The Boy Between by Amanda Prowse and Josiah Hartley
This is the true story of a mother and son, and the evil illness which is depression. What happens when your lovely, sunny boy, in whom you have so much hope, love and expectation invested becomes so low with depression that their world turns grey, and they feel the only way out is suicide? How can any mother cope with the terrible pain and helplessness?
Amanda Prowse is an incredibly talented and prolific writer, and her son Josiah (Josh) is a very intelligent and likeable young man, and together they document their way through the darkest period in their lives, and how they eventually bring colour back to Josh's world with the help of Josh's incredible Stepfather Simeon, and the whole family. Amanda and Josh take turns at writing chapters, often telling the same incident from their different points of view, which is extremely inciteful.
This is a book that had to be written, and will stay with me for a very long time. It should be compulsory reading in every Secondary school in the country! My son was in his first year at University last year and found himself spending the whole night with one of his flatmates in his halls of residence, talking him out of ending his life. He had no previous experience with this insidious disease, but luckily can talk the hind leg off a donkey! He was very distraught afterwards, and I feel he would have been better equipped if he had read this book prior to the incident.
I would also like every member of the Government to read this book, and then ensure there are properly trained counsellors at every University, actively watching out for struggling children. I feel like a law should be passed to ensure this happens (Josh's Law?) And/or a charity set up to help these children. I feel very strongly that there but for the grace of G-d go any of us - particularly mothers of boys.
Please don't let anything I have said put you off reading this book in any way. Having said all the above it is also a very engaging book, well written, and not difficult to read. At its heart is the love of a mother and son and most can relate to that if nothing else.
If you only read one book this year, make it this one!
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