Book Review: For A Good Time

 

It's 1953 in Southern California, Patty is five years old, and her mother hasn't been home in two days. A police officer eventually arrives and takes Patty and her brothers to juvenile hall--their mother has been drinking again.

Twenty-eight years later, Patty herself is an alcoholic mother to three children. Divorced and homeless, she soon realizes that she can't support her children with her job cleaning houses, so she accepts the offer of a man who works at the gas station: she'll have sex with him for money.

For the next seventeen years, Patty lives a double life as a sex worker. Though she supports her family with the money she makes, she struggles to be the parent she wants to be, until she realizes she has become just like her own mother: an alcoholic who doesn't give her children what they need.

When Patty gets sober, her life begins to change. She finds healing through therapy, spirituality, community, and, most importantly, speaking the truth to her children. Powerful and insightful, Patty's story is proof that we all are capable of healing ourselves--and that forgiveness can transform our lives completely.

My Review

I do enjoy reading memoirs. If done right, they can provide a window into the sol of the person whose story is being shared. This is because I can imagine to be a vulnerable experience to tell your personal story knowing that lots of people will be reading it. So, that is kind of what I am looking for when I read a memoir is to experience that.

In the case of Patty's story, I truly did feel that. I went through a range of emotions...sadness, rage, disappointment, scared, joy, and proud. This meant I was affected by reading Patty's story. For the type of childhood, she and her brothers had, it was not a "perfect" one. Yet, she was able to become a fighter and turn her life around. You go Patty!