Beverly J. Armento

When author Beverly Armento’s visually impaired, mentally ill mother was enraged, which was often, she would pinch, bite, and beat her two daughters for the supposed crime of resembling their absent father. In this moving memoir, Armento explains how she grew up in the 1940s and ‘50s with two personas, “Strong Beverly”, the outgoing girl who excelled in school, and “Weak Beverly”, the timid one who cowered at home.

This memoir tells a frustrating story, because no one was willing to stand up to Beverly’s mother, or even acknowledge what was happening at Beverly’s home. The men in Beverly’s life—from the absent father to the diffident stepfather and the tepid boyfriend—were a particularly disappointing lot. As an adult, Beverly achieves professional success, but at a steep cost to her own mental health.

To those who like the dysfunctional family genre, I highly recommend this book.… (more)