Publication Date: March 4, 2003 | Series: Ballantine Reader's Circle
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.
'A scaring and finely crafted memoir ... insightful, generous, and perfectly pitched' KIRKUS REVIEWS 'A warm and lyrical writer who deserves to be better known' Kate Atkinson 'There is no denying the depth of her talent' New York Times Book Review
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From the Inside Flap
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.
Connie May Fowler is an award-winning novelist, memoirist, and screenwriter. Grand Central Publishing will publish her most recent novel, How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly, April 2, 2010. She is the author of six other books: five critically acclaimed novels and one memoir. Her novels include Sugar Cage, River of Hidden Dreams, The Problem with Murmur Lee, Remembering Blue--recipient of the Chautauqua South Literary Award--and Before Women had Wings--recipient of the 1996 Southern Book Critics Circle Award and the Francis Buck Award from the League of American Pen Women. Three of her novels have been Dublin International Literary Award nominees. Ms. Fowler adapted Before Women had Wings for Oprah Winfrey. The result was an Emmy-winning film starring Ms. Winfrey and Ellen Barkin. In 2002 she published When Katie Wakes, a memoir that explores her descent and escape from an abusive relationship. Her work has been translated into 18 languages and is published worldwide. Her essays have been published in the New York Times, London Times, International Herald Tribune, Japan Times, Slate, Oxford American, Best Life, and elsewhere. For two years she wrote "Savoring Florida," a culinary and culture column for FORUM, a publication of the Florida Humanities Council. In 2007, Ms. Fowler performed in New York City at The Player's Club with actresses Kathleen Chalfont, Penny Fuller and others in an adaptation based on The Other Woman, an anthology that contains her essay "The Uterine Blues." In 2003, Ms. Fowler performed in The Vagina Monologues alongside Jane Fonda and Rosie Perez in a production that raised over $100,000 for charity. She is currently working on her next project, a novel titled Euphrates in Paradise. In addition to writing, Ms. Fowler has held numerous jobs including bartender, food caterer, nurse, television producer, TV show host, antique peddler, and construction worker. From 1997-2003 she directed the Connie May Fowler Women Wings Foundation, an organization dedicated to aiding women and children in need. From 2003-2007 she served as the Irving Bacheller Professor of Creative Writing at Rollins College and directed their award-winning visiting author series Winter With the Writers. Ms. Fowler travels the country, speaking on topics such as writing, self-employment in the arts, literacy, domestic violence, child abuse, environmental issues, and popular culture. She teaches writing workshops and seminars globally and is the founder of Below Sea Level: Full Immersion Workshops for Serious Writers. She is a Florida native.
This review is from: When Katie Wakes (Ballantine Reader's Circle) (Paperback)
I have 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.
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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.
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This review is from: When Katie Wakes (Ballantine Reader's Circle) (Paperback)
When Katie Wakes by Connie May Fowler is an excellent book!! I love Connie May's writing style. She keeps you interested all the way through the book. I could hardly put it down, altho there were a few times that I had to!!
Altho this is a very sad story it does have a happy ending and the fact that Connie May Fowler and I are from the same town added to my interest in reading this book.
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