High Desert: A Journey of Survival and Hope

Kim Douglas has written eloquent, clear, outstanding and authentic book on her journey through the mine fields of family dysfunction and abuse, through her journeys using the tools of despair, i.e., drugs, alcohol, and food. Her style is literary and clear, yet starkly simple in that she writes of the horrors of physical and emotional abuse and couples that with an ever widening view of her spiritual purpose and her solutions. Her writing is wonderful. She had me on a phrase (p. 121) "In those moments, I experienced eternity not as some abstraction. Eternity was magenta and lavender crisscrossing into yellow flames. Eternity was my breath. Eternity was the gift of being in the moment, being present." So many of us have experienced aspects of her childhood. We have carried shame into our adult lives and played out our darkened themes. Of wonderful assistance is her referencing pathways to solutions in her Epiloque. She writes of the "broken" with eloquence and grace, and her actions and life reflects same. It was a privilege to read High Desert. Esther Bradley-DeTally, author of Without A Net: A Sojourn in Russia and forthcoming book You Carry the Heavy Stuff.High Desert: A Journey of Survival and Hope

After finishing this book I immediately thought of all of the friends and family members that I would want to pass it along to. The author shows much courage and bravery in sharing things that seem very hard to share. It is her honesty in sharing such things that makes the book so inspiring, insightful, and even empowering for others to read. Anyone who reads this book would learn something very valuable. The author is very open about her therapy and her own healing process and the hard work that it takes to survive a childhood filled with violence. And she does it in such a way that makes it seem like all of us could educate ourselves more on parenting, families, healthy marriage, and self-growth and that we should never stop learning. The author also weaves her spirituality and faith journey into the mix. She incorporates so many different aspects of her life into the story in a very integrated way so we see how they are all a part of the journey including her childhood family, her work as a writer and other jobs, relationships, therapy, faith, care of the body, other crisis and victories that she faced, marriage, and parenting. I am so glad that I was able to benefit from reading this book and I hope that many others enjoy the gifts that reading this book has to offer.

The author is courageous in her honest account of her difficult childhood and the subsequent problems that resulted and mistakes she made. This is a relatable story of someone who truly "rose above her raising" as Dr. Phil so often says. She proves that although a person cannot always control what happens to them; they can control how they react. She chose to be proactive and an example for others to follow by seeking help and ending the pattern of abuse in her life. Hers is a story of hope for others in similar situations.

This memoir is heart-rending and inspiring. Kim Douglas presents a disturbing picture of hidden family violence, but she does not stop there. High Desert is the story of her courageous journey of healing and a gift of hope to others on a path of recovery from domestic violence. I was touched by the sometimes stark honesty of this story and inspired by the resilience and faith that moved the author from a victim to a compassionate "thriver".

I devoured this book - beautifully written, and finally a memoir where the writer reflects on her life journey and writes about her counseling journey too. So many memoirs are focused on WHAT happened, but don't reflect on how that influenced the person. Such a powerful message of survival (against all the odds of domestic violence). And how to break the cycle of violence. I'm definitely thinking more about how I parent after reading this book! I loved the notes in the back - reflections and helpful advice/tips of places to turn to for emotional, spiritual, physical and family health.