Split: A Generation Raised on Divorce

Author/Editor: Ava Chin
Publication date: June 2002

Press: McGraw-Hill
Format: Paperback
Language: English
ISBN: 0071391061

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Synopsis

An anthology of intimate personal accounts by hip young journalists and writers in their 20s and 30s, Split will be a source of insight, comfort, and healing for all those who were children of divorce. High-profile Gen X writers who have contributed to this volume include Paula Gilovich, Jill Priluck, Ayana Byrd, Matt Briggs, and Jen Robinson. Like a support group between the covers of a book, this collection of 15 stories articulates some of the most difficult emotional aspects of growing up in a broken home, while providing hope for the future.

Long Review

“Growing up in a broken home has its challenges, one of the most difficult being that many children of divorce are given no choice but to adapt silently to dramatic domestic changes over which they have no control. Many adults in their twenties and thirties were raised on divorce, and this brave and insightful collection of essays gives them a long-awaited platform. Each essay is unique in its tone and setting, but many common themes run throughout the book: the family’s inability to talk openly about the divorce, the shuffling back and forth between parents’ homes, and frustrations of living with stepparents. Many of the essays are quite well written; James Browning’s “Mac” stunningly shows the complexity of stepfather and stepson relationships, and in “Wherever You Want,” Douglas Goetsch’s stark and disconnected style amplifies the loneliness of growing up with emotionally unavailable parents. Those who grew up in broken homes will find themselves nodding and discovering familiar scenes, feelings, and disjointed family dynamics.” — Booklist 2002-08-01