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Thank you for the lovely reviews here on the “Surviving Sue” page and on Amazon. I’m grateful for your feedback.
Synopsis

“Surviving Sue” is an eye-opening story about the fallout of keeping secrets, told from a daughter’s perspective as she navigated her mother’s mental health and addiction issues, while trying to shield and protect her disabled sister. “Surviving Sue” is about the power of storytelling to build resiliency, a guidebook for others who struggle with complex family issues.
Praise for “Surviving Sue”
…”a heart-breaking, yet somehow optimistic personal account…”
From the moment Vicki introduces us to Sue, we are captivated. Fascinated not only with Sue’s character, but how her turbulent persona ironically affects Vicki, Lisa and the others who are nearest and dearest to her. At the same time, we are mesmerized by Vicki’s strength and resilience, her dedication, and the multitude of emotions she expresses as she takes us through this heart-breaking, yet somehow optimistic personal account. This narrative is so engagingly well written and can teach us so many lessons about family – kudos to Vicki for sharing it with us.
–Bruce Bohrer, author of “Best Seat in the House: Diary of a Wrigley Field Usher” and former higher education colleague
…”a rollercoaster of laughter, love, wounding and redemption…”
The combination of humor and heartbreak in “Surviving Sue” unlocks a special chamber for reflection. Dr. Vicki Atkinson offers so many wonderful insights about what life with a complicated character like Sue brings and it’s a rollercoaster of laughter, love, wounding, and redemption. This book is a meaningful journey through the bonds of family, loving difficult people, and how we can heal intergenerationally in order to raise healthy families.
–Wynne Leon, entrepreneur and author of “Finding My Father’s Faith”
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Lisa’s Patch Jacket
This is my first post back in the WordPress saddle for 2025 and I want to share how grateful I am for the opportunity to step away, work on some other projects and spend loads of time with family and friends. I know I missed many of your posts and for that, I’m sorry. I…
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Santa Sue
(I shared a portion of this post a couple of years ago and couldn’t resist a ‘take two’ moment today…a smile about my complicated mother and her love of Christmas.) My mom, Sue, was a party girl at heart and Christmas was her favorite holiday. Even when money was tight, she’d find ways to rally people…
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Loving Lisa: “I’m Like the Others”
“We meet ourselves time and again in a thousand disguises on the path of life.” – Carl Jung Learning from others helps me see past the inadvertent disguises I wear. Most often, a comforting mask of certainty. Knowingness. Surprises come when I can recognize a growth opportunity. An opening to embrace what I might overlook.…


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