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Summary: A POWERFUL STORY AND A FAMILY'S STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE
Review: "Augusta Gone" is a powerfully moving account not only because it is true but it is also one of every family's worst fears. It is a story of a daughter's downward spiral into drugs, alcohol, truancy and dispair; the story of a daughter who virtually gives up on life because she feels life has given up on her. The book is emotionally charged, riveting and heart-wrenching."Augusta Gone" portrays the torment, fear and anxiety experienced by Augusta's mother; however, out of fairness to both mother and daughter, it would have been interesting to hear Augusta's side of the story, as well. In this book, we did not have the chance to hear from Augusta; we do not know how she felt or what might have lead to her problems, nor do we know her version of the account. As a mother, I can understand the emotional roller coaster Augusta's mother must have felt; however, as a counsellor, I found learned from similar cases that quite often a son or daughter has just reason for feeling the way they do, even though parents may not always understand the reason. Children, especially teens, do not always react in a positive, constructive or wise manner but to them, sometimes their solution to the problem often seems like the ONLY solution. Out of fairness to Augusta, it would be interesting to hear her own account - perhaps, one day, we will. It is still an interesting story to read even though it is told entirely from the author's perspective. Mothers and fathers who have experienced similar trials and tribulations will understand they are not alone. There are thousands of children, like Augusta, in our society who go missing each and every day. Unfortunately, Augusta's story is only one of many.
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Summary: Good Writing, Good Parenting
Review: As a mother of a teenager, I am amazed that anyone can judge another person's ability to parent! In the courageous tale of her journey into teenage hell, Martha bares her innermost soul. She shares with us a look into the heart of a mother who suspects she has somehow failed her daughter and will do anything to get her precious child back. But how does one do that? I defy anyone to answer this question in a definitive way. She makes no apologies for her behavior or the behavior of her daughter - it is what it is. And therein lies the exquisite beauty of this book. What parent of a teenager hasn't felt the dumbfounded fury at the secretive/suspicious/quarrelsome/flippant attitude of their 12 - 15 year old child? Martha manages to put into words that which defies description. All the feelings of frustration, anger, insecurity, self-blame, helplessness the average parent feels when trying to deal with this difficult time of life. This book was not meant to be an example of parenthood, but simply one woman's experience. In so doing, she manages to convey the spectrum of the experience, including and most importantly, hope. I truly loved this book. I loved it for its honesty, for its emotion, for its message that those of us who are experiencing a teenager's angst and confusion are not alone. I loved it for its tremendous courage. I'm not sure I would have had the guts to send my child away as Martha did. But I'm convinced that had she not, the ending would have been different. Martha Tod Dudman was not a bad parent. She was (and is) a human parent. Aren't we all?
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Summary: Such a Good Book!
Review: As a teacher in an inner city high school, I find this true to life writing revealing and insightful. It is rare that a parent is willing to share their experiences in such a profound and open way. Hats off to you Martha Dudman!
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Summary: Words ring true to life
Review: As I read these pages it was almost scary. I had had the same thoughts and spoken many of the same words that this author had written. Believe me there is no way someone could write with this insight umless they had been through it. I went throgh almost the same dialogues with my own daughter beginning when she hit about 13. We struggled to raise her, relieved when her 18th birthday finally arrived to somewhat free us. This book could truly minister to those in the battlefield now and help heal those who still remember their own nightmare.
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Summary: Took My Breath Away
Review: As the mother of a 17-year-old son going through a difficult adolescence, I've often felt isolated and alone. Along comes this beautiful book that literally took my breath away because the writer KNOWS what it's like. She put into words feelings and fears that I have been unable to articulate. The fear, the helplessness, the guilt, the hope. For any parent (especially mother) of a troubled teen, please take the time to read this book. You won't be sorry. As another reviewer here wrote, I want to take this book and make all my friends and family read it and say to them, "This is what it's like!"
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Summary: An extraordinary tale of ordinary despair¿and hope
Review: Augusta, Gone is must reading for anyone who has ever been or plans to be a parent. More mothers and fathers than will probably admit it have experienced the anxiety and despair that Martha Dudman describes in this harrowing account, as her teenage daughter Augusta-angry, rebellious, perhaps even suicidal-slips away from her day by day. Augusta curses her mother, fights her, screams, shouts, does drugs, smokes, drinks, runs away. The author is in despair, doesn't know where to turn. She alternates between fighting to regain her child's love and looking for a safe place where she will be cared for-and far away. Her pain is made all the deeper by her awareness-and her rebellious daughter's-that she has been there herself. Each step deeper into the morass of alienation and despair is painfully told, and it is hard to imagine how either Augusta or her mother will ever return to a sane, sharing relationship. This book has particular relevance today, as the news headlines are filled with stories of angry young people losing control. Augusta never takes up a gun, but she is not so different from the teenagers in Colorado, California and Pennsylvania whose anger has led them to terrible acts. The book is not an easy read; the journey through it is wrenching, even exhausting, but it is beautifully written, and we are left at the end with hope-and what more can a parent ask? Martha Dudman set aside a promising career in radio before she took up her pen to write this book. It was where she should have been all along. She is a gifted writer: her prose is exquisite, her imagery dead on, her use of language flawless.
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Summary: What a heatbreaker!
Review: Don't even start this book if your intention is to unwind! Augusta, Gone is the true story of one mother's nightmare journey with her severely disturbed teenager. Full of angst, you can actually feel Martha's pain and helplessness while still feeling for Augusta. This is a journey of saving a life, often times meeting road blocks and brick walls. For those who wonder why parents just don't wash their hands of rebellious teens, two chapters of this book alone will explain the strong parental bond
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Summary: What they didn't teach you at Antioch you can learn here!
Review: First, full disclosure. I went to Antioch at roughly the same time as Martha (right after Nixon invaded Cambodia and the resulting murders of protesting students at Kent State or, at least, that's how I remember it). So, in addition to the main event here, I was thrown back to my memories of arriving in a city I'd never been to on Friday, finding a place to crash (usually with other Antioch coop students) and going to work on Monday. A lifestyle made for Augusta! Now, as a parent of a sometimes ornery 15 year old, I wonder if my past, too, will intensify and become my present and/or future. But, thankfully, I was never as intense as Martha, so I continue to be optimistic. A "wonderful" book, that inspires, despite the lows this family went thru. My hat is off to you Martha for having the foresight to write this all down and to share it with us -- especially in the small community of Maine!
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Summary: What they didn't teach you at Antioch you can learn here!
Review: First, full disclosure. I went to Antioch at roughly the same time as Martha (right after Nixon invaded Cambodia and the resulting murders of protesting students at Kent State or, at least, that's how I remember it). So, in addition to the main event here, I was thrown back to my memories of arriving in a city I'd never been to on Friday, finding a place to crash (usually with other Antioch coop students) and going to work on Monday. A lifestyle made for Augusta! Now, as a parent of a sometimes ornery 15 year old, I wonder if my past, too, will intensify and become my present and/or future. But, thankfully, I was never as intense as Martha, so I continue to be optimistic. A "wonderful" book, that inspires, despite the lows this family went thru. My hat is off to you Martha for having the foresight to write this all down and to share it with us -- especially in the small community of Maine!
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Summary: No one can rip your heart out like your own child
Review: Harrowing, esaperating, maddening, heartwrenching....Martha Tod Dudman's story of life with her teenage daughter Augusta, is amazing in its honesty. I don't know that I would open my life for others to read. This book, no matter how you view it, is a remarkable accounting of life with a teenage daughter seemingly bent on destruction. It spares no details, no matter how dark or unflattering. When a child turns to behaviors that frighten family, there is anger, guilt, fear..and it touches the whole family and leaves them all bruised. Dudman looks into her own feelings of guilt and responsibility,her relationship with her son, her struggle to continue with regular life, even when everything is falling apart. This is as much a study of family life today, divorce, anger, disillusionment, changes in lifestyles. It also poses the question,"Why are the behaviors we (parents) may have indulged in seem so much more threatening today? It looks at the new industry of wilderness camps and reprogramming rebellious and uncontrollable teens(and raises valid points about their methods and qualifications). In the end, this is one family's story of survival. I admire this author and her daughter for being so honest. This is a book that any parent of a child who is seemingly uncontrollable and unreachable should read. It doesn't give the answers, but you realise that you are not alone.
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