Worthy: A Memoir - Softcover

Turner, Denice

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0874179688 ISBN 13: 9780874179682

Publisher: University of Nevada Press, 2015

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

Denice Turner is a specialist in life story. She received her PhD from the University of Nevada, Reno, and teaches at Black Hills State University. She lives in Spearfish, South Dakota.

Review

Worthy: A Memoir named a 2015 Foreword Reviews' INDIEFAB Book Award Bronze winner in the Family and Relationships category.

“Turner’s Worthy treads fragile ground. Hers is a story of a real and messy life lived on a fault line. That the story is of a lapsed Mormon feminist woman without easy solutions makes it one of the more distinct and relevant memoirs I’ve read in years.” —Liz Stephens, author of The Days Are Gods

“Worthy is an exquisitely painful and hard-won redemption of a mother and her daughter who have both lived too long with a sense of shame. Turner writes a glorious eulogy which will appeal to those who have ached to feel loved and yet to be released from this ruthless yearning.” —Phyllis Barber, author of How I Got Cultured: A Nevada Memoir

“Worthy is a clearly written memoir, well organized across sixteen precise and thought-provoking chapters. Women readers familiar with the juggling act demanded by the roles of wife, mother, daughter, sister, teacher, and student will appreciate Turner’s efforts to recognize these tricky maneuvers while leaving room to value oneself.” —Foreword Reviews
 

“Turner is a lovely writer. For those deeply interested in the individual psyche, in non-stereotypical Mormon family dynamics, and in intelligent, feeling writing about life circumstances and their far-reaching effects, this is a very fine work.” —The Association of Mormon Letters 
 

“The first six words of Worthy kept me turning pages: “My mother’s heart weighed 370 grams.” I applaud Turner as she bravely approaches the grim subject of her mother’s mysterious death and her abiltiy to walk away from family pain, and a religion that caused her so much conflict during her life. The result of her effort is a thoroughly enjoyable read.” —Story Circle Book Reviews

“Worthy is a clearly written memoir, well organized across sixteen precise and thought-provoking chapters. Women readers familiar with the juggling act demanded by the roles of wife, mother, daughter, sister, teacher, and student will appreciate Turner’s efforts to recognize these tricky maneuvers while leaving room to value oneself.”—Amanda Silva, Foreword Reviews (Amanda Silva Foreword Reviews)

“Turner is a lovely writer. For those deeply interested in the individual psyche, in non-stereotypical Mormon family dynamics, and in intelligent, feeling writing about life circumstances and their far-reaching effects, this is a very fine work.”—Julie J. Nichols, The Association of Mormon Letters  (Julie J. Nichols The Association of Mormon Letters)

“The first six words of Worthy kept me turning pages: “My mother’s heart weighed 370 grams.” I applaud Turner as she bravely approaches the grim subject of her mother’s mysterious death and her abiltiy to walk away from family pain, and a religion that caused her so much conflict during her life. The result of her effort is a thoroughly enjoyable read.”—Story Circle Book Reviews (Story Circle Book Reviews)

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Nevada Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0874179688
• ISBN 13: 9780874179682
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224