Being sick successfully is not included in society’s panoply of worthy goals.

Yes, indeed, I am the stuff, the prize property, the recaptured trophy he will put up on the mantelpiece, in a rage every time I move a millimeter or look less polished, less tarted up...

Pipe down! I’m not going to hurt you! I just want to talk to you! This is for your own good!

I could feel the hard part of Mom very strongly that time. It was like a stone in her that grew bigger every time my father lost his temper, right under her heart. Feeling the...