Edna's Gift: How My Broken Sister Taught Me to Be Whole

Description

* 5 million Americans alive today are adoptees; 135,00 children in the USA are adopted each year. * There are 552,00 mental health professionals in the US. * One out of eight women in the US deals with infertility issues. One out of every 4,000 women has the MRKH syndrome. * Nearly one out of 5 people in the US lives with a disability. * 6.6 million children ages 3-21 receive Special Ed services. AUDIENCE: * Mental health professionals, including licensed professionals as well as support staff in group homes and facilities for disabled and mentally challenged people * Anyone struggling with infertility * The MRKH community * Parents through adoption * Families with disabled children and adults, particularly siblings * Baby boomer women, in particular those interested in a psychological journey towards self-acceptance * Spiritual seekers

For over forty years Susan Rudnick, LCSW, has been listening to people tell their stories in her Manhattan practice of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. In Edna's Gift, she tells hers. The seed for her memoir was "Coming Home to Wholeness," a chapter she contributed to Into the Mountain Stream, a book of personal reflections on psychotherapy and Buddhist Experience. Rudnick, a Zen practitioner, has published haikus as well as articles about psychotherapy in professional journals. Culled from thousands of submissions, one of her haikus appears in New York City Haiku: From the Readers of The New York Times. She and her husband live in Westchester NY, but also love to spend time at their cabin in the Catskills. Being a parent is her greatest joy.

"Rudnick's debut memoir examines her complicated relationship with her developmentally disabled sibling as well as her own tumultuous path to self-acceptance and fulfillment. . . . Rudnick is a talented writer, often displaying a keen ability to capture emotional intensity through concise prose." -Kirkus Reviews "Edna's Gift is the exquisite story of sisters caught in a lifelong struggle for healing and wholeness . . . It moved me profoundly, to laughter and tears, and deserves a place on your bookshelf alongside classic memoirs of sister love, including Elizabeth Lesser's Marrow." -Mark Matousek, author of The Boy He Left Behind and When You're Falling, Dive "Edna's grace and indomitable spirit in spite of her many challenges will inspire readers as it inspired her sister, Susan-and proves that our life's greatest teacher often turns out to be the person we least expect. Rudnick's lovely and moving memoir of her own journey toward fully embracing Edna-and herself-is a gift to us all." -Barbara Graham, New York Times best-selling author of Eye of My Heart "Two lives that forever intertwine will draw you in and keep you reading. Each is slightly broken but uniquely whole . . . This book will stay with me for a long time." -Kay Berry, an administrator of MRKH Experiences, Advice and Support "A powerful memoir of a sister's love for and devotion to her developmentally disabled sister . . . For anyone intrigued by the process of transformation, Edna's Gift is a source of inspiration." -Judith Ruskay Rabinor, PhD, author of A Starving Madness and Befriending Your Ex After Divorce "Edna's Gift is an honest, unwavering love story between two sisters-one of whom has developmental delays. Rudnick's writing had me hooked from the first page." -Linda Atwell, author of Loving Lindsey "The relationship between 'typical' and 'special needs' siblings is complicated-often not reciprocal in the traditional sense and sometimes fraught with conflicting emotions, it can also bring unexpected riches. Susan Rudnick has given us an eloquently crafted exploration of how her life has been shaped by her sister. The result is an honest, insightful and love-filled memoir." -Teresa Sullivan, author of Mikey and Me "Beautifully written. . . I literally could not put it down." -Barbara K Schwartz, PhD, author of Hopeful Paths "A powerful and intimate account of the trials, tribulations, challenges, and opportunities of being a sibling of a person with disabilities." -Avidan Milevsky, PhD, Ariel University, author of Sibling Issues in Therapy