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Collecting Dreams Sue Whitmer 9781622954803 Books

Download As PDF : Collecting Dreams Sue Whitmer 9781622954803 Books

Collecting Dreams Sue Whitmer 9781622954803 Books

Disclaimer: I am the son of the author.

Collecting Dreams is a semi-fictional autobiography that follows the author as she returns to Kansas to help her sisters remove the pieces of a hoard to allow the hoarder, the author's mother, and the author's father to live in less squalid conditions. Throughout this journey, the author is reminded of her childhood, and she interleaves these memories (perhaps the titular "dreams") with her contemporary experiences back in Kansas. In the author's note, the author states, "There is some truth in this book." The writing style seems to suggest that there is more than just some truth to the book. The novel is sparse in dialogue and the more dialogue rich parts occur during the relatively recent events. This indicates to me that the novel is much more memorative than it is imaginative.

As the author's son, the book was very illuminating for me. In a family where most of my cousins grew up in Kansas and had an intimate relationship with the book's hoarder character (my grandmother), I was quite shielded from these interactions having grown up a thousand miles away. I can recall one time when I was younger when my grandmother asked me if there was a concern with her buying a hearse in order to have more space to house her puppets used in the library puppet shows. To my young mind, this sounded reasonable as, according to my grandmother, the hearse was cheap and it had a lot of space. My cousins quickly opined that I was not around to deal with the ridicule of having a puppet mortician for a grandmother. Despite my distant relationship with my grandmother, it was hard to miss the elements in which hoarding affected her lifestyle.

The novel includes glimpses into the mind of the hoarder as they justify keeping so many things. From a medicine cabinet spoon used to pour oil into the ear canal to old pickle juice saved for a treat, all of the items in the hoarder's house seem to have a story. I would find it tremendously interesting to read more about those stories.

I thought the novel was well written and would recommend it to anyone interested in the stories of the rural midwest.


Tags : Collecting Dreams [Sue Whitmer] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div> <div> <div>We'd gone about it the wrong way: invested three hours to clean up a tiny bathroom, and all we had to show for it was six nicely rearranged rugs,Sue Whitmer,Collecting Dreams,Tate Publishing,1622954807,Health, Mind & Body,Psychology,Abnormal psychology,PSYCHOLOGY Psychopathology Compulsive Behavior,Psychopathology - Compulsive Behavior

Collecting Dreams Sue Whitmer 9781622954803 Books Reviews

I loved this book. I have no personal experience with hoarders and this was an eye-opening experience. The story woven around the issue was interesting, "real" and touched upon so many emotions. An excellent read!
I really enjoyed reading this book. I learned a lot about hoarding behaviors. It was a real quick read. I would recommend this book to all my friends.
Author Whitmer writes of one family's struggle to survive emotionally by seeking to preserve happy memories with things.. "Collecting Dreams" has many examples and explanations that should strike a familiar chord for all families. I was particularly struck that music was used as a retreat from the pain of emotional reality. This book explained a lot regarding hoarding and saving things and dreams.
It was a good book, easy to read. Unfortunately, as the author says, it still wont "fix" the hoarder. It helps you be more considerate, compassionate, and understanding. Helps knowing I am not alone tho.
All of us have some type of incident in our past that has a strong influence on how we end up living our lives. This book is a fascinating account of a woman with a terrible incident in her childhood that causes her to wind up surrounding herself with "stuff" as a means of feeling safe. You do not need to be a hoarder, or even know one, to have compassion for this woman and her family as they try to help her overcome this obsession.
I read Sue Whitmer's book recently. This book deals with a family whose mom became a hoarder in her later years. The main character, Kelly, who has been away from the family for quite some time, comes home at the urging of her sisters to help deal with the problem. Kelly's sisters still live near their mom and dad, so have been dealing with the situation on a daily basis. Kelly is horrified and disgusted at the way her mom and dad have been living. As events unfold, a shocking secret about her mom's past changes Kelly forever.

Without going into details, I CAN say that the book is touching, sad and humorous at times. I recommend it for anyone who has tried to help a hoarder, as well as anyone who has no real knowledge of hoarding, like myself.
Sue does great job of weaving the past and present in this novel about a family struggling to deal with a parent's hoarding. She really captures the narrator's emotional journey, and gives a depth of understanding to the situation that shows like Hoarders aren't able to capture in an hour format. It is a brave book that doesn't shy away from exploring the traumatic events of the past that lead to the the family's present situation, but does it in an elegant way that unfolds naturally, and never for shock value. If you are looking for a quick read, with humor and drama, this would be a great book to pick up!
Disclaimer I am the son of the author.

Collecting Dreams is a semi-fictional autobiography that follows the author as she returns to Kansas to help her sisters remove the pieces of a hoard to allow the hoarder, the author's mother, and the author's father to live in less squalid conditions. Throughout this journey, the author is reminded of her childhood, and she interleaves these memories (perhaps the titular "dreams") with her contemporary experiences back in Kansas. In the author's note, the author states, "There is some truth in this book." The writing style seems to suggest that there is more than just some truth to the book. The novel is sparse in dialogue and the more dialogue rich parts occur during the relatively recent events. This indicates to me that the novel is much more memorative than it is imaginative.

As the author's son, the book was very illuminating for me. In a family where most of my cousins grew up in Kansas and had an intimate relationship with the book's hoarder character (my grandmother), I was quite shielded from these interactions having grown up a thousand miles away. I can recall one time when I was younger when my grandmother asked me if there was a concern with her buying a hearse in order to have more space to house her puppets used in the library puppet shows. To my young mind, this sounded reasonable as, according to my grandmother, the hearse was cheap and it had a lot of space. My cousins quickly opined that I was not around to deal with the ridicule of having a puppet mortician for a grandmother. Despite my distant relationship with my grandmother, it was hard to miss the elements in which hoarding affected her lifestyle.

The novel includes glimpses into the mind of the hoarder as they justify keeping so many things. From a medicine cabinet spoon used to pour oil into the ear canal to old pickle juice saved for a treat, all of the items in the hoarder's house seem to have a story. I would find it tremendously interesting to read more about those stories.

I thought the novel was well written and would recommend it to anyone interested in the stories of the rural midwest.