Katherine Mayfield

It's rare that I come across a book that I'm thankful I read for more than just entertainment purposes. That's how I went into this book, but I ended up learning so much. The book is a memoir about a Kathy Mayfield and how she gret up with a dysfunctional family. Her mother has to be first and best; her father seems distant, and to deal with this, Kathy put herself in to the Good Little Girl mentality, and it stays with her for the rest of her life.

I loved the open and honest way it was written. I also really enjoyed reading about some of her coping techniques. I've found myself in some similar situations, and I plan on trying some of the things she tried for herself in the book.

Over all, it was a fantastic read.… (mere)

TITLE: "The Box of Daughter"
AUTHOR: Katherine Mayfield
PUBLISHER: The Essential Word Press
RATING: 5
AGES: 17 +

REVIEW: Every now and then we come across a book that hits so close to home it's astounding. This was the one for me. As I read Katherine's recounting of being a little girl and being expected to be exactly the way her mother wanted her to be no matter what I began to recall my own childhood and it amazed me how much like Katherine's it truly was.

I grew up with a mother that was zealously religious, everything I did was wrong, and I could never please her. My mother also had serious mental issues that were never diagnosed or treated. There were even some of the things in this book that Katherine's mother did to her and said to her that were synonymous with my own memories and I felt horrified that someone could have lived the same life I did.

Before long though I began to feel a kinship with the author and in the realization that I had not been the only one to go through this made me love the book and the story all the more. I somehow felt as though I had been able to get my own story out without ever having lifted a pen or pressing a key.

Thank you Katherine for this story and for what it means to those that may have lived much the same life we did... in 'the box of daughter.'

This is most certainly a healing and spiritually enlightening book, one everyone should read.… (mere)