Augusta, Gone : A True Story

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Summary: Notes from the garbage disposal
Review: I am a Mother of a teenage girl in a Therpeutic Boarding School. I got this book yesterday and read it in one sitting. Martha Tod Dunham toook all the pain I felt, all the feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, the feelings of being a failure as a parent, the fear I felt for my daughter, plucked them out of the chaos and put them all into coherent sentences. I want to go and demand that family and friends read it so they will understand. I want to shout to everyone I know, "This!!, This is what it's like." She does an incredible job of describing what life is like when your child has lost her way and you as a parent are at a loss as to how to help her find her way home. From a parent who has had her hand in the garbage disposal.... "This!!, This is what it's like."

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Summary: ALL PARENTS OF TEENAGE GIRLS SHOULD READ THIS!
Review: I bought this book on a whim and since that time, I've read several reviews about it. I'm glad I picked it up & read it. It's a fairly simple read - the author sometimes writes in incomplete sentences and discusses only the main points of her journey with her daughter. She never goes on & on about one subject or event. She describes her feelings perfectly and as a mother of a teenage daughter myself, I could relate to many of her fears & dreams. I didn't like how the book wrapped up. Of course, I don't want to give anything away, but I felt like there was more to say & I didn't think it explained how she resolved (or didn't resolve) her situation. Of course, there is an Epilogue which is meant to bring the reader up to date since the author's writing, but maybe Ms. Dudman should have waitied a year or two to tell her story so that readers would have a more complete story. I feel she left the readers hanging - unless she is planning a sequel (I don't think there would be enough material, however). I would recommend parents (especially mothers) of teenagers (girls & boys) read this book. I'm sure everyone can find a piece of their lives somewhere within these pages! I also, recommend sharing it with your child.

Rating:
Summary: Gutwrenching - Couldn't put it down!
Review: I can't thank Martha Dodman enough for telling her story in such an honest, open, and emotional way. As a mother of a 15-year old daughter, this book helped me more than all of the self help books on raising a teenage daughter combined. The other books tell you what to do up to a point, but what if it's past that point? I have been through what this mother went through and felt. I gave it to my daughter, who read it as fast as I did, and wrote me this note: "Mom, I just finished "Augusta, Gone" and I cried and cried. It was so good! It was very powerful. I can totally relate to Augusta and at the same time have gained much more knowledge and understanding about what YOU went through. I can see now what is happening from a mother's point of view. I'm so sorry for all I've put you through. It would be cool if Augusta would write a book and tell us how she's doing now."

Rating:
Summary: Gutwrenching - Couldn't put it down!
Review: I can't thank Martha Dodman enough for telling her story in such an honest, open, and emotional way. As a mother of a 15-year old daughter, this book helped me more than all of the self help books on raising a teenage daughter combined. The other books tell you what to do up to a point, but what if it's past that point? I have been through what this mother went through and felt. I gave it to my daughter, who read it as fast as I did, and wrote me this note: "Mom, I just finished "Augusta, Gone" and I cried and cried. It was so good! It was very powerful. I can totally relate to Augusta and at the same time have gained much more knowledge and understanding about what YOU went through. I can see now what is happening from a mother's point of view. I'm so sorry for all I've put you through. It would be cool if Augusta would write a book and tell us how she's doing now."

Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Review: I could not put this book down. To feel the way this mother was feeling, to hear about her trying times with her daughter. Teens go through so many changes and stages in there life. This wonderfully written book tells of a teens journey through her mothers eyes. I only hope that Augusta is doing fine today. My 15 year old is reading it now and I can't wait to hear her review.

Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Review: I could not put this book down. To feel the way this mother was feeling, to hear about her trying times with her daughter. Teens go through so many changes and stages in there life. This wonderfully written book tells of a teens journey through her mothers eyes. I only hope that Augusta is doing fine today. My 15 year old is reading it now and I can't wait to hear her review.

Rating:
Summary: Augusta, Gone
Review: I don't usually read memoirs, but I recently decided to take in a few written by the locals, specifically Stephen King's On Writing, as well as Martha Dudman's Augusta, Gone. I can only conclude that there is something about the air up here in Maine that promotes excellent writing. I expected something special from Mr. King and he delivered. (Thank you Mr. King. You're terrific!) However, I have to tell you, Dudman's book takes the crown. Augusta, Gone is a riveting book about the stamina of true love. In the book, Dudman is physically and spiritually revived by her daily walks, but she runs an endless marathon to save her daughter. As the Publisher's Weekly review attests, Dudman's book will be "welcomed by, parents unnerved by the current media focus on risky teen behavior." Read it with interest if this compelling and all too timely topic interests you. However, if you simply love good writing, run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore (or computer terminal) and order this book! For those who like to read to escape, this is not a depressing book. It is a sit on the edge of your seat thriller. Moreover, Dudman uses compelling imagery throughout that had me thinking I was sitting in her skin. I kept waiting for the point when I would lose my wind, when I would begin to say "Yeah, yeah, yeah." but it never happened. How did she keep the pacing of the book so brisk and yet sustainable? Was it all that practice walking? She is brilliant, but she is touchable, embracable. She is one of us. I will watch the trajectory of this book with interest. Oprah, please tune in. It is time for a memoir.

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Summary: Poor Me!
Review: I heard the author on NPR and thought that she had something worthwhile to say. Her story is worth hearing but her feelings of responsibility, or lack of feelings of responsibility, are hard to believe. It is acceptable for parents to blame anyone but themselves and parents who hold this philosophy will relate to this book. It would be interesting if the daughter now wrote this story from her point of view.

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Summary: Heart wrenching yet uplifting
Review: I loved this book. It is so well written that your eyes fly across the page, and it is difficult to put down until you have finished it. Most mothers can identify with the feelings the author verbalizes, even if our situations with our own children have not been this dramatic. This is a moving, heart-wrenching memoir of a woman desperately trying to get her beloved child through the rebellions of the teenage years. I admire her persistence and dedication to a child who obviously broke her heart again and again. Thank God things have worked out for them. Buy this book - you'll love it!

Rating:
Summary: well written - but.....
Review: I must give Martha Tod Dudman a good review for her writing style.. but what aggravated me through 97% of the book was martha's own pretenciousness and desire for herself. Martha's life played out exactly how she wanted it and thank Her god that all this happened so we could all share in the drama of her life. No wonder her daughter hated her at times. All her daughter ever wanted was her mother to be real. period. I got the impression that she was secretly glad that her daughter had such a messed up miserable life that it allowed her to gain her 15 minutes of fame through writing this book. Many times throughout the book I felt it would have been best if Martha would have just put a gigantic capital I on each page followed by ME. Maybe if you're in a similar situation you find solace in this book - but i doubt Martha Tod Dudman is serving anyone else's needs but her own.