Augusta, Gone: A True Story

Rating:
Summary: Moving & Emotional
Review: When I first picked up this book, I did not know if it would be about Martha Dudman or her daughter. I found a wonderful symbiosis of both of their experiences and how it affects the author, which would be the true meaning of a memoir. Martha Dudman tells her tale in true, flowing thought; and her use of metaphors and descriptive language is succinct. I could not put it down. I was crying, laughing and wanting to give my own two cents throughout the entire book. The author does not try to analyze or offer explanations, she simply tells her story as it happened. It is a riveting tale of woe and hardship; and the reader feels the pain and helplessness of the author. I loved it and I would definitely recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A book full of wisdom, beautifully shared
Review: When I saw the review of Augusta Gone in the New York Times, I knew I had to read it. I am so glad I did. So much of Dunham's story resonated with my own. Having been a sixties kid myself, and also having a teen-aged son who spiraled out of control until he, too, went to a wilderness program and a therapuetic boarding school, she and I have much in common. I found her story to be written with honesty, empathy, and the tremendous love and sorrow that come with raising a child with so many issues. Augusta certainly gets her strength and passion from her mother, but it is also what causes the heartbreak bewteen the two. What I loved about this book is that the author tells her own story, and does it without betraying her daughter or the other people in her family. So much of what we go through as parents is not what we expected, and even though we may be doing our best, there is the constant fear that we got it all wrong, and until you go through this kind of a journey, you can't understand how painful it is. Martha Tod Dunham is not only a good writer, but also a person with lots of love, insight and wisdom. I am so glad she wrote this book. I hope this is the first of many....

Rating:
Summary: Good Writing, Bad Parenting
Review: When Martha Tod Dudman was a teen-ager in the Sixties she took drugs, had sex, stole cars, and got kicked out of school. In the Nineties her 15-year-old daughter, Augusta, takes drugs, has sex, steals cars and runs away from school. Gee, go figure. This gracefully written book takes you on a self-centered trip through Martha's incompetent parenting. The only times you are not frustrated with this moronic mother is when she describes her escapist treks up and down the mountains of Maine. She has no control over Augusta but she does little to assert control either. Beyond the talented writing there is little to recommend this book.