Overview

Patsy Truxaw's large Irish Catholic family, bound by love but frayed by ""bad wiring,"" faces the unthinkable when a tragic car accident claims the life of one sibling at barely twenty-one years old. Set at the family home in Anaheim, and later migrating to communities along California's coastline, Truxaw's memoir explores the depths of grief, addiction, and mental illness while uncovering the fierce resilience that keeps a family connected. Through moments of loving chaos, heartbreak, and humor, Gathering reveals an enduring bond that transcends life's harshest realities. With incisive storytelling and raw honesty, Truxaw's memoir is a testament to the power of familial bonds in the face of unimaginable pain. Patsy Truxaw is a retired educator and writer living on California's Central Coast. Learn more at www.forgivemess.com.

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Reviews

""We danced around each other like wounded birds in the sand."" It takes a death in the family for Truxaw to discover that her dysfunctional family was blessed with 'bad wiring."" Carole Wagener, The Hardest Year: A Love Story in Letters During the Vietnam War ""Gathering is a universal story about the power of love to both break and heal us."" L.H. Finigin, Love and War and Summer People ""This is a tender loving story of a very large family with very large problems, told with deep wisdom and caring,"" Kathleen Lenski, The Daughter of Vladimir Lenski: Memoir of a Child Prodigy Violinist.""

Author Information

Patsy Truxaw has been observing and writing about her Irish-Catholic family for fifty-plus years. The second of eight children and a baby boomer, Patsy believes she and her siblings inherited some good genes but bad wiring. The bad wiring, compounded by the sudden death of her college-age brother in 1969, is the impetus behind her first book, Gathering: Family, Grief, Resilience. Along with being a lifelong writer, Patsy is a retired educator, a Democrat, and dog lover. She got sober one month after her fortieth birthday and remains active in recovery groups. Patsy lives in Los Osos, California, with her husband John Hansen and their two dogs, Belle and Max. Learn more at www.forgivemess.com.

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