This is an eloquent and poignant book. Those of us who have gone on the heartbreaking journey of losing a loved one to dementia have wondered what they were feeling. Wendy Mitchell's courageous and unflinching account lets us know -- Patti Davis, author of 'The Long Goodbye'

Somebody I Used to Know: A Memoir - Goodreads

This is a beautiful story about two, beautiful broken boys and a girl who loves them both. Even myself fell in love with both! But I think the more especial part of the reading and experience this book was getting to see the wonderful and chaotic daily life of a very dedicated foster family. It was a great example of what a family can look like, and how it doesn’t have to be one made of blood. Astonishingly acute ... For all the honest rage, Mitchell has written a remarkably hopeful book. Her mission is to remind readers that people can live with dementia as well as suffer from it ... Mitchell is a mine of practical tips ... Making this book is both a testament to the author's intense will to live, and also a living will -- Helen Brown * Daily Telegraph * Peak Paige Toon. Someone I Used to Know is an absolute tearjerker, full of love for the family we’re born into and the one we build along the way. This book will live in my heart for a long, long time. Lindsey Kelk

how women are human beings and should be treated as such. not a piece of meat for you to disgustingly talk about or joke about.

Someone I Used to Know: The gorgeous new love story with a Someone I Used to Know: The gorgeous new love story with a

This is powerful read. I wish this kind of books they studied at school. We need this books to change our rape culture. this book shows the life "after" and really highlights on how we can do so much MORE to educate and prevent rape culture Someone I Used to Know touches upon all of this, and more - rape culture is dissected, toxic masculinity is explored, and all of it is so powerful that it reduced me to tears on a number of occasions.therapy, communication and getting help for whatever you're going through is a big focus in this book and i freaking loved how normal and casual it was in this story. talking to someone about what you're going through really helps. talking to a counselor, therapist, an adult or a friend is so frequent and positive in this book. Im crying. On the surface, Ashley and Derek appear to be working on themselves, but it's a forward momentum to repair the damage to their strained relationship as brother and sister, something that was harmed initially by how their parents felt it easier for the big brother to entertain the sister vs raising and entertaining her themselves. Paige also did an amazing job describing some of the realities of the foster care system ... positives and negatives! I have one issue though. I feel like their parents kind of blame Ashley too. It does not say but that’s what I’m feeling. Especially when the mother explained that Derek sure deserves some of his own time and do his own thing. However, why did they not explain these things to Ashley when they were little? Support - Therapists, support groups, family, friends! I applaud that those were all a big part of the the story and not just for Ashley but for her family as well. I think that's an important message. It's so easy for survivors to feel alone. Support is essential.

Somebody I Used to Know Based on a True Story or a Book? Is Somebody I Used to Know Based on a True Story or a Book?

When Derek started showing signs that he wants to change, like he really was sorry for what happened to his sister, that he is willing to do anything, as in disappear from Ashley’s life, to help his sister, I felt somewhat proud of him. He was so ready to be out of Ashley’s life just for her to recover. An extraordinary book about a little-understood disease. Awe-inspiring, courageous and insightful. I would recommend it to everyone -- Rosie Boycott, writer and activist What was different with this one than other books is that her rapist actually got sent to jail (albeit a stupid short sentence). And even if people still sneer at her, she has a great support system and friends at school. But that does not mean she can just get over it and move on. She is angry and hurting. Family secrets, new horizons and a gorgeous continent-crossing romance... prepare to be swept away!' LUCY DIAMONDShe arms herself with practical ingenuities: dementia bingo; iPads pinging to remind her to take pills, to eat. A bright pink bike, not because she especially likes pink, but because it would be harder to forget. Novels become impossible to read, so she reaches for short stories and poems. Each time she congratulates herself for staying a step ahead, but at her worst moments she wonders: “Wasn’t I going to see the world? What happened to all the time I thought I had?” And who is “I”, anyway? Pre-dementia Wendy? Today Wendy, who is different from tomorrow Wendy? For the reader, there is also the ventriloquised, ghostwritten “I”, complicating matters further. Someone I Used to Know will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it’s just one of those fabulous books that manages to stir all your emotions. Ashley hated her brother, Derek. She said he was one of the reasons she was raped. But Ashley blamed him for other reasons. I understand Ashley’s side. Not being a rape victim side but the side where it’s hard to recover from a traumatic experience. I know that feeling so well; that feeling where when you experience a very traumatic experience, it’s very hard to recover and move on from that. She’s healing. And she needs all support she can get even though she kind of feels like she’s alone. She feels like there’s no one who truly understands her. And that alone is a struggle. Dealing with your own emotion, your own self, is already a struggle. Add to that the uncontrollable emotions, like anxiety and fear, is another level of struggle. There’s no point in keeping it a secret otherwise colleagues will only make up their own stories of why you’re struggling and may be less supportive. No one should be ashamed of having dementia – it’s a complex brain disease so why on earth should we be ashamed?