True North - The Shocking Truth about "Yours, Mine and Ours"

An inspirational story of survival and hope

by Tom North

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org

*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Pub Date Jul 15 2013 | Archive Date Oct 18 2013

True North Productions, LLC | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Members' Titles

Religion & Spirituality | Self-Help

Description

Tom North is one of eight North children, who together with ten Beardsley children, became the family which was featured in the 1968 film, “Yours, Mine and Ours” starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda, and again in the 2005 version starring Rene Russo and Dennis Quaid. The book begins in the 1950s on Whidbey Island, Washington, where Tom’s mother, Helen North, becomes a widow when she was just 30 years old and pregnant with her eighth child. Not long after, Helen North met and married Frank Beardsley, a man with 10 children, and they moved to Carmel, California. The North children were adopted and their names were changed to Beardsley. But, it wasn’t one big happy family. The stepfather’s violence, abuse, and even sexual abuse created a life of intimidation, fear and depression for the North children. All hope seems lost as Tom realizes that he is caught in a prison and there is no way out. When he finally leaves home, he travels on a journey of self-discovery, survival and healing. Years later, Tom miraculously leads his family in counseling sessions where shocking truths are revealed. He then reclaims his father’s name and is finally, True North.

Advance Praise

“This book is both charming and dark. You won’t be able to put it down.”
– Reader Review

“In his book, True North, Tom North takes his readers on the painful journey of child abuse with honesty, candor and even humor. He reveals the shame, sense of betrayal and outrage, as well as the inevitable poor life choices that are a young person’s response to persistent and often cruel maltreatment. While the reader might wish child abuse were not part of our world, North bravely tells the truth; the very thing that gives way to healing and forgiveness. But as importantly, his story is one about resilience and a young man’s determination to heal. He reflects on the power of the individuals who give him a sense of purpose and how spirituality gave him a sense of self and peace.”
– Siobhan Greene, Director, CASA of Monterey (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children)

“True North is a raw, gritty, incredible story of suffering, courage, healing and redemption. It helps us understand that human beings are ever so fragile, and at the same time,
remarkably resilient. It will deeply move you, and encourage you to see the shimmering beauty and innocence in everyone, including yourself.”
– Scott Kalechstein Grace, Author of Teach Me How to Love, and If Dr. Seuss Studied Eckhart Tolle

“True North is a compelling portrayal of the shadow side of one of America’s best known families of the 1960s, but it is also the moving insightful and inspiring story of Tom North’s
personal journey from domestic hell to emotional and spiritual health.”
– David Rasch, Ph.D., Psychologist and author of The Blocked Writer’s Book of the Dead

Marketing Plan

The silence which surrounds domestic violence and child abuse in America is deafening. True North – The Shocking Truth about “Yours, Mine and Ours” by Tom North is an important literary work whose purpose is to advance discussion of this national epidemic, a discussion which is critical to the process of identifying solutions to a problem that will only grow if left alone. Tom North explains: “My mission is to reach out to people who feel isolated, or misunderstood in the world and help them understand that they are not alone, and that their feelings may well be related to experiences they had in their early lives where they felt victimized by those who had greater power than they did. Those experiences may have caused great pain. I want people to understand they are not alone and that most everyone feels the same way. The more they experience their own divinity and essential nature, the more they will actually relate to humanity and see the beauty in the world, and not the pain.” Publisher is reaching out to all media and domestic violence and child abuse organizations, and booking Tom North for interviews, appearances and presentations. For more information, email: Marketing@TrueNorthbyTomNorth.com