BECOMING BERIT Memoir Answers Questions on Child Abuse

Born with a twin named John to Biorn and Alma Frydenlund in Lancashire, in northwest England, on March 5, 1946, Berit Frydenlund McMillan began life as a true innocent. In Becoming Berit, a memoir, McMillan shows how her childhood self tumbles through an astonishing maze of early experiences. Of her readers, she asks, "What happens to children who have been abused? Do they continue their sorry lives as they were raised?" and answers "not necessarily" and takes her readers into a confusing time of childhood abuse relieved by her sharp, observant nature that takes harsh relevations in an objective stride and with a steady narrative strength.

Mcmillan, through the course of her formative years, was taken from her father, constantly uprooted and deposited in different places and schools and lost another father. All before her tenth birthday. The downward spiral continued into a living hell of poverty and abuse, pockmarked with stories of rape. On the other side of the coin, Becoming Berit entailed a building of a life worth living and the near-miraculous tale of surviving with heart and soul intact. Although the experiences were harsh, McMillan ultimately rose above them to write a life story that connects with many virtues: Hope. Sisterhood. Awareness. Strength.

The simplicity of this slim volume is key to its successful rendering of a tragic story. It clears a character-building path into the realities of an imperfect world. It also has surprising warmth, sensitivity, even acceptance. McMillan admits that she is happy to tell this story. There is also "a wonderful network of mentors" that may inspire readers of her book. It rounds off into Becoming Berit being a beacon of encouragement and hope.

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About the Author
Berit Frydenlund was born in England ten months after the end of World War II. Until 1948, she lived in Sarpsborg, Norway, then returned to England where she resided until 1974. She is the oldest of eight children. At Gloucestershire College of Education, she majored in education and literature then began her teaching career. After emigrating to the United States, she received a BSc from Malone College in Ohio and continued in the profession about which she was passionate-working with children. The author and her husband, Larry, have a son and a daughter and five grandchildren. They live in Dover, Ohio. Becoming Berit is her first book.

Becoming Berit * by Berit Frydenlund McMillan
Publication Date: April 3, 2013
Trade Paperback; $15.99; 76 pages; 978-1-4836-1571-4
Trade Hardback; $24.99; 76 pages; 978-1-4836-1572-1
eBook; $3.99; 978-1-4836-1573-8

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