Resilient Ruin: A memoir of hopes dashed and reclaimed by Laura McHale Holland

Resilient Ruin: A memoir of hopes dashed and reclaimed Reviews

• 
  Michelle

  "Resilient Ruin: A Memoir of Hopes Dashed and Reclaimed" indie author/novelist Laura McHale Holland continues her coming-of-age story following her 2011 "Reversible Skirt: A Memoir". The story continued through the adversity of severe emotional neglect and abuse under her stepmother, who's health was beginning to fail. Pretty and relatively popular in high school, Laura would discover smoking, alcohol, and light drugs; predictability leading her to make some poor choices. As she matured, Laura re-connected with her sisters and her life turned around.
  
  Life with Laura's stepmother was always challenging and difficult. In addition, some of Laura's teachers in high school unfairly compared her to the stellar academic success of her sisters (Mary Ruth won a full scholarship to Vassar). With her sisters off to college, Laura found acceptance with a wilder group of friends at school, which later included a popular boy who gave her a lot of attention before raping her. Feeling at fault with shame, she told no one. With this was a rough situation, Laura turned to partying and when she tried to end her life, she finally caught the attention of a school psychologist.
  Finally, her Uncle Thomas came to her rescue and she was admitted to Holy Family Academy-- a Catholic boarding school for girls located in Beaverville, Ill. Laura graduated in 1967, and due to her impressive SAT scores, was accepted at the prestigious Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. However, without appropriate adult guidance, practical advice or supportive assistance her plans for college at the time never worked out. Laura found herself working several low wage jobs with precarious living situations, also so called "friends" that never hesitated to exploit her.
  It was only natural to seek the company and acceptance of like minded friends/individuals. Impressed with the readings of L. Ron Hubbard "Dianetic's" Laura lived a Scientology compound, where Hubbard actually visited once. To her dismay, she didn't have enough income for advancement within the organization, nor the credit cards to max out for study materials.
  Unable to eat very well, she developed a massive kidney infection and learned she was pregnant. Curiously, she would have only her step-mother to call at this extremely vulnerable time in her life. Bill, a controlling boyfriend, who later became her husband was much older, and utterly useless. This period of her life was so dismal, Laura seemed so detached from her own life as she decided what to do with her newborn, it was heartbreaking.
  
  The story is narrated in a novel style format, the second half was more interesting. Laura referenced several 1960's pop songs on the radio, the War in Vietnam protests, the presidency of JFK and LBJ, as well as civil rights and Martin Luther King Jr. The story brightened considerably after Laura's sisters completed college and were able to help and assist Laura in making some better life choices. Before moving to California, she visited her step-mother and offered "Little Ma" forgiveness and friendship. ~3* GOOD. Many thanks to the author for the advance publication notice and value for the purpose of review.
• 
  Kathleen Pooler

  Resilient Ruin is a captivating coming-of-age story about a teenager who breaks away from her abusive stepmother and spirals downward into depression, drug and alcohol abuse, risky sexual behavior and involvement in a cult.
  
  I was hooked into this story from the first page and carried along to the end by a fast- paced plot, believable, dynamic characters, and vivid sensory details. I came of age in the 60s so could easily relate to the times. As a reader, I felt like I was watching a movie from that tumultuous time as scenes came alive to me. McHale Holland’s writing is rich in detail and flows seamlessly, leaving the reader feeling not only engaged in the story but a part of the story. Her main character is feisty and rebellious with an edginess that foreshadows an underlying resilience. So no matter how many fixes she gets herself into, she leaves you with the feeling that she will eventually find her way. She delivers on her title as she survives, finds forgiveness for her abusive stepmother and moves on to live a productive, fulfilling life.
  
  This memoir is a study of the impact of the times (60s and 70s), the loss of biological parents, the effect of abuse on a teenager and the resilience of the human spirit. Beyond being a riveting story, it will give hope to teens who are struggling with coming of age and their parents. It also will also serve as a valuable resource for caregivers who work with the at-risk teen population.
  
  A riveting coming –of-age memoir about surviving abuse and finding forgiveness.
  
• 
  Olivia

  Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This memoir is a compelling page turner that reads like a crisply crafted novel. Chronicling her teen and young adult years, in the 1960s and early 70s, Holland's story is one of darkness and light. The darkness: a mentally disturbed and thus abusive guardian, predatory adults, a need to seek romance with uncaring boys, running away, drugs, cult recruitment, and suicidal thoughts to name a few. The light: sisterhood, friendships, a few caring adults, a sense of humor, music, resolve. It's a highly appealing coming-of-age memoir and will appeal to a diverse array of readers.
• 
  Katie Phillips

  Laura sent me this book in advanced and I am so glad she did!
  Laura's journey was not an easy one. I imagined my mother the entire time I was reading this memoir. So many stories from my mother sounded similar to Laura's experiences. It was definitely a different time and I honestly can't imagine growing up or finding myself in circumstances like Laura's. Laura is resilient and her experiences could be very helpful to others today.
• 
  Jennifer (JC-S)

  ‘Mommy will let me in eventually; the neighbours already peeking from curtained windows, would talk if she didn’t.’
  
  Laura McHale Holland was orphaned as a child. She and her sisters lived with their stepmother. As the youngest, Laura lived there longest. Sadly, Laura’s stepmother was abusive. When Laura was fourteen, she rebelled. This is Laura McHale Holland’s account of her life as a teenager, of her life from 1963 to 1972.
  
  What makes Laura’s story inspiring is that she survived a series of poor choices, poor judgement and bad luck to reclaim her life. How hard life is for teenagers who are forced by circumstance to try to function as adults. How hard it is to try to develop good judgment when role models have failed and in the absence of healthy levels of self-esteem. There were times when I was reading when I wondered how Laura survived, and moved beyond survival in order to thrive.
  
  I didn’t find this an easy book to read. Abuse experiences (whether the reader has similar experiences or not) are never comfortable reading. I think that the value of such accounts (for other readers) is appreciating that others have suffered (you are not alone), and have survived (it is possible to move into a life beyond abuse). Along the way, Laura suffered a number of quite overwhelmingly sad experiences. It is a credit to her that she has managed to survive, although not unscathed, and to establish a far better life for herself.
  
  Some of us, old enough to remember the years between 1963 and 1972, will remember some of the pop hits on the radio at the time. But Laura’s story is not just for those of us old enough to remember the hits of the time, or the ‘drugs, sex and rock n’ roll era’. It’s a reminder that we all need effective parenting, that we all need hope.
  
  Note: My thanks to the author for providing me with a free electronic copy of her book for review purposes. Thank you, Laura, for having the courage to share your story.
  
  Jennifer Cameron-Smith
  
• 
  Barbara Toboni

  The title of this book, Resilient Ruin, seemed intriguing to me when I first bought the book, but I put it aside for a while. I wasn’t in the mood for a memoir, at least right away. At the time, I was reading a good fiction book, and I continued down the fiction road for a time before I picked this one up. I was in the mood for a change. After reading the first few chapters I was surprised to learn that Laura McHale Holland’s life story is the perfect back drop for a great fiction read, with realistic characters and a plot that kept me flipping pages to see what would happen next. This book is labeled a memoir, but reads like good fiction.
• 
  Piper

  This is a fantastic followup to Reversible Skirt. We dip right back into McHale’s incredible memories. She’s great at keeping a steady rolling, flowing pace while never dropping us out of the sensations and emotions, the poignant poetry of a younger self she sees with astonishing clarity. We’re right there with her as she faces the conundrums, the horrors and the vital discoveries of growing up and entering the world. The teenage “her” has had to grow up fast, but she rises from the hard knocks, with aplomb, humor, a deep sense of empathy and a razor wit.
• 
  Nathaniel Winters

  Laura McHail Holland's memoir, "Resilient Ruin" reads like a well written novel. It almost seems like a Cinderella story. She keeps trying to overcome her wicked stepmother and sisters but instead of finding Prince Charming; she picks a series of losers.
  Will Laura find find her rainbow before the conclusion of her story? You must keep turning the pages to find out.