Growth

I love reading memoir to gain insight into other people's experiences. This one is about shattered expectations of motherhood which is a universal topic. The author is vulnerable about her role in the delayed diagnosis of her son's brain tumor which she attributes to people pleasing - a behavior which many people can relate to. It will make people think about how they advocate for their children and navigate our complicated medical system.

In Growth: A Mother, Her Son, and the Brain Tumor They Survived, Karen DeBonis takes us along on a journey both surprising and relatable. Many will recognize her desire to raise a family with the husband she loves, the unexpected challenges motherhood brings, and the stress that results when life doesn’t go as planned. She takes us along on a journey all her own, however, when her eldest son begins exhibiting strange behaviors—tics and decreased coordination among them—and she is launched into a years-long battle to unearth their cause. Along the way, DeBonis gradually faces her own lifelong people-pleasing qualities… show more.