Skip to Main Content

Bright Eyes

Surviving Our Monsters and Learning to Live without Them - A Memoir

Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

LIST PRICE ₹741.00

PRICE MAY VARY BY RETAILER

About The Book

Fans of Jennette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died will root for Bridey Thelen-Heidel as she struggles to unshackle herself from her mother’s chaos in this triumphant debut memoir.

Bridey is tethered to her mom’s addiction to dangerous men who park their Harley-Davidsons in the house and kick holes in all their doors. Raised to be her mother’s keeper, rescuer, and punching bag, Bridey gets used to stuffing her life into black trash bags, hauling them between Alaska and California, and changing schools every time her mom moves in a new monster—or runs away from one. Desperately seeking the normal life she’s observed in sitcoms and her friends’ families, Bridey earns her way into a fancy, private college, where she tries to forget who she is—until her mom calls with a threat that drops Bridey to her knees. Watching doctors and police interrogate her mother at the hospital, Bridey realizes her mom has become a monster herself . . . and she doesn’t want to be saved.

But Bridey does.

Bright Eyes is about the indomitable spirit of a young girl forced to be brave, required to be resilient, and conditioned to be optimistic, and how she ultimately uses the same traits that helped her to survive her mother’s chaos to create her own happily-ever-after.

About The Author

Bridey Thelen-Heidel is a teacher, writer, and youth advocate. She’s given a TEDx Talk, performed in Listen to Your Mother NYC, published in MUTHA Magazine, and is a frequent podcast guest. She’s been voted Best of Tahoe Teacher several times, and her work with LGBT+ students is celebrated in Read This, Save Lives and California Teachers’ Association’s California Educator. Bridey lives with her husband and daughter in South Lake Tahoe, California where she teaches high school English.

Product Details

  • Publisher: She Writes Press (September 24, 2024)
  • Length: 296 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781647427399

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images