Both Sides of Then

Finding Love After Abandonment

De: Jennifer Griffith

Narrado por: Jennifer Griffith

Jennifer is thirteen and living a quiet teenage existence when her parents reveal their innermost secrets; her mother has found the child she relinquished as a baby, and her father no longer wants to be part of the family. As Jennifer's young life unravels, she begins to self-destruct.

Anna, Jennifer's mother, is deeply affected by losing her parents at a young age and by her subsequent strict upbringing in a Baptist orphanage. Thrust into a changing world ill-prepared, she finds herself pregnant and unwed during a time when society shunned these young mothers.

Both Sides of Then is the story of a mother and daughter's search for agency. Jennifer shares her difficult path to self-acceptance while piecing together her mother's young life using vignettes shared throughout her childhood. By writing from her mother's perspective, would Jennifer eventually understand her mother? Would she see her own life more clearly?

A coming-of-age book and in-depth exploration of family frailty and resilience, Both Sides of Then is a daring take on the power of the female voice, even after it's been silenced.

©2024 Jennifer Griffith (P)2025 Tantor Media

Must listen from the author herself!

Both Sides of Then is book that makes you rethink your relationship with your mother or father or anyone that raised you. As humans we love to blame others for the way we were shaped into being who we are today, but never think about what the person went through and what type of secrets or suffering they could be hiding. The shifts between “then” and “now” keep pulling you deeper into the character’s world with every chapter. You don’t just read their journey; you feel it—every moment of reflection. The writing is vivid, warm, and self reflecting, the kind that makes you forget you’re reading and just lets you live in the story. If you crave books that make you reflect moments from your past that shaped the person you are today, then this is your book!

Inspirational story about curiosity, hope, and growth

I was captivated by the authenticity in her storytelling. It’s a story for all families; though the focus is on mothers and daughters, the concepts made me curious to learn more about my family and both parents’ stories and how their experiences have shaped my life and my siblings’ lives. Well written and could not put it down!