'How does a mother cope when she is forced to walk away from her three children and never see them again? That is what happened to JB's mother, Myrtle.
'Eventually, rescued from her despair by tall, dark and handsome George Rowley who fell in love her, Myrtle started a new life and had seven more children. She buried the grief of losing her first children deep within and kept her pain secret. JB and her siblings were unaware of the existence of Myrtle's first three children until after she died.
'Desperate to know how such a thing could happen to a devoted and caring mother, JB went on a journey to find out. What she discovered was a heartbreaking story of loss. It was a long time before JB was able to work out that her mother kept her early life and her first family secret out of misplaced guilt and shame. To redress that, JB decided to tell the whole world her mother's secret. 'Whisper My Secret' is a proud declaration that Myrtle did nothing deserving of guilt or shame.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Mother of Ten
Albert Park
:
Potoroo Press
,
2013
11060338
2013
single work
biography
'What happens to children who are robbed of family? Myrtle Rowley's first three children grew up without any knowledge of their mother after Myrtle was forced to give them up when they were still toddlers. Not only were the children deprived of contact with their mother, they also grew up devoid of any knowledge of each other after being placed in separate facilities. In this sequel to Whisper My Secret, award winning writer JB Rowley explores what happened to the three half-siblings she never knew. As one of the children of Myrtle's second family, JB also offers a personal view of a mother making a new life without her first family. Although the devastating loss of her first three children remained with her, Myrtle became a caring and committed mother of seven more children living in near isolation in the Australian bush. This mother's strength of character is matched in her first three children who survived and thrived despite being cheated of the nurturing that should have been their birthright. Their stories are sad, sometimes heartbreaking but ultimately courageous and inspiring.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
