Waiting For Normal

        Wow…this book i have to say made a huge impact on me.  I started this book late last night and read it from page to page (all 290 of them) today until i finished it.  It was a roller coaster ride of connecting one emotional experience to another for me. 

         This book is about a 12 year old girl who is Waiting For Normal.  She is living with her mother, Denise; her biological father died when she was a  three year old girl.

         Her biological grandfather (whom Denise hates) and her ex- step-father Dwight, bind together to protect Addie from her mother’s inability to parent in a healthy way.  Dwight  became a huge part of her life.  Dwight and her mother had two other young girls together; but, when their marriage came apart he took the young girls to live with him.

           He wanted Addie as well…but, he had no legal rights to her.  He wasn’t her father in the eyes of the law.  Addie’s mother has some real problems.  She caused them to loose their home by mismanaging their money; she didn’t pay her mortgage or many of her other bills.  She spends tons of money for office supplies when she doesn’t have an office job.

            Denise puts too much responsibility on Addie.  She teaches Addie to hide their circumstances from those in a position to help her. She doesn’t keep enough food in the trailer.  She is obsessive about chatting on the computer; and she is obsessed with a television show.  Denise keeps her three children a secret from her new boyfriend.  She also is newly pregnant.  Addie keeps all of  her mother’s secrets from those who need to know to help Addie; much to her own detriment.

          Dwight comes to the rescue and allows them to live in a small trailer in a broken down part of town.  He comes to check up on Addie as often as he can; he lives quite a distance out of town due to his job in construction.  He loves her as deeply as he loves his biological girls.  He tries to put up safety nets as best he can; for when her mother fails her again.  Denise fails Addie often.

          Addie’s mother Denise is not a very consistent parent; she is all or nothing in everything she does.  Addie loves her mother; but, she is often left alone while her mother is out making a business plan.  It never amounts to much except that Addie is left alone to feed and clothe herself.  Addie develops friendships with a couple of people who run a local convience store across the city lot.

           Addie becomes their hero as the lady owner, her name is Soula , is sick with cancer.  She takes Addie under her wing when she is able and is a surrogate aunty.  She entertains Addie, and encourages her as well as keeps an eye on her.

            Addie fears the protective services workers as her mother has failed her before.  Addie’s mother very much sounds like someone with a personality disorder or maybe someone afflicted with bi-polar/manic/depressive disorder.  She isn’t able to meet the needs of any of her children; yet she finds ways to meet her own needs without burdening herself with day to day care of her 12 yr old child who she treats as an adult equal.

           It all blows up in the end…twisting and turning…this family drama.  By the end of the book…i am weeping with sorrow, and joy.  I am truly moved, as Addie’s story touches the parts of my heart that allowed me to foster parent many children like Addie for over 19 years of my own life. 

            My heart hurts for the brokeness of the family that Addie longed for and needed.  My mind tried to find ways to comfort and fix her life circumstances and in the end… I resigned myself to read the pages before me, until Addie’s life was resolved in a way i could live with.     She is a survivor and an overcomer in all the ways that count; and she does those things without loosing her ability to love. 

             Waiting for Normal is a very good book for a young person to read no matter their own family circumstances!  This book was published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.  It was copyrighted in 2008. The author is :  Leslie Connor