Suspended Sentence: A Memoir

by Janice Morgan

Overview

When Janice Morgan, a divorced college professor living in a small town in Kentucky, learns that her son has been arrested for possession of a stolen firearm and drug charges, she feels like she’s living a nightmare. Dylan’s turbulent period as a college student in Cincinnati before this should have warned her, but it’s only now that she realizes how far he has drifted into substance abuse and addiction. As Dylan passes through the judicial system and eventually receives a diversion to drug court, Morgan breathes a sigh of relief—only to find that she, too, has been sentenced right along with him. In the months to follow, she leads a double life: part of it on campus, the rest embarking upon what she calls “rescue missions” to help Dylan stay in the program. But resilience, dark humor, and extreme parenting can only carry you so far. Eventually, Morgan discovers that she needs to gain a deeper understanding of the bipolar and addiction issues her son is dealing with. Will each of them be able to learn fast enough to face these complexities in their lives? Clearly, Dylan isn’t the only one who has recovery work to do.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631526442
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	10/15/2019
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Janice Morgan formerly taught courses in language, literature, and cultural history as a college teacher in rural Kentucky. During that career, she wrote about social issues in French cinema, publishing in The French Review, Cinema Journal, and the Quarterly Review of Film and Video. Based on her family’s experiences, she now advocates for better mental health awareness, substance abuse recovery, and criminal justice reform.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Boy 13

Chapter 2 Bombshell 16

Chapter 3 Time Out 20

Chapter 4 Get to Gigi's House 30

Chapter 5 Locked Up 35

Chapter 6 Signs and Portents 51

Chapter 7 Circuit Breakers 57

Chapter 8 Drug Court 72

Chapter 9 Nami I 86

Chapter 10 The Rule of Twos 93

Chapter 11 Forgive Us Our Debts 99

Chapter 12 Attila the Hun 114

Chapter 13 Deepak and Tupac 116

Chapter 14 Off Track 130

Chapter 15 Road Warrior 139

Chapter 16 A New Start with Dad 147

Chapter 17 Jamaica 160

Chapter 18 White Rabbit 170

Chapter 19 Young Men on the Roadside 184

Chapter 20 Nami II 190

Chapter 21 Two Steps Forward 198

Chapter 22 One Step Back 216

Chapter 23 How Far Is It Still? 224

Chapter 24 A Garden in the Forest 234

Chapter 25 Fireflies and Stars 252

Chapter 26 Wheels 255

Chapter 27 When 269

Chapter 28 Mom, Where Are You? 270

Chapter 29 Nami III 273

Chapter 30 Visions in the Slipstream 277

Chapter 31 Looking Out There Together 294

Acknowledgments 298

References 300

For Further Reading 303

Useful Resources 307

About the Author 311

Editorial Reviews

2020 CIBA Journey Book Awards Finalist
2020 Best Book Awards Finalist in Health: Addiction & Recovery
2020 Best Book Awards Finalist in Health: Psychology/Mental Health
2020 Eric Hoffer Awards da Vinci Eye Finalist

“Suspended Sentence pulls the reader into the chaotic experience of parenting a child with mental health, substance abuse, and legal issues. Morgan provides an intimate glimpse of the emotional exposure she experienced as a mother-the ups and downs with her son, but also ultimately the personal growth process and self-discovery she gained. This firsthand experience can provide solace for other parents facing similar struggles.”—Krissy Pozatek, MSW, author of The Parallel Process and Brave Parenting

“The pacing and suspense kept me engaged throughout. I love how Morgan uses the central narrative of drug court to move the story forward while making room for family reflections, memories, and insights about how mental health issues and substance abuse are often intertwined. The Alice in Wonderland section was particularly illuminating.”
—Dr. Michael Bordieri, PhD, psychologist

“I found this story to be enlightening, even with my many years of service as a drug court judge. The perspective of the family is one that the judge does not get to hear; the author's insight helped me to see the meaning of 'I'll never give up on my child' in action. It is so very important that people have conversations like this.”
—Judge Earl-Ray Neal, 25th District Court, Kentucky

“A frank, earnest memoir of the difficulties of parenthood. . . Morgan [is] forced to also consider her own co-dependency and find a path through the minefield of motherhood to save both her son and herself.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Suspended Sentence is an incredibly moving book, describing the ups and downs of addiction, mental illness, and the power of the human mind to deal with this roller coaster ride. A fast-paced read, the book is filled with a love-hate relationship, tough times, and hope. . . . I highly recommend Suspended Sentence by Janice Morgan to professionals, families, and those impacted by bipolar disorder.”
—Reader Views

“This memoir is an excellent read for parents with a teenager or young adult that has encountered the criminal justice system, parents with a teenager or young adult coming to grips with a mental health diagnosis, and anyone who is part of the court system, involved in diversion programs, or mental health counseling. So much can be gained from reading Janice Morgan’s story.”
—The Nerd Daily

From the Publisher

2019-07-08
Morgan recounts her struggles to mother a troubled man in this debut mental health memoir.

As a single mother of an adolescent boy, Morgan reminded herself to pay close attention, knowing Dylan—like all sons—would change as he grew older. It wasn't until June of 2011—when the then-23-year-old Dylan was arrested for firing an illegal gun after a party and was then also found to be growing marijuana in his apartment—that she realized just how far he had drifted from the boy she knew. Morgan, a college professor, was at first horrified by the impending gossip sure to spread through the small conservative Kentucky town, but she began to consider the warning signs: Dylan's struggles with bipolar disorder, his DUIs, his refusal to find a job. After some cajoling, Dylan agreed to enter a Drug Court program that would help him avoid his three felony charges, though he only had one shot. Any mistakes would have landed him in jail. To ensure that Dylan completed the program, Morgan realized she needed to change strategies—to be more understanding of her son's mental health and addiction problems, while not being too lenient. Morgan was forced to also consider her own co-dependency and find a path through the minefield of motherhood to save both her son and herself. Morgan's prose is ruminative and laden with imagistic language: "For a long time, while my son was very young, I thought he was a smaller version of Attila the Hun. I thought he had only three settings on his dial: brash, bold, and barbarian." Dylan is a difficult, often infuriating figure, and Morgan confronts his issues (and her own) with candid, sometimes-painful self-awareness. Her accounts of the justice system and rehabilitation are illuminating, and while the details sometimes overwhelm, the reading experience manages to capture the immense frustration that she (and others) no doubt felt. If memoirs exist to depict how some navigate situations that others can't imagine, this one is a great success.

A frank, earnest memoir of the difficulties of parenthood.

Kirkus Reviews