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Karen DeBonis

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

https://www.karendebonis.com/

Twitter

karendebonis

Member Since

August 2018

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Hello reader!

I’m glad you clicked here so I can give you some background to my story. I started writing my memoir in 1999, two years after my son Matthew was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Fast forward over 20 years, and in May 2023, Growth: A Mother, Her Son, and the Brain tumor They Survived will become real. Like the Velveteen Rabbit, only better.

I write about motherhood, people-pleasing, and personal growth, and my work has appeared in the New York Times, HuffPost, Newsweek.com, Today.com, AARP, and numerous literary journals. Whether I’m writing or pursuing other creative outlets, I relish my hard-won empty nest in upstate New York with Michael, my husband of forty years. Growth is my debut memoir. You can read more here: www.karendebon ...more

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Karen DeBonis’s books

Average rating: 4.77 · 99 ratings · 45 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors

Growth: A Mother, Her Son, and the Brain Tumor They Survived

4.77 avg rating — 99 ratings — 4 editions

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Karen DeBonis's Blog

Backward but forward.

Woman standing on country road looking at a Dead End sign

Thanks for reading GROWTH: Make it Personal! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

I’m doing this backwards. I intended to send this—my October newsletter—and within it announce my new “Low-Stakes Creating” feature.

But I knew this newsletter would take ~~forever~~ ~~years~~ weeks to write because I’m so slow at my craft. (In fact, back in my Twitter days, I was an ~~active~~ torpid

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Karen DeBonis rated a book it was amazing Map of a Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Finding the Way Home by Jacque Gorelick (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jacque Gorelick painted a scene and wove a story so engaging and horrifying, I won't soon forget it!! ...more
Mar 31, 2026 05:33AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Map of a Heart by Jacque Gorelick. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Map of a Heart by Jacque Gorelick <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen DeBonis entered a giveaway A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 10, 2026 06:15AM · like · see giveaway · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen DeBonis wants to read The Blue Dress by Rebecca Morrison	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 03, 2025 03:11PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Blue Dress by Rebecca Morrison. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Blue Dress by Rebecca Morrison <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen DeBonis rated a book it was amazing Camouflage: How I Emerged from the Shadows of a Military Marriage by Heather Sweeney (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A must-read for anyone contemplating the military life, and for every ex-military wife. I learned so much from this book. Being non-military, I had no idea of the many demands made on a military spouse. This book opened my often tear-filled eyes and ...more
Nov 03, 2025 03:41AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Camouflage by Heather Sweeney. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Camouflage by Heather Sweeney <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen DeBonis rated a book it was amazing Follow Your Dreams Down: Scenes from Small Towns, Jukebox Nights, and Roads that Gave Us Second Chances by Jay Armstrong	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 12, 2025 10:04AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Follow Your Dreams Down by Jay Armstrong. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Follow Your Dreams Down by Jay Armstrong <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen DeBonis rated a book it was amazing Motion Dazzle: A Memoir of Motherhood, Loss, and Skating on Thin Ice by Jocelyn Jane Cox (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
From the very beginning, the reader knows of Cox’s mother’s fragile state, yet despite the ominous awareness—or because of it—the beauty of their relationship dazzles. Their love was so palpable on every page, my heart ached. Note to author: you have ...more
Oct 06, 2025 03:35AM · like · see review
Karen DeBonis wants to read Camouflage: How I Emerged from the Shadows of a Military Marriage by Heather Sweeney (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 29, 2025 05:00AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Camouflage by Heather Sweeney. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Camouflage by Heather Sweeney <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen DeBonis wants to read Motion Dazzle: A Memoir of Motherhood, Loss, and Skating on Thin Ice by Jocelyn Jane Cox (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 25, 2025 02:51PM · like
Karen DeBonis rated a book it was amazing The Height of Land by M.C. Benner Dixon (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
As I read this compelling story, I thought often of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Like the Joads family, this book’s protagonist, Red, sets out in a harsh environment in search of belonging and fulfillment. Red’s is a spiritual quest in a wor ...more
Apr 23, 2025 04:43PM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Height of Land by M.C. Benner Dixon. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Height of Land by M.C. Benner Dixon <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Karen DeBonis rated a book it was amazing Sidelined: How Women Manage and Mismanage Their Health by Susan Salenger (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I wish I didn't relate to the stories and research in this book, but I do, especially Chapter 2: "Nice girls finish last." Yet the author doesn't paint a picture of women as victims. Even those patients who suffered from serious illnesses and incompe ...more
Sep 22, 2024 02:24PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sidelined by Susan Salenger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sidelined by Susan Salenger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">