When Katie Wakes

by Connie May Fowler

ISBN-10: 034544454X
ISBN-13: 978-0345444547

Book Description
Connie May Fowler is known to the world as the author of bestselling novels and powerful essays—but no one knew that for years she was the victim of brutal abuse and relentless humiliation. Now in this harrowing, spellbinding memoir, Fowler finally tells her own story.

The daughter and grand-daughter of battered women, Fowler found herself irresistibly drawn to a man who was bent on destroying her, physically and emotionally. Despite her youth, spirit, education, and wonderful talent, she was trapped in a cycle of violence and despair with no way out. Until the day she adopted an incredible puppy she named Kateland.

With stunning candor, Connie May Fowler reveals how the unconditional love and loyalty of this dog helped her turn the corner, find a safe place, and reclaim her own life. A work of extraordinary passion and courage, When Katie Wakes holds out hope and inspiration to anyone who has ever dreamed of starting over.

Inside Flap Copy
Connie May Fowler is known to the world as the author of bestselling novels and powerful essays?but no one knew that for years she was the victim of brutal abuse and relentless humiliation. Now in this harrowing, spellbinding memoir, Fowler finally tells her own story.

The daughter and grand-daughter of battered women, Fowler found herself irresistibly drawn to a man who was bent on destroying her, physically and emotionally. Despite her youth, spirit, education, and wonderful talent, she was trapped in a cycle of violence and despair with no way out. Until the day she adopted an incredible puppy she named Kateland.

With stunning candor, Connie May Fowler reveals how the unconditional love and loyalty of this dog helped her turn the corner, find a safe place, and reclaim her own life. A work of extraordinary passion and courage, When Katie Wakes holds out hope and inspiration to anyone who has ever dreamed of starting over.


Reviews

A poignant, beautifully crafted memoir
J. N Sandell (Maplewood, MN United States)

Ihave nothing but respect and gratitude for Ms. Fowler baring her soul to us and showing us what it truly means to triumph in the midst of so much pain and adversity. I, myself cannot imagine having to live through the horror that she has endured and then to want to relive it again by writing it, however, this book is a testament to her resilience. Connie Fowler's story may be difficult to swallow, harrowing to read, but ultimately it transcends all the violence and is so rewarding and courageous that it begs to be read and learned from.

Connie May Fowler is a victim and ultimate survivor of alcoholism and domestic violence just as her Mother and Grandmother were before her. Despite her talents, education and past experiences, she finds herself trapped in the cycle of unspeakable violence and seemingly endless despair. She is drawn to a man who seems bent on destroying her both mentally and physically. That is, until she adopts a puppy that she names Kateland and the two of them develop a relationship the likes of which I have never experienced; they seem to draw strength from each other and actually live for each other and that is what Connie needs to begin to turn the corner and start living without fear.

Ms. Fowler has a rare and wonderful gift for not only inspiring us but making us understand and for that I am grateful.

very heartwrenching
Sammy Madison (USA)

I had to set this book aside several times because it was so painful to read. Connie May Fowler's story about her and her sister growing up as the daughters of an abusive alcoholic mother and their lives after their mother's death struck me as the most honest I have ever read. I could feel her hatred of living in an old travel trailer in Florida "like a blister...I wanted to pop it". Small details like her mother's purse having cockroaches in it are gritty and authentic. The girls had some relief from their situation early in childhood when they lived near the ocean. When the mother decided to move away from the sound of the waves, it almost seems deliberate, to eliminate any joy or hope from their lives. If anyone really wants to understand how it feels to grow up in poverty, they need to read this book. The details about eating beans, all the time, and the conditions in the apartment Connie and her mother moved into when Connie won a full scholarship to college all make me know that the author really experienced this. Her sister got married and got out, but starved herself of food even though she had escaped from her old life. Connie's mother died and Connie got a degree and was working as a bartender at Bennigan's, since an English degree is not as salable as an MBA. There she meets a washed-up radio personality who has burnt all of his bridges behind him. Connie's mother used to listen to his broadcast on the steps of the old travel trailer, and said if she were younger, she would marry that man. Connie, whose father died when she was young, thought she had found someone successful to guide and validate her. She fell for his con game and let him take over her life like a vampire. Connie's abuser was a textbook pathological narcissist. Jobless, impotent, and 30 years older than she, he found the perfect victim for his manipulation and bullying. I found myself actually crying out loud, "just leave him- run away". People who are successful and haven't been programed by their upbringing the way Connie was would have been able to leave as soon as the abuse began, but Connie's abuser was the exact mirror image of her mother. Before Connie's mother died in the hospital, she had to clean the hardened excrement off her mother. When Connie's new abuser drank while taking antabuse, she had to do the same for him. She was well trained for her role. The only love and success she knew was from a puppy named Katie she adopted and saved from the same poverty she had grown up with.