We Never Used the F Word

In this memoir, written in layered vignettes surrounding an object, the narrator chronicles her early to middle childhood growing up in the San Fernando Valley as the youngest child in a staunchly Catholic family and how the death of her father when she was seven impacted her and her relationship with her mother. Told with insight, humor, and grace of spirit, she reminds us that grieving brings hope, and children need to speak about feelings. The narrator demonstrates how the loss of one parent contributes to the loss of the other parent for a time. She includes life before her father's death, the grief process within her remaining nuclear family and the powerful influence of the Catholic church. She navigates through her molestation by a family friend after the death of her father, weaves in the complex relationship with her mother, and reveals how baseball, the Dodgers, and childhood friends can help to fill gaps. The book is written in two parts which begin with two questions from the Baltimore Catechism. First, "What is Prayer?" and second, "What is Hope?". The answer is, there is always ho