Hole in the Heart: Bringing Up Beth

Hole in the Heart: Bringing Up Beth

by HennyBeaumont (Author)

Synopsis

On Mother's Day 2001 Henny Beaumont gave birth to her third child. For the first four hours, her baby seemed no different from her two other little girls. When the registrar told Henny and her husband that their daughter might have Down's Syndrome, she knew that her life was over. How would she be able to look after this baby, who might die, and manage her other two children at the same time? How did this weak little baby, who needed so much more from Henny than her other two children, provoke such feelings of hatred and resentment? How can she learn to love her? And if she can't trust her own reactions to Beth, how can she expect other people to overcome their prejudices and ignorance about her condition?Hole in the Heart shares Henny's journey in an accessible and entertaining way, not only with those who have had a similar experience, or the medical professionals involved, but with a wider public - people who may have wondered how to behave towards families with disabled children, or who may be struggling with the idea of being an inadequate parent.Henny's experience may be very particular and extreme, but we are all competitive and anxious about our children, wondering where they fit in on a scale of achievement, whether we do enough for them, and whether we love them enough.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 240
Edition: 1
Publisher: Myriad Editions
Published: 09 Jun 2016

ISBN 10: 1908434929
ISBN 13: 9781908434920

Media Reviews
'Wonderful, astonishing drawings... A masterclass in the sorrow and joy of being human, and a powerful reminder that nothing is more earth-shattering than love.' Meg Rosoff; 'Powerful and deeply honest... Henny's words and stunning art work speak to everyone, whether they have a child with a learning disability or not.' MENCAP; 'Arresting, affecting, occasionally enraging but always deeply beautiful.' The Bookseller; 'This graphic novel is one of the most beautiful expressions of love I've ever read.' Pamreader; 'Packs a powerful emotional punch by pitting ordinary scenes of life with a newborn alongside the devastating reality of the diagnosis of Beth's condition.' Joanna Moorhead; 'Wise, funny, life-affirming.' Community Living; 'Essential reading for every paediatrician in training.' Robert Yates, Consultant Cardiologist, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children; 'Moving, funny, ironic and refreshingly honest.' Bookanista; 'Beaumont's beautiful painting of Beth on the cover bursts with joy. But turn inside and her black inkings of family life, in comic-strip format... lay bare [their] torment.' Ingo Hippisley, The Sun
Author Bio
Henny Beaumont is a London-based artist and portrait painter. She has an MA in Fine Art and Printmaking at Camberwell College of Art, where she has also been a visiting lecturer. She worked on an audio visual App for the New River and has been published in the Journal of Writing in Creative Practice 2013. She has four children.