Disappearing act
Subtitle: a mother's journey to the underground
By: Sharon Murphy
Contributors: Angelou, Maya; Johnson, Guy, 1945-
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2013
Language: eng
Number of pages: 463
ISBN-13: 9781490523446
Subjects: Parental kidnapping; Victims of family violence
Other titles: Mother's journey to the underground
Description: Disappearing Act is a gripping story that reveals the saga of an ordinary woman's struggle against the influence of her ex-husband's powerful mother, famed author Maya Angelou. With extraordinary honesty, Murphy recounts her marriage to Angelou's charismatic son, Guy Johnson. Guy becomes violent, but not before the author gives birth to their son Colin. To protect Colin, Sharon pursues a divorce. But money, power, and influence put Colin in Guy's custody, despite his violent behavior. Realizing that neither she nor her son would ever live in peace and safety, Murphy makes the controversial decision to kidnap her own son. Disappearing Act chronicles the harrowing years Murphy and Colin spent on the run, as Guy and Angelou attempt to track them down. Eventually Sharon is caught and Colin is returned to his abusive father. Her subsequent incarceration and release are recounted in painful detail. The author has found an astonishing emotional truth about these events that both scarred and defined her family.