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I grew up in the culture of New England in a small Massachusetts town. How I got from there to the West Coast is an interesting tale.
For a number of years I was an ESL teacher in northern Virginia. And before that, in a former life, I lived overseas in the Foreign Service. Just as I provided “springboards” for my students in writing class, my travels provide the backdrop for my second book, a memoir full of humor and pathos, on how I’ve overcome my lifelong depression and found my own prescription for happiness. Stepping Stones: A Memoir of Addiction, Loss, and Transformation is scheduled for publication with She Writes Press in June, 2020.
My partner, Gene, and I still spend time in New Mexico where we lived for a decade after retirement. When I’m not writing, I sing in a small women’s choir. And I do volunteer work in twelve-step organizations. We still get away whenever we can to enjoy hiking, skiing and canoeing locally. The rest of the year is for grandchildren and salt air at our home on an island in Puget Sound.
Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Stepping Stones: A Memoir of Addiction, Loss, and Transformation by Marilea C. Rabasa is a compelling memoir with themes that are captured in the title. Meet Marilea, a woman born to a life of ease, growing up in a family that has a long history of addiction. When her mom dies, Marilea experiences her first loss, and the dysfunctional nature of her family doesn’t help much, so soon, she finds herself embracing the family secret legacy: addiction. From an unhappy childhood through her travels and diplomatic service, readers witness a broken woman, held captive by her addiction. It is a story of pain and loss. But it is also one of redemption and healing, and the part that will touch everyone who picks up this book is her determination and her choice to take control of her life and destiny.
The memoir is written in beautiful prose with insightful passages on life, suffering, inner freedom, and personal transformation. The author writes beautifully about family, motherhood, and work, filling the pages with vivid imagery from her life. I particularly enjoyed the honesty with which Marilea shares her story, pulling readers in with her strong, unwavering voice and exploring human nature and relationships with skill and mastery. The story is powerful in that it offers insights and lessons that readers can use in other areas of life. This is a recovery story that inspires readers and communicates the hope that they too can triumph over what pulls them down. Stepping Stones: A Memoir of Addiction, Loss, and Transformation may tell a story that many readers are familiar with, but its message is unique and moving.
