As the “Seeing Eye Girl” for her blind, artistic, and mentally ill mother, Beverly Armento was intimately connected with and responsible for her, even though her mother physically and emotionally abused her. She was Strong Beverly at school—excellent in academics and mentored by caring teachers—but at home she was Weak Beverly, cowed by her mother’s rage and delusions.
Beverly’s mother regained her sight with two corneal transplants in 1950 and went on to enjoy a moment of fame as an artist, but these positive turns did nothing to stop her disintegration into her delusional world of communists, radiation, and lurking Italians. To survive, Beverly had to be resilient and hopeful that better days could be ahead. But first, she had to confront essential ethical issues about her caregiving role in her family.
In this emotional memoir, Beverly shares the coping strategies she invented to get herself through the trials of her young life, and the ways in which school and church served as refuges over the course of her journey. Breaking the psychological chains that bound her to her mother would prove to be the most difficult challenge of her life—and, ultimately, the most liberating one.
- 289 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
Information
Subtopic
Social Science BiographiesIndex
Social SciencesTable of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Chapter 1: Chinchillas and Communists
- Chapter 2: My Bedroom
- Chapter 3: Miami
- Chapter 4: The Seeing Eye Girl
- Chapter 5: Just Momma and Me
- Chapter 6: Angels Watching Over Me
- Chapter 7: Momma Can See
- Chapter 8: The Pink Skirt
- Chapter 9: The Spelling Bee
- Chapter 10: Momma is Famous
- Chapter 11: In Pursuit of the Dream
- Chapter 12: Lodi’s Not Stamford
- Chapter 13: Hollywood: Here We Come
- Chapter 14: This is Your Life
- Chapter 15: What’s in a Name?
- Chapter 16: Guinea Hill and Polack Valley
- Chapter 17: The Wonder of it All
- Chapter 18: Men, Men, Men
- Chapter 19: The Cream Puff
- Chapter 20: National Honor Society
- Chapter 21: Paterson State College
- Chapter 22: Falling in Love
- Chapter 23: To Whom it May Concern
- Chapter 24: A New Challenge
- Chapter 25: Graduation and Good-Bye
- Chapter 26: The Car
- Chapter 27: Catch and Release
- Chapter 28: One Day in November
- Chapter 29: Wrestling With God
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Backmatter
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Yes, you can access Seeing Eye Girl by Beverly J. Armento in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Social Science Biographies. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.