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Written for the invisible walking wounded among us who hide their pain behind smiles-and for the educators and mentors who sometimes doubt the power of their influence-Seeing Eye Girl is an inspiring story of one girl's search for hope in an abusive, dysfunctional home, and of the teachers who empowered her.
As the "Seeing Eye Girl" for her blind, artistic, and mentally ill mother, Beverly Armento was intimately connected with and responsible for her, even though her mother physically and emotionally abused her. She was Strong Beverly at school-excellent in academics and mentored by caring teachers-but at home she was Weak Beverly, cowed by her mother's rage and delusions.
Beverly's mother regained her sight with two corneal transplants in 1950 and went on to enjoy a moment of fame as an artist, but these positive turns did nothing to stop her disintegration into her delusional world of communists, radiation, and lurking Italians. To survive, Beverly had to be resilient and hopeful that better days could be ahead. But first, she had to confront essential ethical issues about her caregiving role in her family.
In this emotional memoir, Beverly shares the coping strategies she invented to get herself through the trials of her young life, and the ways in which school and church served as refuges over the course of her journey. Breaking the psychological chains that bound her to her mother would prove to be the most difficult challenge of her life-and, ultimately, the most liberating one.
“"Is it possible that a story of chronic abuse at the hands of a mentally unstable mother can be beautiful? Seeing Eye Girl proves that the answer is yes . Armento's masterful prose and her penchant for the revealing detail make her account illuminating. This book is a testament to the human spirit that will not be denied fulfilling its potential. Armento gives witness to the hard fact that we sometimes have to nurture ourselves and shows just how that can be done." --Sue William Silverman, author of How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences "As soon as I started reading Seeing Eye Girl , I knew I was in the hands of a gifted writer and storyteller. Armento's prose is rich and observant as she guides us through her struggles to understand her mother's madness. Between the pages of heartbreak shimmers a compelling story of courage." --Melissa Cistaro, author of Pieces of My Mother " Seeing Eye Girl is a brave, riveting account of a young life coping with unspeakable hardship and abuse. But more than that, this memoir is a testament to the resilience and force of the human spirit. This is a story that will move you, affect you, and linger with you long after you close this remarkable book." --Lauretta Hannon, author of The Cracker Queen: A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life " Seeing Eye Girl lays bare every reason for a person of lesser courage, intelligence, talent, and determination to fail in life. Instead, Beverly's travails have been the impetus for her success as a teacher, professor, and author. A remarkable work by an amazing person. If I had read Seeing Eye Girl before I started teaching, I would have been an even better teacher than I was." --Louis D'Amelio, retired high school English educator”
2022 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards Honorable Mention in Non-Fiction (Autobiography)
2022 IPPY Awards Bronze Winner in Autobiography II (Coming of Age/Family)
“Is it possible that a story of chronic abuse at the hands of a mentally unstable mother can be beautiful? Seeing Eye Girl proves that the answer is yes. Armento’s masterful prose and her penchant for the revealing detail make her account illuminating. This book is a testament to the human spirit that will not be denied fulfilling its potential. Armento gives witness to the hard fact that we sometimes have to nurture ourselves and shows just how that can be done.”
—Sue William Silverman, author of How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences
“As soon as I started reading Seeing Eye Girl, I knew I was in the hands of a gifted writer and storyteller. Armento’s prose is rich and observant as she guides us through her struggles to understand her mother’s madness. Between the pages of heartbreak shimmers a compelling story of courage.”
—Melissa Cistaro, author of Pieces of My Mother
“Seeing Eye Girl is a brave, riveting account of a young life coping with unspeakable hardship and abuse. But more than that, this memoir is a testament to the resilience and force of the human spirit. This is a story that will move you, affect you, and linger with you long after you close this remarkable book.”
—Lauretta Hannon, author of The Cracker Queen: A Memoir of a Jagged, Joyful Life
“Seeing Eye Girl lays bare every reason for a person of lesser courage, intelligence, talent, and determination to fail in life. Instead, Beverly’s travails have been the impetus for her success as a teacher, professor, and author. A remarkable work by an amazing person. If I had read Seeing Eye Girl before I started teaching, I would have been an even better teacher than I was.”
—Louis D’Amelio, retired high school English educator
Inspired by the many teachers who mentored her, Beverly J. Armento became an educator and enjoyed a fifty-year career working with middle-school children as well as prospective teachers. Retired now, she is Professor Emerita at Georgia State University and holds degrees from The William Paterson University, Purdue University, and Indiana University. Seeing Eye Girl is her first book for the general public. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
As the "Seeing Eye Girl" for her blind, artistic, and mentally ill mother, Beverly Armento was intimately connected with and responsible for her, even though her mother physically and emotionally abused her. She was Strong Beverly at school--excellent in academics and mentored by caring teachers--but at home she was Weak Beverly, cowed by her mother's rage and delusions. Beverly's mother regained her sight with two corneal transplants in 1950 and went on to enjoy a moment of fame as an artist, but these positive turns did nothing to stop her disintegration into her delusional world of communists, radiation, and lurking Italians. To survive, Beverly had to be resilient and hopeful that better days could be ahead. But first, she had to confront essential ethical issues about her caregiving role in her family. In this emotional memoir, Beverly shares the coping strategies she invented to get herself through the trials of her young life, and the ways in which school and church served as refuges over the course of her journey. Breaking the psychological chains that bound her to her mother would prove to be the most difficult challenge of her life--and, ultimately, the most liberating one.
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