Loving Lindsey

“Atwell’s evocative descriptions provide added depth to the characters, particularly Lindsey, whose voice emanates from the pages. A brutally honest, affecting memoir of family resilience.”
Kirkus Reviews

“Linda Atwell is a beacon of light in her book about the richness of raising a daughter with special needs. Lindsey stories are woven into the midst of Atwell’s own very full life, and she truly tells it like it is. She shares her experiences through the lenses of love, humor, and the human condition.”
—Diana Dolan Mattick, Special Education Teacher and Learning Specialist

Linda Atwell and her strong-willed daughter, Lindsey—a high-functioning young adult with intellectual disabilities—have always had a complicated relationship. But when Lindsey graduates from Silverton High School at nineteen and gets a job at Goodwill, she also moves into a newly remodeled cottage in her parents’ backyard—and Linda believes that all their difficult times may finally be behind them.

Life, however, proves not to be so simple. As Lindsey plunges into adulthood, she experiments with sex, considers a tubal ligation, and at twenty quits Goodwill and runs away with Emmett, a man more than twice her age. As Lindsey grows closer to Emmett, she slips further away from her family—but Linda, determined to save her daughter, refuses to give up. A touching memoir with unexpected moments of joy and humor, Loving Lindsey is a story about independence, rescue, resilience, and, most of all, love.

Author: Linda Atwell

Publication Date: September 26, 2017

 

Description

2017 Beverly Hills Book Awards Winner, Parenting & Family
2017 Beverly Hills Book Awards Winner, Relationships
2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist in Memoirs (Overcoming Adversity/Tragedy)
2018 International Book Awards Finalist in the Parenting & Family category

“Atwell’s evocative descriptions provide added depth to the characters, particularly Lindsey, whose voice emanates from the pages. A brutally honest, affecting memoir of family resilience.”
Kirkus Reviews

“Linda Atwell is a beacon of light in her book about the richness of raising a daughter with special needs. Lindsey stories are woven into the midst of Atwell’s own very full life, and she truly tells it like it is. She shares her experiences through the lenses of love, humor, and the human condition.”
—Diana Dolan Mattick, Special Education Teacher and Learning Specialist

“Atwell’s strong relationship with Lindsey, her special needs adult daughter, carries her (and us) through heartbreaking times that include fear, frustration, and disappointment that are always tempered by unwavering love and a determination to equip her daughter with skills for an independent life. A riveting narrative of mother-daughter struggles and rewards.”
—Matilda Butler, memoir coach and award-winning author of Rosie’s Daughters: The “First Woman To” Generation Tells Its Story

“Ms. Atwell writes with clarity and contemplation through the triumphs and tragedies of raising someone with special needs. Her memoir is a moving exploration of a mother’s resolve to keep her daughter safe, despite Lindsey’s determination to dance to her own off-beat drum, and how the love that bonds this mother and daughter will prevail against the odds. At times funny and always candid, Loving Lindsey is a book every woman should enjoy reading, no matter where they fall on its relationship spectrum.”
—Kathleen Cremonesi, author of Love in the Elephant Tent: How Running Away with the Circus Brought Me Home and 2016 Gold Medal Independent Publisher Awards for Coming of Age/Family Legacy

“A suspenseful heart-wrenching tale of broken dreams and incredible burdens, Loving Lindsey is a first-hand account of raising a child with a diminished emotional and intellectual capacity. This harrowing journey―a page-turner that’s every parent’s nightmare―will stay with you long after you have put down the book. Highly recommended.”
—Barbara Donsky, award-winning author of Veronica’s Grave: A Daughter’s Memoir

“Linda Atwell is a master storyteller, and does a phenomenal job of sharing the love and grievances that come with raising her daughter. The moments and years of joy and frustration every family feels are especially touching as she navigates life with her sweet, defiant girl. Loving Lindsey is an exquisitely told account of a mother’s protection, pride, frustration, and is, ultimately, a story about never giving up. I highly recommend Loving Lindsey to every parent.”
—Kristi Rieger Campbell, speaker, author, advocate, and Finding Ninee creator

About the Author

Linda Atwell lives in Silverton, Oregon with her husband, John. They have two incredible adult children. Linda earned her BA from George Fox College, but it is her entrepreneurial and adventuresome spirits that have inspired her career goals. She owned a successful home décor business for ten years before switching to adjusting catastrophe insurance claims and climbing roofs for a living. Now she writes. Her award-winning work has appeared in print and online magazines. She irregularly writes a blog about her daughter with special needs. Atwell is happiest traveling the world, and hopes to get fifty stamps in her passport before it expires.

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