Description
Half of a Whole explores the intimate bond between a twin brother and sister, the cruel consequences that occur when one of them becomes mentally ill, and the courage required to break away when love is not enough.
Just when Marilyn Peterson Haus thought she had escaped life as the child of born-again farmers on the Minnesota plains, her twin brother's manic violence catapults her back to the fissures of her childhood. Half of a Whole is the haunting chronicle of her twin's encroaching mental illness, her mother's blatant favoritism, and the stultifying strictures of her family's religious zealotry. Sentence by sentence, she battles to break free from a painful past and live life on her own terms.
"This is the unadorned, compelling story of the author's struggle to both protect and individuate from her bipolar twin brother, while enmeshed in the repressive, stifling culture of her evangelical family. An inspiring, courageous, and complex journey toward the freedom we all need to fulfill our own individual potential as human beings." -Joan Kavanaugh, Minister, Psychotherapist, Author of For the Living of These Days: Prayers for a Troubled World
About the Author
Marilyn Peterson Haus grew up on a Minnesota farm. Having retired from a business career, she enjoys gardening, cross country skiing, and listening to classical music. She lives with her husband in the beautiful Berkshire Hills in Massachusetts.
Reviews
"Illuminating . . . this sharply conceived book shines a light on the challenges of twinship and offers a deeply personal account of a family coping with mental illness. A richly detailed and affecting remembrance." -- Kirkus Reviews
Book Information
ISBN 9781642939347
Author Marilyn Peterson Haus
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Post Hill Press
Publisher Permuted Press
Weight(grams) 372g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 15mm
Just when Marilyn Peterson Haus thought she had escaped life as the child of born-again farmers on the Minnesota plains, her twin brother's manic violence catapults her back to the fissures of her childhood. Half of a Whole is the haunting chronicle of her twin's encroaching mental illness, her mother's blatant favoritism, and the stultifying strictures of her family's religious zealotry. Sentence by sentence, she battles to break free from a painful past and live life on her own terms.
"This is the unadorned, compelling story of the author's struggle to both protect and individuate from her bipolar twin brother, while enmeshed in the repressive, stifling culture of her evangelical family. An inspiring, courageous, and complex journey toward the freedom we all need to fulfill our own individual potential as human beings." -Joan Kavanaugh, Minister, Psychotherapist, Author of For the Living of These Days: Prayers for a Troubled World
About the Author
Marilyn Peterson Haus grew up on a Minnesota farm. Having retired from a business career, she enjoys gardening, cross country skiing, and listening to classical music. She lives with her husband in the beautiful Berkshire Hills in Massachusetts.
Reviews
"Illuminating . . . this sharply conceived book shines a light on the challenges of twinship and offers a deeply personal account of a family coping with mental illness. A richly detailed and affecting remembrance." -- Kirkus Reviews
Book Information
ISBN 9781642939347
Author Marilyn Peterson Haus
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Post Hill Press
Publisher Permuted Press
Weight(grams) 372g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 15mm
