A mother’s quest, a daughter’s depression, and the Greek myth that brought them together
Ann Batchelder, Author
When her teenage daughter admitted to an eating disorder and suicidal thoughts, Ann Batchelder had experience in social work, business, education and the arts, but it was in the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone that she found the answers she needed. Her memoir Craving Spring narrates how this ancient story of mother and daughter showed her how to ease her own daughter into young adulthood and how to become a better parent herself. “Motherhood is a dance,” Batchelder says, “and you constantly have to learn new steps as your children grow.”
Without her daughter’s consent, she says, she would never have published their story. “We were sitting together when she finished reading the final draft,” says Batchelder. “I was blown away when she looked up and said, ‘This is a love letter to me, isn’t it?’ She said the book made her feel like I’d really seen her; plus, it helped her understand me better.”
Craving Spring: A mother’s quest, a daughter’s depression, and the Greek myth that brought them together, October, 2023, memoir, paperback, $15.99, by Ann Batchelder, and published by Legacy Book Press, Camanche, IA. To learn more, visit AnnBatchelder.com.
