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Review of Raised by Committee by Entrada Publishing Completed 10/1/2024 Raised by Committee is an emotional and taxing coming-of-age recounting of a difficult childhood and the roles the adults played in forming the life of a young girl in England in the 1960s. The story follows Gail, a twelve-year-old girl, and the circumstances surrounding a critical time in her life. She and her three siblings live an unconventional life with their parents, who are musicians. Following a lengthy history of abuse at the hands of her father, Gail’s mother, who knows what is going on and is not without fault, declines to take her to speak with the police. Social services get involved, who contact the police. Gail and her siblings are made 'wards of the Court in need of moral protection'. They are placed in temporary children’s homes and shuffled around a good amount. The younger siblings have several experiences with foster families, while Gail ends up at Willowrey, a children’s home where she would be able to continue with her schooling. Haynes provides a recollection of the child protection system in England in the 1960s, The Children’s Committee determines everything about her path in life as she is separated from her parents and siblings. Willowrey provides her with some stability, and their staff is truly committed to doing what is in her best interest for a safe and productive future. There are profound hurts in this novel. Gail and her siblings are essentially abandoned by their parents, though they do have supervised visitation. Gail struggles with feeling unloved, unwanted, and alone during a critical period of her development. The shortcomings of her parents and other relatives were shocking and sadly all too common. Her sense of family and love becomes quite skewed, as she continues to search for her place in the world. “The look on Miss Stinson’s face told me what I already knew. I hadn’t found a mother, I had found a playmate. I wasn’t sure I would ever find my mother. I was no longer sure she really existed. My mother was now a kaleidoscope of people. She was Nurse and Aunty Dawn when I needed someone to care for me. She was Miss Stinson when I needed someone to talk things over with. She was the faceless Children’s Committee when I needed permission to do things. My mother didn’t have a lap I could curl up on; she had committee reports that were circulated and reviewed. My mother didn’t cherish my uniqueness, she demanded that I conform and live by rules established for the countless other children who had passed this way before me. I was file number 7952/2 of the Devon County Council.” As Gail ages, the challenges of teenage years take their toll on her and the staff raising her at Willowrey. She makes several mistakes and poor choices, as every teen does during those formative years, but feels as though she is under a microscope in the ways that her peers are not—a true difference between being raised by the Committee and not by her family. The story follows Gail until she ages out of the system, and it is a gift to see her journey. The Committee and her caseworker take a harsher role with her as she gets closer to adulthood, preparing her for the harsh world she is entering, but to some degree, harsh is all Gail has known. Haynes has worked through the traumatic truths of her past in this work and faced that past from the place she is now—and I was delighted to know that she had finally found her version of peace and happiness, and most of all, love. Raised by Committee is a wonderful and raw novel that is palatable for readers of all backgrounds.
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https://aquintillionwords.com/2024/09/16/carollyne-haynes-author-interview/ Raised by Committee – Carollyne Haynes I’ve read a lot of books, but Carollyne’s first – Raised by Committee – was certainly one of the most impactful for me. It’s story of survival after abuse and abandonment, and based on Carollyne’s own life experiences. I’m so happy Carollyne agreed to answer some of my burning questions about life, her book, and what’s coming next. You can read my review for Raised by Committee here! 1. Firstly, thank you for sharing your experiences in this book. Such a brave and wonderful thing to do! When did you first consider putting your childhood experiences down on paper (or screen?!) Was there a specific thing that motivated you? A few years ago, I registered for an online writing course and several of the projects involved free fall writing [W.O. Mitchell’s technique], which often led me down the dark path of memories concerning my childhood experiences. My writing tutor kept encouraging me to dig deeper, sensing that there was a story to be told, but I was reluctant to go there. When I mentioned this to my husband, he suggested that instead of dredging up painful memories, I should focus on ‘what happened after the police came’ – so that is what I did. I contacted the Devon County Council and was able to obtain a copy of the 500 pages of documentation concerning my time under their care as a ‘ward of the courts in need of moral protection’. After reading the file, which contained many ‘behind the scenes’ details that I wasn’t aware of as a child, I suddenly realized that I had literally been ‘raised by a committee’ of dedicated child care workers, educational psychologists, social workers and others. ‘Raised by Committee’ is a tribute to these hidden angels who devote their lives to taking care of the children who, through no fault of their own, become the flotsam of our society. 2. It goes without saying that certain parts of this book must have been difficult to write. Did the process of writing this book help you to heal further from everything you experienced growing up? Absolutely! When writing the first draft of ‘Raised by Committee’, I literally spewed every emotion that I had stuffed deep down inside of me out onto the page … the pain, the fear, the sense of isolation, the anger, and so much more. But when I went back and read the first draft, I realized that, shining through all these negative emotions, was the real story. It was the story of being cared for by strangers, given the opportunity to continue my grammar school education and go on to college, and the story of being able to not only survive the trauma of my childhood, but to thrive. I am deeply indebted to them all. 3. How do you hope readers will respond to your story? Is there any specific demographic you hope will read and take inspiration from your words? Hopefully, by reading ‘Raised by Committee’, people will appreciate the impact of childhood sexual abuse and the lasting scars it can leave on those affected. ‘Raised by Committee’ has been recommended as a resource for social workers, teachers, students entering the field of child care, and others who deal with victims of childhood abuse. 4. What advice would you give to someone who is currently experiencing a type of abuse, or those who are growing up in care? My biggest fear as a child was that, if I told anyone what was going on, they wouldn’t believe me. I’m sure this is a common response, unfortunately, and I don’t have an easy answer. There is a huge amount of shame associated with being abused, so I just wanted to pretend to the outside world that it wasn’t happening. Fortunately, thanks to books like mine, and organizations like Little Warriors, awareness of this issue is increasing. Help is out there … so I would encourage them to reach out to a safe family member, teacher, clergyman or neighbour. As for those currently growing up in care, while it is not always an easy road, it is important to remember that caregivers ultimately have your best interests at heart. No one can replace your family, but at least you are somewhere safe. Your future is in your hands, so strive to do everything in your power to get on a path to future success. 5. Is there a specific way you protect your emotional and mental health when you discuss your experiences with others? I have to admit that the raw emotions are still there inside me, and sometimes they threaten to burble over, but I remind myself that I survived and have gone on to live a fulfilling, happy life. I still tend to gloss over the details, focussing instead on how fortunate I was to receive such excellent care. But at the same time, as a mother of a beautiful daughter, I have to ask myself how my mother could abandon me and let this all happen. What sort of person does that? Unfortunately, I’ll have to take that question to my grave. 6. How long did it take to write this book from the first draft to publication? I pounded out the first draft in a few months, then set it aside briefly before reading it over. I then spent another couple of months purging all the superfluous stuff … if a word, or sentence or paragraph didn’t ‘move the story forward’ it was deleted. All in all, I spent more than a year working on the manuscript before releasing it for publication. 7. What are some of your favourite books and authors? Have there been any that inspired you? I read books across a broad spectrum, but a couple that stand out are ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime’ by Mark Haddon; and ‘Peach Blossom Spring’ by Melissa Fu. I also enjoy historical fiction and have read many of Phillipa Gregory’s books. Margaret Atwood’s writing was an early inspiration for me to start writing, and I had the privilege of meeting her at one of her readings here in British Columbia. 8. What are you currently working on? I am currently working on a series of blogs entitled ‘Behind the Scenes’ which I will start posting in the near future. The blogs will focus on stories and details that readers of my books might be interested in. I am also working on adapting ‘A Matter of Issue’ [my second book] into a screenplay, and adapting ‘Raised by Committee’ to an audiobook. Both these projects are quite ambitious as I have to ‘learn as I go’. 9. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? Is there anything you want to achieve with your writing or any other avenue? Many people who read ‘Raised by Committee’ ask what happened in my life after I turned 18 and was no longer in care, so I would like to write a series of short stories highlighting some of the turns my life has taken – but this time I would like to aim for a more light-hearted tone with some humour thrown in … we could all do with a good laugh in this day and age. 10. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to new authors? What worked for me was treating it like a job, insofar as I would go into my office at 9 every morning and not leave there until noon at the earliest – even on bad days, when I just sat and stared at the blank screen! I also had a straw man outline of the progress of the story … what each chapter would include and how it moved the story forward. The main thing is to just start writing … the cat sat on the mat, how now brown cow, etc. … or whatever it takes to get those creative juices running. Get it all out on paper and then edit, edit, edit. Both my books took circuitous routes to the final versions, changing quite dramatically along the way. About the author Born in Devon, England, I have been playing with words in one form or another all my life. From editorial assistant on London’s famous Fleet Street, to the publication of two full length novels, I continue to make music with my words. At age 20 I emigrated to Canada and have made it my home ever since. During my years in Ottawa I worked as a Member’s Assistant at the House of Commons and the Conference Board of Canada, before heading west with husband and two children. After four years in Calgary we packed up and moved again, this time to Vancouver Island where I now live with my husband, Jim. I have three children, four grandchildren, four grand-chickens and a grand-dog … I am indeed truly blessed! My writing shines a spotlight on contemporary issues, and lays them bare. My day in Court with Lady Heathcoat-Amory
Miss Carswell, our Social Worker, was asked to bring the four of us children into the courtroom. Inside there was a long wooden table around which sat a Magistrate, a stenographer and a court clerk. The Magistrate, who was introduced as Lady Heathcoat-Amory, smiled kindly at us, but I was too nervous to smile back.
I have written many, many letters using the writing case Lady Heathcoat-Amory gave me - letters to family and friends around the world. I wonder if she realized, as she handed me that gift, how much her gesture meant to me. It was a dark, scary time in my life and the memory of her kindness has stayed with me all these years. Spontaneous acts of kindness can last a lifetime. Thank you!
The following piece of flash fiction was my entry for the Federation of BC Writers competition. Flash fiction is a story told in 500 words or less, so it's a quick read. Enjoy!
The news wasn’t good. They had been warned about the possibility of a second wave, and now it was here, the numbers climbing rapidly. Infection rates and deaths were published daily, like the score of some morbid game, with the US clearly in the lead, while Canada proudly lagged far behind. This was not a game one played to win. The months of social distancing were beginning to wear on people. Nerves were frayed, tempers short, the world suffocating under a shroud of anxiety, as humanity held its collective breath, waiting. Waiting for their lives to return to normal. But with each passing day, normal seemed further away. Lock downs were threatened. Not normal. Even trips to the grocery story were fraught with tension - too many people, too many rules, and heaven help you if you remember something you need from aisle 4, once you’re in aisle 5. Easier to order in. But today Nancy had to go out, she had packages to mail at the post office. Nancy had sewn face masks for her four grandchildren, now they were back in school. Not that she thought school was a good idea, it was like using the children as fodder for the much touted ‘herd immunity’ that would apparently end the pandemic. Nancy worried about that almost as much as she worried about Mr. Trump winning a second term. It seemed the whole world was spinning towards oblivion these days. Nancy put on her face mask, tucked her hand sanitizer into her pocket, and set out to face the world. It was sunny and hot, too hot, which was just another thing to add to Nancy’s list of things to worry about - climate change. She decided to walk anyhow, easier than trying to find a parking spot at the Post Office. The sidewalks were busy and Nancy actually had to step out onto the street twice, to maintain a safe social distance. ’Inconsiderate bastards’ she cursed under her breath at the mask-less pedestrians who crossed her path. Just another block to the Post Office and then she could scurry home. She would be safe again, at home. Nancy stopped at the crosswalk and waited for the WALK sign. A gaggle of mask-less teenagers were waiting too. Nancy stood with her back to them, breathing as shallowly as possible to avoid inhaling their COVID-ridden spittle. The light changed to ‘WALK’ but the teenagers didn’t notice, so continued goofing around. Nancy waited. The light started flashing DON’T WALK, as the teenagers suddenly darted across the street. Nancy hesitated a moment, wanting to be sure that the breeze had cleared the air, then turned and stepped off the curb, oblivious to the oncoming truck. On Saturday, June 8, 2019 fellow author, Janet Dunnett and I gave our 'Sunset Love' presentation to approximately 60 members of the Sidney Branch of the National Association of Federal Retirees [NAFR]. This was the first of five speaking engagements we had lined up over the summer months.
Janet and I joined forces after we realized that we had both written books about the same topic ... love in life's third act ... but from very different perspectives. My book, A MATTER OF ISSUE, weaves a story of romantic love between two seniors, while Janet's book, THE DWINDLING, is about familial love and caring for parents on the 'edge of life'. We put the presentation together last year and presented it at both the Nanaimo and Courtenay branches of the NAFR, at their quarterly meetings. It was so well received that we reached out to other NAFR branches, as well as Island Probus clubs and the University Women's Club. In the process, we got to meet some wonderful people, and tour this amazing Island that we live on. Well we have been on the road for a month already and have made it as far as San Carlos, Mexico. We left Qualicum Beach with snow flakes and autumn leaves falling all around us. Quite beautiful, especially with the yellow and red leaves mixed in with the snow flakes. Lovely as it was we were glad to be heading south to warmer climes and boarded the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles with a sigh of relief. The wet, cold weather followed us as for several days but we made it to Bend, Oregon without any major snowfall, although according to weather forecasts we were only a few hours ahead of the storm.
We spent five days in Bend, having some service work done on the motorhome to prepare for the long drive south. Met up with Rod, from Fort Langley, and spent several lovely evenings drinking wine and dining out with him as we waited for our respective repair jobs to be finished. Arranged to meet up again in Nogales towards the end of November, so that we could caravan together through the maze of border stop points and red tape necessary to drive a vehicle into Mexico. We then spent three days in the Palm Springs area where we spent many frustrating hours trying to get the Mexican road maps downloaded onto our Garmin. Three chat sessions and two phone calls to Garmin finally got us set up for the journey ahead. Next stop Borrego Springs where we checked in for a week for some hiking, rest and socializing. Good to see our 'winter friends' again and especially enjoyed spending time with Marlene and Richard in their new Borrego home. Before leaving we hosted a 'hello and goodbye' potluck happy hour gathering for 12 friends - sorry to leave so soon but Mexico beckons! Rod met up with us, as arranged, at the rest stop just north of the border at Tupac. We approached the Mexican/US border crossing with Rod as our trusty leader [he's been to Mexico for the last 12 years and knows the ropes], plus explicit written instructions from Anne [who made the crossing a few weeks ahead of us] and a screen shot of google maps expanded to show every twist and turn in the somewhat convoluted route through Immigration check points, customs and whatever other road blocks the Mexicans decide on that day. At the 21 km post we stopped to purchase our import visa but alas, despite my best planning efforts, I did not have a copy of the Tracker insurance papers and, horror of horrors, was unable to find them when I went back to the vehicle to look for them. It took almost two hours to persuade them to let us bring the Tracker into Mexico after Jim had the brilliant idea of taking a photo of the licence plate which shows Canadian insurance and registration has been paid. We bumped and crawled our way along the road to San Carlos which is under major reconstruction and the sections that have been completed are excellent but alas, they are few and far between. We arrived at San Carlos shortly after 5 pm and settled in for two nights. Unfortunately I came down with a bad case of Montazuma's revenge so we suggested to Rod that he carry on without us as I needed time to recover. After 36 hours in bed [thank goodness the loo was close at hand] I ventured forth and we did a little exploring around San Carlos. It's beautiful here so we decided to check in for a month and then decide whether to continue our trek south to La Penita. Apparently it gets quite cool here in January and February so we are keeping all options open. At a recent book launch event for 'A MATTER OF ISSUE', I was asked how I decided on names for the various characters in the book. I have to admit that this is one of the more interesting, and fun, challenges of writing for me, and I make frequent use of the 'search and replace' feature - a character can change names as often as I like at the click of a button!
Anyhow, this made me think that maybe readers would like to know a little about the characters I have developed in 'A MATTER OF ISSUE', so over the next few blogs I will introduce them to you. Let's start with the head of this fictional family - Charles Wentworth. Charles is elderly, recently widowed, and has two grown sons and four grandchildren. Charles has done well for himself; from humble beginnings he worked his way up the corporate ladder and landed on one of the top rungs. He and his wife always lived frugally and over the years accumulated quite a nest egg. Charles always liked to say that his favourite place to live was below his means. Charles was an avid golf player before he started having back problems, but now he mostly stays at home. His doctor has encouraged him to get out and walk, said it would help his back, but Charles didn't much like walking - he said it was what poor people did, people who couldn't afford cars or the gas to put in them. But lately Charles is becoming a little forgetful and he tends to flare up if provoked. He is also becoming very lonely ... June 15 marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, launched by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations. Organizations around the world are planning to mark the date - from barbecues to workshops and more.
The Austin Bank offers the following tips for stopping elder financial abuse in its tracks.
In 2010, when I published my memoir entitled "Raised by Committee", I was overwhelmed by the number of women, and men, who approached me to say that they had had similar experiences. Many had told no one about it, until they opened up to me. I would listen to their stories, feel their grief, and encourage them to seek professional help, if needed. I only started opening up about my experiences when my first marriage broke up. The minister at the church I attended would talk about my 'family of origin' and the impact our backgrounds have on our daily lives. I was slowly able to open up about my childhood experiences, and only then was I truly able to deal with the demons and put them to rest.
'Raised by Committee' is a celebration of recovery, and a dedication to the hidden angels that take care of the children who, through no fault of their own, have become the flotsam of our society. We all have our stories to tell. Let's share a few. |
Author
I am the author of 'Raised by Committee', an award winning memoir released in 2010, and 'A Matter of Issue', a work of fiction released in June, 2016. Archives
October 2024
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A MATTER OF ISSUE |
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