Aunt Judy figured her niece must have been dead, but she was just in jail.

First things first: standing ovation for a raw, intensely personal memoir that treads shoulder-deep into heartbreaking territory. It’s a brave, emotionally enervating story of infinite love unbowed by realistic expectations. At the same time, it’s not a Pollyannish collection of worn out self-help mantras. There’s real thought in these pages.

The author’s niece Cheryl is a drug addict who finds a direly needed source of support in her aunt.

Trapped in a tilt-a-whirl of addiction Cheryl falls prey to the behaviors and consequences keenly known to those with a monkey on their back: deceit, shame, entanglements with the law.

WHITE FLAG tells the story of this fight to save a bright young woman caught in a devastating spiral of self-destruction. But uniquely it goes further—all the way back to 1952 where the tragic origins of Cheryl’s inner pain might be found.

Written with desperation and love, Mandel’s exploration of generational trauma and inherited behavior is minutely researched and pragmatically valuable. Its true heft comes from its tone of unconditional love; a powerful voice that must tell a story of unconditional sadness.

Wow, this one was a really good one! White Flag by Judy Mandel is a memoir about an aunt who is trying to help her adult niece find her way through the continuous cycle of addiction and recovery. Judy's family has a history of trauma linked back to a freak accident in the 1950s when her mother and sisters were in a house fire caused by a plane crash! One of Judy's older sisters tragically died in the crash and her other sister survived the crash but was badly burned and had to undergo several surgeries related to skin grafts and reconstruction, and later in life fought lung cancer. Judy believes that the trauma her sister Linda suffered was passed down genetically to her niece, Cheryl. After Judy's sister dies, she feels a strong need to look out for and take care of Cheryl, who ends up in jail for crimes related to her cocaine addiction. Alternating between a traditional memoir style of writing, some excerpts of letters/facebook posts between Cheryl and Judy, and a non-fiction study of the impacts of trauma, addictions, poverty and social services in the United States, Judy tells a story while also teaching readers about a world they may not be familiar with: the life of an addict.

Thanks to Katie and Brey Pa, Meryl Moss and Booktrib for the opportunity to read and review this amazing memoir! I highly recommend it for anyone interested in supporting people with addictions, or for anyone interested in finding a great new memoir!