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Summary: BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN; EMOTIONALLY CHARGED!
Review: For anyone who has ever had a child they believe to be out of control, this is a must read book. As a counsellor, it is a known fact there are not many parents who would abandon conventionial methods of therapy for the non-traditional. Deborah Digges did just that when she sought help from a non-traditional therapist for her thirteen year old son, Stephen, who was alrady toting guns, stealing, and doing drugs. In the words of her therapist, "Join him in his anger at life. Don't educate him in what he should have done. Let him figure it out." The world could certainly use more therapists with this type of modern-day philosophy - it would open endless possibilities, particularly in dealing with teen-related issues.What follows is a bizzare lifestyle reminiscent of the Bohemian trend of the 60's - virtually anything goes! With the aloof attitude, "you sleep where you drop," munching on fast food and pizzas as the fair-of-the-day, and opening her home to gang members who would give most mothers an acute panic attack, the book is full of surprises. Ultimately, they are surprises that work. It is a modern day version, of "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" philosophy. The most enjoyable element of this off-beat, true-to-life tale is the author's light-hearted, witty writing style. Faced with overhwhelming adversity from teachers and law enforcement officers, her incredible determination will win the hearts of any parent who happens to think no other parent on Earth could possibly be going through "this insane pile of sh..!" Hats off to Deborah Diggs. She is a woman with a purpose and a mission, clearly treading where few mothers dare to go. The book teaches a powerful message in a rather unorthodox manner.
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Summary: Raining Cats and Dogs
Review: The Stardust Lounge has been widely reviewed-- USA Today, The New York Times Review of Books, Esquire, The Washington Post Book World, and others. As an avid reader of reviews I am amazed that none focused much on the animal-human relationships that bind this book together! Without Buster and GQ, the bulldogs, Rufus the basset hound, Sybil to cat, and all the kittens, I can't imagine that SDL could have the depths and layers it does in relationship to its dangerous story of male adolescence in American culture. I think that most reviewers don't know how to write sensitively and effectively regarding the integrity and wholeness of animal presences. This aspect of the book was to me the most mysterious and moving. I loved this book for all of its strangeness,it's breaking rules so rigidly assigned to the notion of "family." What IS a family? Digges, her sons,Trevor, an all the cats and dogs impress me as one of the greatest families I've ever read about. I only wish I could live in this book a while, step in and join them on their way.
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Summary: Highly recommended story about raising an unconventional son
Review: This book offers so much wisdom from a mother who learned the hard way how to raise an artistic son through a difficult adolescence. It's a very personal story that the author was brave enough to share. I suffered with her as I read her struggles, but in the end cheered both her and her son for their courage and intelligence. I loved that she included essays her son wrote for school and his photography as well. This is an important book for parents to read. Animal lovers may appreciate the book also because animals are central to the healing of this family. I wish all the best to the author, her son, and her foster son.
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Summary: A Life Saver
Review: This book saved my life. I have a very troubled teen and I have been at my wit's end trying to reach him. THE STARDUST LOUNGE is a book that has allowed me to laugh and cry, to back off from my son, and evaluate our situation anew. I am hoping that he will read it too! Thanks to Deborah and Stephen Digges for sharing their story.
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Summary: Raising the uncontrollable adolescence
Review: This book was a bit slow for me to begin with. But after Deborah took Stephen to the unconventional therapist, things picked up. I thought, this guy can't be real. But when you read what he tells Deborah to "join his anger", you see that it all makes sense. Her book is full of wonderful prose. And the way the animals help them all heal. Towards the end, as Stephen is making progress, he begins to teach her things also. This in a wonderful book for parents, therapists, teachers, principals, and any one who has judgement on those teens who don't look or act like we think they should. Maybe, as Deborah says, it's time for the school systems to look at how they deal with these children. Stephen tells a little of his story too. The essay he wrote for a class is wonderful. Good luck to a family who made it despite the establishment and all their rules and regulations.
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Summary: It Takes Courage To Raise A Child
Review: What do you do if you're a single parent and your younger son comes home with a gun ? That's a terse version of author Deborah Digges' situation ten years ago, and what she did comprises the story so affectingly told in this book. This is by no means a "how - to" book; it tells of one mother's experience and the love of a mother for her son, no matter that he was a really, really bad boy. And it is beautifully told, at times poignant and at others humorous. The apparently positive effects of pets on Stephen's development are convincing and may well be "generalizable" to other difficult childhood situations. "The Stardust Lounge" inspired me and everyone I know who read it.
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