what it means to be truly openhearted before it's too late? This Gripping, Honest Memoir From Bestselling Author Laura Davis Examines The Endurance Of Mother-daughter Love, The Way Memory Protects And Betrays Us, And The Courage It Takes To Fulfill A Promise When Ghosts From The Past Come Knocking. When Laura Davis Published The Courage To Heal In 1988, She Knew Sharing Her Story About Surviving Childhood Sexual Abuse Would Deepen A Painful Rift With Her Own Mother. Over The Next Twenty Years, From The Safe Distance Of 3,000 Miles, Laura And Her Mother Reconciled Their Volatile Relationship. But When Her Mother Moves Across The Country To Entrust Laura With The Rest Of Her Life, She Brings A Faltering Mind, A Fierce Need For Independence, And The Seeds Of A Second Battle For Power Between Them. As The Stresses Of Caregiving Reawaken Laura's Rage Over Past Betrayals, Her Intention To Finally Love My Mother Without Reservation Is Threatened, And She Must Learn What It Means To Be Truly Openhearted Before It's Too Late. Part Love Story, Part Psychological Mystery, At Its Core Wholehearted Is An Intimate And Unforgettable Story Of Reconciliation At The Deepest Level. When Ellen Bass And Laura Davis Published The Courage To Heal, It Emboldened A Generation Of Survivors Of Sexual Abuse And Incest, Likely Contributing To The Courageous Voices For Many Who Are Part Of Today's Metoo And Timesup Movements. In Wholehearted, Davis Allows Us To Know The Person Behind Those Pages, And The Story Behind That Story. Nuanced, Raw, And Candid, This Memoir Does Not Designate White Hat/black Hat Characters. Instead, It Provides A Topographical Map Through The Complex Landscape Of The Mother/daughter Relationship At The Heart Of The Story, With Characters Both Noble And Deeply Flawed On Both Sides Of The Equation. This Masterful Heart-filling Book Is Deeply Moving And Wise. I'm So Grateful To Have Read It.--betsy Graziani Fasbinder, Author Of Filling Her Shoes "Caregiving an elderly parent, especially against the backdrop of a difficult shared past, can be a bruising spiritual ordeal. We who must travel this territory don't need any more sentimental narratives about it. What we do need is the healing medicine of truth-telling, and Laura Davis brilliantly and generously gives it to us. I literally could not put this book down." —Katy Butler, bestselling author of Knocking on Heaven's Door and The Art of Dying Well This riveting memoir by Laura Davis, the author of The Courage to Heal , examines the endurance of mother-daughter love, how memory protects and betrays us, and the determination it takes to fulfill a promise when ghosts from the past come knocking. When she published The Courage to Heal in 1988, Laura Davis helped more than a million women work through the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. But her decision to go public with her grandfather's incest deepened an already painful estrangement with her mother, Temme. Over the next twenty years, from a safe distance of three thousand miles, Laura and Temme reconciled their volatile relationship and believed that their difficult past was behind them. But when Temme moves across the country to entrust her daughter with the rest of her life, she brings a faltering mind, a fierce need for independence, and the seeds of a second war between them. As the stresses of caregiving rekindle Laura's rage over past betrayals, they threaten her intention to finally love her mother "without reservation." Will she learn what it means to be truly openhearted before it's too late? This riveting memoir by Laura Davis, coauthor of "The Courage to Heal," examines the endurance of mother-daughter love, how memory protects and betrays us, and the determination it takes to fulfill a promise when ghosts from the past come knocking. When she published "The Courage to Heal" in 1988, Laura Davis helped more than a million women work through the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. But her decision to go public with her grandfathers incest deepened an already painful estrangement with her mother, Temme. Over the next twenty years, from a safe distance of three thousand miles, Laura and Temme reconciled their volatile relationship and believed that their difficult past was behind them. But when Temme moves across the country to entrust her daughter with the rest of her life, she brings a faltering mind, a fierce need for independence, and the seeds of a second war between them. As the stresses of caregiving rekindle Lauras rage over past betrayals, they threaten her intention to finally love her mother without reservation. Will she learn what it means to be truly openhearted before its too late? "When she published The Courage to Heal in 1988, Laura Davis helped more than a million women work through the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. But her decision to go public with her grandfather's incest deepened an already painful estrangement with her mother, Temme. Over the next twenty years, from a safe distance of three thousand miles, Laura and Temme reconciled their volatile relationship and believed that their difficult past was behind them. But when Temme moves across the country to entrust her daughter with the rest of her life, she brings a faltering mind, a fierce need for independence, and the seeds of a second war between them. As the stresses of caregiving rekindle Laura's rage over past betrayals, they threaten her intention to finally love her mother 'without reservation.' Will she learn what it means to be truly openhearted before it's too late?" - Back cover