Crossing Fifty-One by Debbie Russell

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Book Description (Amazon.ca)

A week before Christmas 1951, Dr. Ralph Russell risked everything to voluntarily enter a locked federal drug-treatment facility known as a “narcotic farm.”

Sixty-five years later, Dr. Russell’s granddaughter Debbie suffers a debilitating crisis of identity when her father (Dr. Russell’s oldest son), always her biggest fan, is accepted into hospice.

Debbie’s investigation into her paternal lineage reveals family secrets and ignites her mother’s volatile outbursts, propelling her into therapy.

When therapy fails her, the grandfather Debbie never knew saves her, and she collaborates with her dying father one last time to make her biggest dream come true.

Crossing Fifty-One pulls back the curtain on the internal struggles of midlife and provides a blueprint for redefining one’s self beyond the constraints of addiction and dysfunctional family dynamics.

My Thoughts

Debbie Russell is a new to me author and one that I will follow moving forward. This is her story and history she was not familiar with until she decided to open some untouched boxes. It is an incredible journey on how passed generations affect our future lives.

Debbie’s relationship with her mother is far too familiar to me at least and when reading it, it felt like I was reading my story. The way the interactions between wife and husband were so similar it blew my mind. Is this a generational thing?

I personally loved this story. It did take a bit to read not because of the writing but because it was so similar to me, it took me back. It was well written and the combination of past and present was done flawlessly. There was no confusion and easy to follow.  Having pictures of actual letters made it so much more real adding to the story.

I highly recommend this if you love reading memoirs. It is just a really good story.

Rating: 4.5

Reviewed by: KellyR