Here Be Dragons by Melanie Shankle

 

 

Here Be Dragons by Melanie Shankle wasn't in my schedule to read this week. I just found out about this new book and since I am pre-approved for NetGalley, I immediately downloaded it and it was just what I needed to read.

In Here Be Dragons, Melanie tells her story about growing up with the first "mean girl" in her life--her mom. She leans into her story to heal so she can better guide her daughter through the "mean girl" years in high school. The book's name comes from medieval times, when uncharted waters were marked on maps as Here Be Dragons to signify that no one knew what dangers might lie ahead. Similarly, in life, we don't know what dangers lie ahead, especially when our children start middle school or high school. 

Melanie wanted to raise her daughter, Caroline, to use her innate skills to be a strong warrior and to also look to God to help her fight her battles. However, before she could really help Caroline learn to fight, she had to heal from her own hurts from the dysfunctional family she grew up in. Through the first part of this book, it reads much like a memoir as she shares stories from her growing up years. She tells this difficult story with grace and humor and really does a good job sharing it. 

The second half of Here Be Dragons, Melanie tells the story of parenting Caroline through the tough years of her daughter's high school where she dealt with some mean girls. Mean girls there told her to kill herself and were just really unkind. I experienced some mean girls in high school but these girls were among the meanest. The nice thing about the book is that Caroline has now completed two years of college and has came out on the other side stronger and in a much better place--which I think gives parents hope. This part of the book gives some guidance for parents in similar situation but also reminds parents that each child and situation are unique too. Ultimately, Melanie recommends a lot of prayer and seeking God's guidance to know what to do in your own situation.

I read Here Be Dragons in about 24 hours. I honestly couldn't put it down. While my family of origin story reads differently, I could relate to so much of her story about how her mom treated her. Her mom's words were often similar to my mom's words. I admire Melanie for not sharing this story while her mom was alive. I also thought she told it quite well--with honesty but also with some grace and mercy towards her mom. I highly recommend this book to anyone who grew up with their own mean girl mom or who are raisin a teen in today's world of mean girls. 

I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah through NetGalley. All opinions within this review are my own.