Written from the heart and experiences of Patty Blanchard, ‘Patty’s Turn: It took faith, courage and the love of her children to save her from attempted murder’ sees the author piece together her memories following almost six-decades of abuse at the hands of parents, siblings and lovers. Blanchard’s survival is nothing short of a miracle and, by sharing her story, she hopes to empower millions of abused women to take a stance against their malefactors and embark on their own journey to a better life.
Bayonne, NJ — (ReleaseWire) — 11/1/2014 — Memoirs about abuse are certainly not rare, but hardly any span a lifetime and come from the family members of those in the public eye. Tammy Blanchard may be known to audiences and critics around the world, but her mother Patty has kept quiet about her own life, until now.
This is the memoir of Patty Blanchard, one of 14 children raised in a tough Jersey City family during the 1950s. Patty survived many things during her childhood, but it was the attempted murder she experienced as a mother-of-three that helped her discover what courage, faith and the love of family is really all about.
“I start right at the beginning, aged four years old and at the hands of a physically-abusive mother who had six kids packed into a cramped Jersey City flat without enough beds, clothes and often just stale pieces of bread for dinner,†explains Blanchard. “My baby sister died of Croup and I became the punching bag for my mother’s grief, who physically and mentally abused me for the next decade and a half. We also lost a brother, Arthur, who was murdered at fourteen. I left home and married an older man when I was just seventeen. This was my ticket to a new life, or so I thought.â€
Continuing, “He and my next husband abused me. At the age of thirty-two I packed up my belongings, my kids and we set off on my promise of a better life. Things were looking up as I built a successful cleaning business from the ground up and was both confident and independent for the first time in my life. I was determined to stay away from abusers. But at the age of thirty-five I found myself fighting for my life, with multiple hammer wounds and being left for dead. Somehow, through the grace of faith and love of my children, I survived.â€
Patty didn’t write her book for commercial gain. In fact, it started as personal therapy.
“My therapist asked me to write down my thoughts and memories as they came back to me. I did this for years but didn’t ever read my notes back. Over twelve years I accumulated more than four-hundred pages and the power of my words caused me to break down when finally reading them. I decided to compile them into a book to help others facing the demons of abuse. If I can help just one person avoid a life like mine, then I’ll see it as a huge success.â€
Since its release, the book has garnered a string of rave reviews. Charlotte McNamara comments, “I absolutely loved this book! The writer was very brave, honest and real. Some like to portray” our lives to be perfect. Some of us like to read what really happens in someone’s life, whether good or not so good. This writer however captured my soul. Reading of her childhood and through her life was a heartfelt and left me in tears. Tears for that little girl, tears for that struggling teen …tears for all the other women who can’t tell their story, but sometimes can identify with some things in her book.â€
River View Observer adds, “An excellent read -a real page turner about an American family and a young woman’s abusive life and triumphant return from an attempted murder on her life by a former spouse. Ms. Blanchard has created a road map for women looking to move past abusive relationships to a place of empowerment.â€
‘Patty’s Turn: It took faith, courage and the love of her children to save her from attempted murder’ is available now: http://amzn.to/1usDPU9.
About Patty Blanchard
Patty will celebrate her 60th birthday on Nov.3th with her 3 children, William, Tammy, Thomas and her 4 grandchildren, Ava, William, Kaylee and Jaidah. Patty can finally say she knows what true love is, she met her soul mate Joe and has been skipping down the road of happiness for the past 8 years.