“My Dear Rosa Jean” is a must read for anyone who has experienced child abuse or domestic violence, or who knows someone who has. It is a painful look into the life of a young woman who endured painful physical, mental, and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother, father, and other adults in her life.
The book is reminiscent of “Fried Green Tomatoes”, where a story of a woman’s life graphically unfolds as told to someone else.
In Carin Casey’s book, young Rosa Jean grew up believing that her father did not love her. She was physically and emotionally abused by both of her parents. Her need for a man’s attention and affection followed her into later life.
Once married, she entered a volatile relationship that ended in divorce. Finally finding a man who would love and nurture her, Rosa Jean thought life would be good. That was until her second husband abruptly died just two months after she had graduated from college.
A third marriage and dreams for love evolved…but again, Rosa found herself divorced. And finally, Rosa Jean once again found herself in an abusive relationship with another man as she neared the age of 40.
But that is only part of the story.
The impact of growing up as a young girl in such an abusive environment created emotional problems and trauma for Rosa Jean that clouded the rest of her life. Her mother was neglectful, physically, and emotionally abusive – and Rosa Jean was left to grow up too soon. Discounting disappointments and making excuses for her parents became a way of life – a way that led to misery, unhappiness, and even risking her own life at the hands of abusive men in her life.
Through conversations with her Aunt Grace, Rosa Jean reveals her life to us. Enduring relationships of mental abuse, belittlement, physical abuse, and degradation became ‘normal’ for Rosa Jean. Most of us cannot image the pain and abuse she endured.
Rosa Jean’s childhood was one of unfathomable pain and horrific dimension.
On her very first day of school, her mother helped her dress, gave her a satchel with lunch, kissed her at the front stoop of their home, and then shut the door! The young girl was confused, afraid, and upset – she was left to find her own way to school at this tender age. As a young girl, she became a cook, housekeeper and mother to herself and her siblings when her mother was arrested for a DUI.
Rosa Jean would prepare breakfast, get herself and her siblings ready for school, and rush to catch the bus for school. Living in a home where her mother screamed at her like a crazy woman, beat her head with her fist and a brush, and physically and mentally devastated her was common. Beatings began at three years old, and her father remained indifferent as her mother abused her. He eventually began to abuse her too, hitting her until she blacked out at times.
Telling her story to her aunt gives Rosa Jean a chance to better understand what has happened in her life. It gives her a chance to recover and move forward through a caring, loving relationship with her aunt and a growing spiritual relationship.
Through her book of betrayal, abuse, and neglect, Carin Casey offers help to those who have suffered in similar situations. She encourages awareness, presents recovery considerations, and offers vauable resources. Her book is her way of reaching out to help others.
This book is an intriguing and painful look into the lives of abused children and women. But it is also a tribute to those who have overcome their past to create their future. Carin Casey helps abused women move forward and recover by helping them understand that they are not alone.
To learn more about her books, or to purchase a copy, visit her website.
About the Author
Carin Jayne Casey is a native of Ohio and moved to West Virginia as a teen. She graduated from Radford University in Virginia and is employed in the field of business management. Casey has two children and four grandchildren and lives in Virginia. Visit her website to learn more about this and other books she’s written.
Carin Casey is an advertiser on Richmondmom.com
