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Goodbye, Sweet Girl
Goodbye, Sweet Girl: A Story of Domestic Violence and Survival | Kelly Sundberg
17 posts | 9 read | 26 to read
"In her stunning memoir, Kelly Sundberg examines the heart-breaking bonds of love, detailing her near decade-long marriages slide into horrific abuse. Sundberg shares her own confusions, fears and empathy for her violent husband, even as she comes to realize he will never change. This is an immensely courageous story that will break your heart, leave you in tears, and, finally, offer hope and redemption. Brava, Kelly Sundberg."Rene Denfeld, author of The Child Finder "A fierce, frightening, soulful reckoningGoodbye, Sweet Girl is an expertly rendered memoir that investigates why we stay in relationships that hurt us, and how we survive when we leave them. Kelly Sundberg is a force. She has written the rare book that has the power to change lives."Christa Parravani, author of Her: A Memoir In this brave and beautiful memoir, written with the raw honesty and devastating openness of The Glass Castle and The Liars Club, a woman chronicles how her marriage devolved from a love story into a shocking tale of abuseexamining the tenderness and violence entwined in the relationship, why she endured years of physical and emotional pain, and how she eventually broke free. "You made me hit you in the face," he said mournfully. "Now everyone is going to know." "I know," I said. "Im sorry." Kelly Sundbergs husband, Caleb, was a funny, warm, supportive man and a wonderful father to their little boy Reed. He was also vengeful and violent. But Sundberg did not know that when she fell in love, and for years told herself he would get better. It took a decade for her to ultimately accept that the partnership she desired could not work with such a broken man. In her remarkable book, she offers an intimate record of the joys and terrors that accompanied her long, difficult awakening, and presents a haunting, heartbreaking glimpse into why women remain too long in dangerous relationships. To understand herself and her violent marriage, Sundberg looks to her childhood in Salmon, a small, isolated mountain community known as the most redneck town in Idaho. Like her marriage, Salmon is a place of deep contradictions, where Mormon ranchers and hippie back-to-landers live side-by-side; a place of magical beauty riven by secret brutality; a place that takes pride in its individualism and rugged self-sufficiency, yet is beholden to church and communal standards at all costs. Mesmerizing and poetic, Goodbye, Sweet Girl is a harrowing, cautionary, and ultimately redemptive tale that brilliantly illuminates one womans transformation as she gradually rejects the painful reality of her violent life at the hands of the man who is supposed to cherish her, begins to accept responsibility for herself, and learns to believe that she deserves better.
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review
Clwojick
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Pickpick

Finished this one off last night, getting my #24B42020 total to roughly 6.5 hours! I doubt I‘m going to make the 24 hours, thanks to how busy December ended up being for me, but I‘ll take any extra #WinterGames points I can get lol.

#MerryReaders

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Clwojick
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I‘m about 3 hours into #24b42020 thanks to insomnia last night. I eventually had to take out my headphones last night, cause I knew I wouldn‘t fall asleep if I had my audiobook going. Oh well! 🤷🏻‍♀️ Now I‘m starting this audiobook while I‘m on lunch at work.

Born.A.Reader What's the 24b42020? And where do I sign Up? Lol 5y
68 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Kalalalatja
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Day 7 #7Covers7Days #CoverCrush

Last day 🙌 if you have been envious of all the littens posting beautiful covers, see this as your chance to join in! Post a cover each day for a week without an explanation

Cinfhen Powerful cover 💙thanks for playing along 😘 5y
89 likes1 comment
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savvy24

I no longer wanted to suffer quietly. I no longer wanted to be controlled by my story. I wanted to tell my story instead.

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savvy24

I started carrying my stories beneath my rib cage in a physical manifestation that was somewhat like grief-a constant fluttering hummingbirds heart.

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savvy24

That little girl is you as a child. Go to her. Hug her. Treat that child version of yourself with the kindness that you would have for any child. Hug her like a loving mother would hug her and picture the walls of the tower collapsing.

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Kalalalatja
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A stack of nonfiction books by women who want to change the world, stereotypes, attitudes, laws, practices, politics and society. A stack of books that shows the power of women, of a #SheWill mentality, of bad ass writers with opinions. Hopefully this stack will only keep growing over time 📚

#NoFemmeber

Purrsistently Love love LOVE love 6y
TrishB A great stack 👍🏻 6y
laurieluna I've only read 2 of these. Need to change that! 6y
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Cinfhen Great stack and you just gave me an inspiration for #pop19 title with the word ״sweet״ 6y
ephemeralwaltz Love it! 6y
Emilymdxn Great stack! Hunger is one of the best books I‘ve ever read. When I finished it I wrote to Roxane Gay to tell her how much it meant to me, it was so good 6y
Libby1 Women and Power is SO good. 6y
JennyM Such a great and powerful stack! 6y
sprainedbrain Love this! 🙌🏻 6y
Billypar Great bunch you have here! Agreed @Emilymdxn - I loved Hunger, I feel like Gay has such a deft grasp on social issues, and she writes about her own life with just as much lucidity, and an insight that even good memoirs don't always have. 6y
batsy I love this 💜 6y
Kalalalatja @Purrsistently @TrishB @ephemeralwaltz @JennyM @sprainedbrain @batsy 🙌🙌 @miralunasbooknook I loved most of them, so I can get behind that! 👍 @Cinfhen I‘m going crazy with all the hints, when is the list of prompts coming?? 😂😂 @Emilymdxn @Billypar I loved Hunger, but couldn‘t finish Bad Feminist, but that might have been a timing issue. I loved Not That Bad, too 👌 @Libby1 I loved it! 6y
Cinfhen I hope soon!!! I‘m ready to drop the list!!!! 6y
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Owlizabeth
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I‘m relating to Kelly a lot more than I thought I would.

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Reviewsbylola
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Pickpick

I think people always question why victims stay in their abusive relationships. I know I have been guilty of it before. This memoir illuminated how easy it is to stay.

Kelly and Caleb seemed to have a love story to last the ages, but Caleb‘s abusive nature eventually shone through and Kelly struggled to stay in a marriage with a man she both loved and despised.

#flyonthewingsoflove #septemberdanes

Kalalalatja Great review! 6y
JSW To oversimplify, it‘s also part of our victim blaming culture. We never ask, why does the abuser abuse? What are the patterns that entrap victims? How do we heal broken people before they break others? 6y
JSW I got all serious. Good review! 6y
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Reviewsbylola The victim blaming was definitely evident here as well. The author‘s parents either didn‘t believe her or told her that marriage isn‘t easy, she should try harder. 😢 @jsw 6y
emilyhaldi 💔 6y
Mdargusch I‘m definitely the one who says to run as fast as you can! 6y
Cinfhen 😢 6y
120 likes5 stack adds7 comments
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Reviewsbylola
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Two weeks into the school year and we‘re having our first vom sesh. Fun times. I had planned on a relaxing Friday night. Now I‘m just trying to survive. 😂🙏🏻😭🤮

Jbakesmcgee3 😩😩😩so so sorry to hear! 6y
Owlizabeth Ohnoooooo 6y
Soubhiville Ew, I‘m sorry. I hope she feels better fast. 6y
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CoffeeK8 Oh no! Hope she feels better soon 6y
Kappadeemom Aw law, Back to school is the worst! 6y
kellyann28 Poor girl. And poor Mom! 6y
Notafraidofwords Praying for you. Ugh. 6y
umbrellagirl Hugs 6y
britt_brooke Oh no!! Hope she feels better soon. 6y
Chrys Ah, the traditional back to school illness. Best of luck to you both and hope she feels better soon 6y
LeahBergen Oh no! That sucks! 6y
Tamra Hoping it‘s a quick one! 🤞🏾 6y
JacqMac Back to school germs suck. I hope she feels better soon. 6y
Kalalalatja Bummer! Hope she feels better soon 🤞 6y
Cathythoughts Poor little pet , hope she feels better fast 6y
JennyM Oh no. sending get well, no-more-vomiting wishes xx 6y
emilyhaldi Oh god 🤢 6y
Mdargusch Ugh! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 6y
minkyb So sorry. 6y
Cinfhen Ugh 😑 sorry 6y
Cinfhen But her braid is looking perfect 😍😍 6y
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whatsthEStorey
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Pickpick

I don't think a more, or even equally, truthful book about domestic violence has been written. I feel fairly confident saying that, because I wanted to read this story for years. I actively searched for it. But I had to wait for it to be written. Kelly writes about her love story turned horror with equal time & candor for both parts of the relationship, which made her loss & terror real. I'm so sorry she lived it, but so grateful she wrote it.

wanderinglynn What a beautiful cat! ❤️🐱 6y
whatsthEStorey @wanderinglynn thank you! She is the apple of my eye! 6y
Kalalalatja Great review! I was a beautiful, heartbreaking and tough book! 6y
42 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Kalalalatja
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Pickpick

I don‘t even know where to start with this one! It almost reads like a novel, about one of the most scary and uncomfortable subjects - abuse. Sundberg writes with honesty, emotion and just enough details to give you insight into her situation, without it being too graphic or violent.

As a volunteer counsellor for abused women, this was both educating and eye opening, and while it is heart breaking, I‘m glad I read it! 💔💔

JennyM I‘ve not seen or heard of this one until your posts. It looks a harrowing read. 6y
whatsthEStorey I just finished this and felt it was the most honest and real account of DV I've ever read. Beautifully written, too. 6y
jillrhudy I might try it if it‘s not too triggering. 6y
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Kalalalatja @jillrhudy there is some descriptions of violence, but to me, it was the descriptions of the psychological abuse that were the hardest to read, and there was a lot more of it than the physical violence. But you should definitely take care of yourself, and don‘t force anything! 6y
jillrhudy Thank you for the work that you do. One volunteer who answered a phone one time—to me she‘s worth more than all the world‘s great artists. She kept me on a good path for myself when I was being legally, financially, and emotionally crushed. I don‘t know who she is. 6y
Kalalalatja @jillrhudy I‘m so glad you have had a supportive and good experience with a volunteer! I‘m just happy to do what I can, especially when the system fails with helping. 6y
Reviewsbylola I just finished this and I thought the way she described the cycle of abuse was so truthful. It makes it easier to understand why people stay in abusive relationships. 6y
Kalalalatja @Reviewsbylola agree! She made it relatable in a way I haven‘t seen before 6y
112 likes3 stack adds8 comments
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Kalalalatja
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When Kelly meets Caleb, she thinks if he just #Layallyourloveonme, everything will be fine. But things turn out to be not at all fine, when Caleb‘s temper starts to show.

This book feels like reading a novel, and it is kinda giving me Educated by Tara Westover vibes. But, man, the stuff some people put other people through. I can‘t even 😢

#ABBAinAugust #Currentlyreading

erzascarletbookgasm Sounds💔. Pretty profile pic, btw! 👍❤️ 6y
Kalalalatja @erzascarletbookgasm it is 💔 and thanks! One of my friends is training to be a photographer, and she took a lot of great pictures of me for my job applikations 👌 6y
Avanders I was going to say the same thing about your pic! 💙💙 The book sounds rough though. I agree -- the things some people put other people through 😰😢😤😖 6y
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ephemeralwaltz Lovely profile pic!!! The book does sound 💔 but it sounds really really good. Looking forward to youe thoughts! 6y
emilyhaldi Lol, we are all quite distracted by your new profile pic!! That was my first thought as well 😂 I love it!! And woof, this book sounds tough. 6y
Mdargusch This sounds reminiscent of 6y
Cinfhen Gotta echo all the comments regarding both your profile photo (😍) and this book (💔) 6y
Kalalalatja @Avanders @ephemeralwaltz @emilyhaldi @Cinfhen thanks all 💕 I‘m pretty happy with it myself 😄 and the book is tough! I‘m doing some volunteer counseling for abused women, and this book feels like all their stories, while still being completely its own 💔 and I haven‘t even gotten to the real bad parts, yet... 6y
Kalalalatja @Mdargusch Stacked! It sounds really intense and tough 💔 6y
BarbaraBB Haha I also wanted to react on your profile pic immediately: so pretty 💕 6y
Reviewsbylola Oooooh this sounds good but also horrific. 6y
Kalalalatja @BarbaraBB thanks 😘 6y
Kalalalatja @Reviewsbylola it was really good! It gives an insight into why it is so hard to leave, and how damaging psychological abuse is, without going into too many graphic details about the physical abuse. It was really well written, but tough to read! 6y
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Historynerd16
Pickpick

Absolutely a must read.

DebbieGrillo Welcome to Litsy! #LitsyWelcomeWagon 6y
Eggs Welcome to Litsy 👋🏻😊🌸 6y
7 likes2 comments
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Desireads
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Starting this tonight. It was mentioned during a book review hosted by Christopher Purdy. Anyone already read this one?

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Kalalalatja
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#bookmail really makes it easier to combat the post-vacation-blues 👌

ephemeralwaltz #blue Pun intended? 😂 6y
ephemeralwaltz Beautiful cover and sounds like an intense read. Stacked! 6y
Kalalalatja @ephemeralwaltz I didn‘t even think about it till now 😂😂 but yes, the book sounds great! I volunteer as a counsellor for women who have been physically or mentally abused, so I‘m hoping this will give me more insight! 6y
96 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Kalalalatja
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My #MostAnticipated are the five books above, that, hopefully, will be delivered right before I leave for vacation at the end of June. I‘m especially excited about the tagged book!

@Cinfhen I have ordered the Stephen King book, so I‘ll be ready for our #buddyread in July 👍

#ReadingResolutions

emilyhaldi 11/22/63 is soooo good! A great summer / vacation read 👍🏻 6y
79 likes1 comment