Author: Tressa Middleton.
Title:
Tressa: The 12-year-old mum: My True Story.
Genre:
health, family and lifestyle, families and parents, motherhood,
pregnancy and childcare, women's health and lifestyle, biography,
autobiography, memoir, true story, nonfiction.
I
bought this book as a treat for myself.
I
would tell people that you should step outside your comfort zone with
books because it is good to add more authors and genres to your
reading portfolio even if you do not read books like this.
I
normally read books of this genre but l also stepped outside my
comfort zone. I am so glad l did because l have read so many great
books and come across some great authors.
I
highly recommend this book I would tell people not to judge the book
by it cover or title .
Book
dedication: this book is dedicated to my little girl Annie, I love
you with all my heart and always will, my life will be complete the
day I meet my sweet baby once again.
This
book has 276 pages and 27 chapters in it.
Quote
In This Book:
Some
say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what l have
tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire but if it had to
perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to say that for
destruction ice is also great and would suffice. - 'fire and ice' by
Robert Frost.
Prologue:
Dear
Annie,
I
am walking along the woodland tracks in polkement country park, ten
minutes from my house. It is beautiful here – the sun streams
through the trees and dapples the ground with bright beams of light,
picking out the stones and rocks by tinkling stream at my feet. Here
it is peaceful and quiet. I come here a lot – especially when the
noise of the world gets too loud. I walk through the dense woodland,
listening to the babbling of the river at my feet and suddenly I feel
calm, and I think of you. The fact is, you are never far from
my thoughts. Every day, you are the first person I think of
when I wake up and the last person in my mind as l drift off every
night. You are the beating pulse of life. In my cupboard I
keep the clothes you were wearing when you were just a
wee baby. The pink and white babygros I dressed you in,
the crocheted yellow cardigans that kept you warm.
Everyone says I should get rid of them – but I can not. I suppose I
never really learnt how to let go of you, and yet, these words are
all l have now. According to your adoptive parent's wishes, we are
not allowed any physical contact, and though at the time I felt
cheated, today I understand, you see, I have grown up abit since we
last meet – when you were just 2 years old and I was fourteen. I
have come a long way and though I know I have still got a
whole mountain to climb, I feel it is time to tell you
a little about me, my life and why we are apart. Because, Annie, my
beautiful girl, I do not want you to ever think that I did not want
you. I did, very, very much. Alot was written about me back in those
days a lot of things were said that just were not true, it is funny
how people you have never even met can form an instant opinion about
you just because they have read something in the paper.
Twelve-year-old mum! - it made a good headline. It was not such a
good life. But people did not know the truth back then – they said
horrible, hurtful things about me. Later, I realized that I
had been used, taken like a lamb to the slaughter. But l am not
angry anymore and suppose I do not care, about those people. I have
learnt to accept what happened to me in the past and moved on with
love in my heart. Here is the truth: Annie, I always wanted you, and
l loved you with all my heart. No, I did not want to give you up and
even though I was very young, I knew l could take care of you if they
just gave me the chance so l fought. I fought all the way to court
and in the end the judge convinced me that I was not doing the best
thing for you. He said I was being selfish and he was right – I
could not give you the life you deserved. I wanted you to have a
better life than l had – but I could not give you that. So instead,
I gave you away to someone who could. Annie, this is my story, and it
is yours too. I hope that it helps you to understand what happened to
us both and why I hope that you can forgive me and perhaps, one day,
we can be apart of each other's lives again. For now, I just want you
to know that I love you – I always have and I always will. You are
forever in my heart. - mum x.
Synopsis:
nobody knew the truth. For all those years while people judged me, I
protected those closest to me. Not it is time for the real story to
be told. It is time for healing and forgiveness; Tressa Middleton
made UK history when she became Britain's youngest mum in
2006 aged just 12 years and 8 months. Her case provoked shock
and outrage – but the truth behind the headlines was far sadder
than anyone could ever have imagined. Born in to a life of poverty
and neglect, Tressa was forced to grow up fast when she was taken in
to care at just four years old. She was returned to her mother's
chaotic world but by the age of seven, she was being abused by her
own brother and at 11 years old she fell pregnant with his child. For
years she kept his dark secret in an attempt to hold her family
together until the truth threatened to destroy her completely. In the
years since the birth, Tressa has gone through more pain and turmoil
than most adults experience in a lifetime – yet today she
survives a brave, strong and compassionate young woman. Now, for
the first time, Tressa Middleton tells her own harrowing yet poignant
story – a story of hop, forgiveness and above all, love.
Review:
I found this book really easy to get in to and harder to put down
once l started reading it. This book was heartbreaking to read. This
book made me want to cry. I was hooked on this book after just
reading the first few lines of the prologue. It was sad to read that
Tressa's father hit her mother and the only way her mother could get
away from him was to put her children in to care which was the
hardest decision any mother had to do so she could get
away from her abusive husband. I was sad to read that Tressa was
abused from the age seven. It was sad to read that she was raped at
11 years old by her brother and she got pregnant with his baby.
Tressa wanted to keep her baby I was sad to read that Tressa was used
by the papers. I think Tressa would have been a great mother if they
had given her a chance with Annie. Tressa sounds like she loved
working with children. It took me less than two days to read this
book I could not put it down I just wanted to read about Tressa and
Annie. I was glad Annie survived when she was born because her lungs
was underdeveloped. Jason met his daughter in the hospital
when she was in NICU. Tressa's family should have believed her when
she told them what Jason did to her and when the DNA test come back
saying Jason was Annie's father. They should have not turned against
her when she needed them most. I was sad to read that Tressa tried
to commit suicide I was glad Tressa had told the truth
about who Annie's father was. Tressa made the
hardest decision to let her beautiful daughter go so
Annie could have a better life Tressa knew she could not give her.
Tressa was heartbroken knowing her mother lost her sister and two
brothers even though Tressa kept the abuse a secret so she did not
lose them because Jason told Tressa that if she told their mother and
social workers their mother would lose them all. I was sad to read
that Tressa's father picked his girlfriend over
his daughter and Tressa got on heroin. I was
happy to read that Tressa got off drugs too and she met a
guy named Darren he was on drugs too but they got off them together.
Tressa got pregnant again but she lost the baby and her mother within
a week which was upsetting to read. Jason was out of jail for the
funeral and he was not aloud near anyone under 18 after what he did
to Tress. Tressa sounds like a very brave person after everything she
been through. I hope one day Tressa and her daughter, Annie are
together again. I hope one day Tressa's brothers Ollie and Kai find
her. Tressa has her mother's ashes with her as Jason is back in jail.
This is a great book but upsetting and heartbreaking. Tressa is very
brave telling her story. I am glad someone who makes her happy and
she kept pictures of Annie and the clothes Annie wear when she was a
tiny baby. I can not put in to words how great this book is l would
tell people to read it for themselves to know how great it really is.
I wish l could rate this book more than five stars because it is
worth more than the five stars I rated it. I hope Annie has the best
life and future that Tressa would have wanted to give her. It was
horrible that Tressa was called all sorts of name because of her
past.
Acknowledgements:
firstly, I would like to thank – Katy Weitz – if it was not for
you, I would not have had the opportunity of reading this book for
Annie so thank you for everything you have done. I would also like to
thank our publishers, Blake, Andrew Lownie my literary agent and
everyone who have worked on this book – it means so much to me that
you all gave me the chance. I would like to thank
Annie's adopted parents for giving her the upbringing
that l could not and making her in to the person she is today – a
very big and heartfelt thank you. I would also like to thank all my
workers for not giving up on me when l needed help the most, you did
not have to keep giving me all those chances, but you did and without
all your amazing help I do not think I would have been able to get to
where l am today – a very different place than before. A very big
thanks goes to Margaret Scullion and Laura Mitchell – without you
both my life would not have been worth living even the times you were
very strict with me – I know I needed it and it probably helped to
shape me in to the person I am today. Thanks to everyone else who
supported me through the years – it means a lot to know that people
do care and want to help, so thank you. Finally, words can not
express my gratitude to Darren – the person who has had faith in
me, and given me care, love and understanding when I needed them. I
thank you from the bottom of my heart.
About
The Author: Tressa Middleton attracted huge press coverage aged 12
when she became Britain's youngest mum – but the real
story behind the headlines was far more complicated
and heartbreaking. Tressa was the third child of four born
to an absent father and an alcoholic mother who were regularly taken
in to care. Tressa was more like a mum to her youngest sister and
later to her mother's young sons by other men. The abuse by her
brother began when she was seven but he used the family's instability
against her. He said that if she ever told, all the children would be
taken permanently in to care and they would never see their mother
again. To protect them she kept his dark secret. By now her mother
Tracey was a heroin addict and unreachable to Tressa. Almost
inevitably, she followed her mother down the road of addiction.
However, by 2011 she was determined to turn her life around and she
has been clean for years.
She
says ' I was raised in darkness and fear. Motherhood at 12 was hard
but far harder was the loneliness of keeping my brother's secrets.
Not l want to share my story to help others overcome fear in their
lives'.
Star
Rating: Five Out Of Five Stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment