Mermaid: A Memoir of Resilience

Download or read book Mermaid: A Memoir of Resilience written by Eileen Cronin and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2014-01-20 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cronin, born without legs, describes her life growing up as one of eleven children in a large Catholic family, wearing prosthetics, going to school, facing bullies, and searching for love and happiness. She felt most comfortable and happiest relaxing and skinny dipping with her girlfriends, imagining herself "an elusive mermaid." As her mother battled mental illness, Cronin tried to get her to say whether she took thalidomide during her 1960 pregnancy. Eventually she found the strength to set out on her own, volunteering at hospitals, earning a PhD in clinical psychology, and developing her capacity to forgive and accept life as a journey of self-discovery and transformation.