Worthy
Subtitle: a memoir
By: Denice Turner
Publisher: University of Nevada Press
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Reno
Language: eng
Number of pages: 213
ISBN-13: 9780874179682; 9780874179750
Subjects: Loss (Psychology); Grief; Self-esteem; Mothers and daughters; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs
Description: "Worthy is a memoir of loss and the search for acceptance. Raised in a Mormon household, Denice Turner strives to find her place in the Church, longing to be worthy of her mother's love. When her mother dies in a suspicious house fire, Turner is forced to face the problems with the stories she inherited. Contemplating the price of worthiness, Turner grapples with the mystery of her mother's death, seeking to understand her mother's battle with chronic pain.  The story unfolds as Turner confronts a history that includes a Greek grandfather whose up-from-the-bootstraps legacy refuses to die, the ghosts of two suicidal uncles, and a Mormon shrink who claims to see her dead relatives. In the end, this is a memoir not just about loss, but about all of the fragile human bonds that are broken in pursuit of perfection.  Wry and extraordinarily candid, Worthy will appeal to readers interested in the dynamics of family heritage, Mormon doctrine, and the subtle corrosive costs of shame. "--

"Worthy is Denice Turner's memoir of the year following the death of her mother in a house fire. In response to the shock of this loss, Turner considers the impact of her Mormon family's stories and beliefs on the emotional and physical health of her extended northern Utah family. Turner identifies a legacy of "unworthiness" that exacerbated her mother's depression and mental illness, driving her to multiple plastic surgeries, hoarding, and drug dependence. Turner examines her own legacy of shame and her efforts to overcome it"--