San Ramon, California ~ At the age of five, a neighbor's intervention save Peggy Kennedy and her four older siblings from her mother's well-meaning but misguided attempt to asphyxiate the children and, as her mother saw it, take them to Neverland. Throughout their childhood, marked by their mother's numerous hospitalizations for acute bipolar disorder, the Kennedy children learned to cope with her illness and absences, and rely on each other for emotional support.
Peggy Kennedy has much to share about coming to terms with living with a parent's mental illness. And because bipolar disorder is genetic, she understands the added layer of growing up wondering, “Am I next?” But perhaps the most important thing Kennedy has to share is how her family was able to deal both with their mother's mental illness and a torrent of other family tragedies – including her sister's murder, her brother's death from AIDS and her father's Alzheimer’s – with unbreakable family bonds, unconditional love, and even humor.
Kennedy's newly released book, Approaching Neverland – A Memoir of Epic Tragedy and Happily Ever After, has special appeal for Bay Area residents, who will enjoy reading a story that captures the spirit of the Bay Area within the larger context of evolving attitudes about mental health, sexual orientation, and the role of women in marriage and the workplace in the 1960's, 70's, and 80's.
The author will be at Books, Inc., 2251 Chestnut Street (in the Marina), San Francisco, CA at 7:30 PM on November 19th for a reading and discussion, followed by a book signing. Attendees will be eligible to win tickets for a family of four to the new Walt Disney Museum in the Presidio. Meze's restaurant at 2373 Chestnut Street, will be creating a special appetizer plate for attendees dining before or after the November 19th reading.
About the Author:
Peggy Kennedy grew up in the Bay Area and attended Mills College where she received a degree in Asian Studies. She sold real estate for eight years before splitting with her husband and moving to San Francisco to start an events business that developed sponsorship for the Bay Bridge 50th Birthday Celebration, the Bay Bridge Permanent Lighting Campaign, In Concert Against AIDS, and the annual Chinese New Year Celebration. Compelled to write her family's unique and moving story, Kennedy began working on Approaching Neverland in 2004. The book was named a Finalist in the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and won first prize for non-fiction from the 2008 San Francisco Writer's Conference. Kennedy has been reunited with her husband for 19 years and lives in the East Bay with their younger son, chocolate lab, three horses, and their older son's annoying cat. She continues to market the Chinese New Year celebration. The author is available for interviews. To find out more, go to: www.approachingneverland.com.
