What do you think?
Rate this book
Reaching
Grace's turbulent childhood, with father's violent temper and mother's apathy, their divorce, and her relocation with her mother and siblings to Hawaii, where she experiences racism and violence, sets the stage for this incredible real-life tale of abuse, brainwashing, and ~ ultimately ~ the long journey to recovery.At seventeen, Grace experiences love for the first time, but is soon unable contain the traumas of her past. Seeking a remedy from what she perceives as a spiritual problem, she enlists the aid of Brock, a charismatic exorcist and cult expert. Grace stumbles into a world of esoteric rituals, Luciferian doctrines, and New World Order conspiracies.This gripping narrative illustrates how children adapt to a hostile environment, can grow up misreading their untreated traumas, and, while searching for answers, fall prey to unscrupulous charlatans who heap more damage onto an already wounded soul.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 14, 2013
4 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Grace Peterson
28 books27 followersGrace Peterson is a writer, author and blogger. She is published in several anthologies and blogs about the writing craft and recovery topics. She is also an avid gardener, tending her modest backyard in western Oregon's mild, garden-friendly climate. When the weather is unsuitable for weed pulling, she can be found in front of her laptop, working on her garden column, her garden blog or her forthcoming garden book. She is a member of the National Association of Memoir Writers and the Association of Writing Excellence and is active on several memoir and garden online forums. And, of course, Facebook and Twitter. She's the proud mother of four grown children and four friendly felines and has been married to her best friend since 1980. "Reaching" is her first book.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 2, 2013
In a series of rapid-fire, present-tense vignettes written with strobe light intensity, REACHING, covers the events that led the author from a chaotic and sometimes violent childhood into the thrall of a charismatic spiritual exorcist and eventually out of his grasp.
Grace Peterson is particularly adept at showing the alienation she felt from the adults in her family, using descriptors such as, "the father," "the mother," and "the scary aunt," etc., rather than names. She keeps readers rooted in time by recalling the popular music of the day that resonated with her.
Peterson's intriguing story and her manner of telling it engaged me. Though my life has been nothing like the author's, I could relate to how the relationships and experiences of childhood--even those that are on the surface benign--can come together to lead an intelligent adult down unhealthy paths.
Covering a lifetime in a relatively short book dictates that only a little time is spent on a great many things. And even though the book is written in present tense, we learn much through the author's remembrance of previous events. Given the significance of the exorcist as a major impetus for this memoir, I could have used more time to experience the "counseling" sessions that were sometimes physically abusive and to better understand the dynamic that kept the author with him for years and what ultimately caused her to leave.
REACHING, shares a life journey readers won't soon forget.
Grace Peterson is particularly adept at showing the alienation she felt from the adults in her family, using descriptors such as, "the father," "the mother," and "the scary aunt," etc., rather than names. She keeps readers rooted in time by recalling the popular music of the day that resonated with her.
Peterson's intriguing story and her manner of telling it engaged me. Though my life has been nothing like the author's, I could relate to how the relationships and experiences of childhood--even those that are on the surface benign--can come together to lead an intelligent adult down unhealthy paths.
Covering a lifetime in a relatively short book dictates that only a little time is spent on a great many things. And even though the book is written in present tense, we learn much through the author's remembrance of previous events. Given the significance of the exorcist as a major impetus for this memoir, I could have used more time to experience the "counseling" sessions that were sometimes physically abusive and to better understand the dynamic that kept the author with him for years and what ultimately caused her to leave.
REACHING, shares a life journey readers won't soon forget.
June 5, 2013
When I first started reading Reaching by Grace Peterson, I knew it was about spiritual abuse, getting into and out of a cult -like experience, but I wasn't sure what to expect. The prologue sets the stage for the pivotal moment Grace realizes she needs to get help. The story then begins in the author's childhood and within the first page I felt the pain of a little girl whose mother is dismissive and non-caring. A child's voice in the present tense pulls me into this story and keeps me suspended throughout her traumatic childhood journey with this dismissive mother and a violent father who eventually get divorced. The ongoing lifelong animosity between these two parents impacts their children in lasting and negative ways. The author uses a very effective technique which highlights the emotional distance she feels with her parents by referring to them as "the mother" and "the father." She does the same with "the mean grandparents "vs. "the nice grandparents" and the "scary uncle". These scenes from her childhood which include moving to Hawaii, bullying at school, an abusive stepfather, sexual abuse by a neighbor all serve to foreshadow the difficulties to come. The end result is, as a reader, I felt very close to this little girl and the ongoing trauma she endured at the hands of the adults in her life who did not guide or protect her.
When she meets her husband at age nineteen, I am encouraged that she finally has found a person who respects, loves and supports her. However, since so much has gone wrong in her childhood, I know she is still very vulnerable. Therefore, it makes sense to me when she falls prey to a charismatic, controlling pastor from their church who lures her into his fanatical, biblically-oriented teachings which not only do not address her underlying mental health issues but send her deeper into chaos and disruption as she slowly becomes addicted to him. The fact that she is able to extract herself from his clutches speaks to her resiliency, the love of a good husband and her fierce desire to love and protect her own four children.
The structure of the story includes flashbacks written in the present tense with her adult perspective woven in. She writes with a raw honesty, vivid imagery and an urgent tension that kept me engaged and turning the pages until the end. By the end I felt I had walked her path from abused child to vulnerable adult to an empowered woman who has survived the journey and is grateful for her life. This is a riveting and satisfying heroine's journey through spiritual abuse to recovery. I can see this memoir being helpful to anyone who has ever relinquished control to anyone or anything outside themselves.
When she meets her husband at age nineteen, I am encouraged that she finally has found a person who respects, loves and supports her. However, since so much has gone wrong in her childhood, I know she is still very vulnerable. Therefore, it makes sense to me when she falls prey to a charismatic, controlling pastor from their church who lures her into his fanatical, biblically-oriented teachings which not only do not address her underlying mental health issues but send her deeper into chaos and disruption as she slowly becomes addicted to him. The fact that she is able to extract herself from his clutches speaks to her resiliency, the love of a good husband and her fierce desire to love and protect her own four children.
The structure of the story includes flashbacks written in the present tense with her adult perspective woven in. She writes with a raw honesty, vivid imagery and an urgent tension that kept me engaged and turning the pages until the end. By the end I felt I had walked her path from abused child to vulnerable adult to an empowered woman who has survived the journey and is grateful for her life. This is a riveting and satisfying heroine's journey through spiritual abuse to recovery. I can see this memoir being helpful to anyone who has ever relinquished control to anyone or anything outside themselves.
June 4, 2013
Honest. Heartbreaking. Haunting.
Grace Peterson’s book is all of those things and more.
In her book, she tells the story of the religious abuse she suffered at the hands of a cult leader, a man who takes advantage of her fragile emotional state and convinces her that she’s possessed by demons. She is taught that healing can come only through working with this leader. And the healing process includes physical, verbal and emotional abuse by him.
Peterson paints a shocking picture of the abuse and of the way religion can be used as a tool to hurt rather than to heal.
She also tells the story of her childhood and youth, of a neglectful mother and physically abusive father. At one point she considers herself to be an orphan, and she grows into a young woman looking for rescue, feeling worthless and unlovable.
Though she finds unconditional love with Steve, her husband, and has four children that she adores, she finds herself unable to lift herself above depression, intense anxiety and nightmares and night terrors.
She turns to a man she calls Brock, a leader within her church who is supposed to offer people deliverance from their pain.
She spends years at the beck and call of Brock, willing herself to believe the bizarre theories he gives as the reasons for her emotional state.
She eventually recognizes that she is addicted to Brock and needs to get away from him. She spends the next few years trying to cope with her anxiety and nightmares, finding solace in things such as gardening.
Then she seeks professional help, and through medication and therapy, she reaches the point where she can believe that “waiting for me are the best years of my life” (p. 186, e-edition).
Peterson writes straightforwardly and unpretentiously. In doing this, she helps the reader to feel the anxiety of the young Grace as she struggles to adapt to each new living arrangement, each new disappointment and each new terror.
She refers to her parents as “the mother” and “the father,” illustrating the distance she felt from them and the detachment with which her parents treated her.
In telling her story of abuse and the subsequent emotional nightmare in such a compelling way, Peterson will touch readers, including those have experienced abuse themselves. Her own journey to healing will inspire and give hope to others who struggle with a past that seems to sentence them to a life of pain.
In her book, Peterson writes of “reaching” for healing, for rescue, for love. With her book, she is also “reaching” out to others who are looking for the same things.
Grace Peterson’s book is all of those things and more.
In her book, she tells the story of the religious abuse she suffered at the hands of a cult leader, a man who takes advantage of her fragile emotional state and convinces her that she’s possessed by demons. She is taught that healing can come only through working with this leader. And the healing process includes physical, verbal and emotional abuse by him.
Peterson paints a shocking picture of the abuse and of the way religion can be used as a tool to hurt rather than to heal.
She also tells the story of her childhood and youth, of a neglectful mother and physically abusive father. At one point she considers herself to be an orphan, and she grows into a young woman looking for rescue, feeling worthless and unlovable.
Though she finds unconditional love with Steve, her husband, and has four children that she adores, she finds herself unable to lift herself above depression, intense anxiety and nightmares and night terrors.
She turns to a man she calls Brock, a leader within her church who is supposed to offer people deliverance from their pain.
She spends years at the beck and call of Brock, willing herself to believe the bizarre theories he gives as the reasons for her emotional state.
She eventually recognizes that she is addicted to Brock and needs to get away from him. She spends the next few years trying to cope with her anxiety and nightmares, finding solace in things such as gardening.
Then she seeks professional help, and through medication and therapy, she reaches the point where she can believe that “waiting for me are the best years of my life” (p. 186, e-edition).
Peterson writes straightforwardly and unpretentiously. In doing this, she helps the reader to feel the anxiety of the young Grace as she struggles to adapt to each new living arrangement, each new disappointment and each new terror.
She refers to her parents as “the mother” and “the father,” illustrating the distance she felt from them and the detachment with which her parents treated her.
In telling her story of abuse and the subsequent emotional nightmare in such a compelling way, Peterson will touch readers, including those have experienced abuse themselves. Her own journey to healing will inspire and give hope to others who struggle with a past that seems to sentence them to a life of pain.
In her book, Peterson writes of “reaching” for healing, for rescue, for love. With her book, she is also “reaching” out to others who are looking for the same things.
June 30, 2013
This is a brave book. The product of a dysfunctional family, Peterson refers to her distant and disinterested parents as "the mother" and "the father," clearly telling the reader what kind of parents they were. Traumatized by moves, bullying by schoolmates and the tragic death of her best friend, Peterson struggles to find her place in the world. Convinced she's possessed or is possibly a demon herself, she falls under the spell of a malevolent "healer." Despite all that has happened to her, she manages to find love and raise four children. Finally breaking away from the healer, she opts for therapy and pulls herself together. A must-read.
November 18, 2013
’Reach for the stars, but if you want success, you have to reach for the moon’
Grace Peterson has achieved more stature as a writer in this short memoir REACHING that many other authors far more experienced in the field of writing. In short, this is an astonishingly well-sculpted book that reveals Peterson to be a wordsmith on a par with the finest. This is not meant to negate the importance of the message of the book: this is one lf the most sincerely penetrating memoirs of a child’s journey through a jungle of problems to reach adulthood and become a symbol of the growth that is possible even in the most impossible of histories. In art this is called Form Follows Function, and a finer compliment for a book, especially a memoir, could not be made.
The path Grace Peterson treads from early childhood to her present state as one who has recovered from mental health impairments and religious/spiritual abuse should not be summarized, as attempting to simplify her journey diminishes the steps she has taken. But if that is needed, the provided synopsis justifies repeating: ‘Grace's turbulent childhood, with father's violent temper and mother's apathy, their divorce, and her relocation with her mother and siblings to Hawaii, where she experiences racism and violence, sets the stage for this incredible real-life tale of abuse, brainwashing, and ~ ultimately ~ the long journey to recovery. At seventeen, Grace experiences love for the first time, but is soon unable contain the traumas of her past. Seeking a remedy from what she perceives as a spiritual problem, she enlists the aid of Brock, a charismatic exorcist and cult expert. Grace stumbles into a world of esoteric rituals, Luciferian doctrines, and New World Order conspiracies. This gripping narrative illustrates how children adapt to a hostile environment, can grow up misreading their untreated traumas, and, while searching for answers, fall prey to unscrupulous charlatans who heap more damage onto an already wounded soul.’ So that satisfies the reader who must know the flow of the book.
What makes this memoir so compelling is the language – the sensitive act of assigning generic terms to the people with whom she needed to be close – ‘the mean grandparents’, the ‘nice grandparents’, the ‘scary uncle’, even ‘the mother’ and ‘the father’ – a technique that takes away their humanistic role and replaces it with the object of a terrifying game. Peterson knows how to describe the many instances of sexual abuse suffered as a child without drawing focus to the acts instead sharing the psychological response of a little girl who is unable to communicate ‘scary stuff’. ‘Demon possession or mental illness? My descent into cult extremism and recovery’ is how she expresses it on her .com page.
But that is enough to say about a book that is indelibly imprinted on this reader’s mind. My recommendation is to read this book, incorporate the heroism, and then read it again for the immaculate brilliance of the writing. Grace Peterson is extraordinary.
Grady Harp
Grace Peterson has achieved more stature as a writer in this short memoir REACHING that many other authors far more experienced in the field of writing. In short, this is an astonishingly well-sculpted book that reveals Peterson to be a wordsmith on a par with the finest. This is not meant to negate the importance of the message of the book: this is one lf the most sincerely penetrating memoirs of a child’s journey through a jungle of problems to reach adulthood and become a symbol of the growth that is possible even in the most impossible of histories. In art this is called Form Follows Function, and a finer compliment for a book, especially a memoir, could not be made.
The path Grace Peterson treads from early childhood to her present state as one who has recovered from mental health impairments and religious/spiritual abuse should not be summarized, as attempting to simplify her journey diminishes the steps she has taken. But if that is needed, the provided synopsis justifies repeating: ‘Grace's turbulent childhood, with father's violent temper and mother's apathy, their divorce, and her relocation with her mother and siblings to Hawaii, where she experiences racism and violence, sets the stage for this incredible real-life tale of abuse, brainwashing, and ~ ultimately ~ the long journey to recovery. At seventeen, Grace experiences love for the first time, but is soon unable contain the traumas of her past. Seeking a remedy from what she perceives as a spiritual problem, she enlists the aid of Brock, a charismatic exorcist and cult expert. Grace stumbles into a world of esoteric rituals, Luciferian doctrines, and New World Order conspiracies. This gripping narrative illustrates how children adapt to a hostile environment, can grow up misreading their untreated traumas, and, while searching for answers, fall prey to unscrupulous charlatans who heap more damage onto an already wounded soul.’ So that satisfies the reader who must know the flow of the book.
What makes this memoir so compelling is the language – the sensitive act of assigning generic terms to the people with whom she needed to be close – ‘the mean grandparents’, the ‘nice grandparents’, the ‘scary uncle’, even ‘the mother’ and ‘the father’ – a technique that takes away their humanistic role and replaces it with the object of a terrifying game. Peterson knows how to describe the many instances of sexual abuse suffered as a child without drawing focus to the acts instead sharing the psychological response of a little girl who is unable to communicate ‘scary stuff’. ‘Demon possession or mental illness? My descent into cult extremism and recovery’ is how she expresses it on her .com page.
But that is enough to say about a book that is indelibly imprinted on this reader’s mind. My recommendation is to read this book, incorporate the heroism, and then read it again for the immaculate brilliance of the writing. Grace Peterson is extraordinary.
Grady Harp
January 19, 2016
In rational tones the author takes you on a boat ride into the netherworld of a life coming apart at the seams. Piece by piece the “ties that bind” are broken, so that even in a secure marriage with a man who loves her, she is ripe for the final break. Her childhood years are devoid of love, and at times frightening. Her only solace is in the outdoors, along a river and in the gardens of a relative. She is reaching — reaching always for connection. The only good friend she has, when she is a teenager, dies in a tragic accident. So she feels the earth shaking under her feet. That is how the story begins, with a wonderful description of an earthquake. These verbal pyrotechnics occur throughout the story, peppering the rational view with lyricism and a kind of hope, the hope that humor and perspective brings.
After the birth of another child, she goes deeper into the misery, and becomes part of a religious cult. The journey is full of twists and turns, of being stuck on the wrong side of the river, and trying with all her intelligence to make it seem right. Reaching shows how easy it is for a damaged person, or one who is a weakened state of depression or illness, to be brainwashed and persuaded to hand over power to another person or group. She is given the promise of “healing” by a self-appointed prophet, supposedly of the Christian faith. For years she follows his dictates, to the point of being held under water in the river. This is followed by a slow dawning that she is not being helped by this man; instead, her own identity begins to re-emerge, and with it a sense of self-worth. She is able to get back on the boat and return to her life, as a wife and mother, and lover of gardens. Her diagnosis in the end makes perfect sense, but you’ll have the read the book for that!
After the birth of another child, she goes deeper into the misery, and becomes part of a religious cult. The journey is full of twists and turns, of being stuck on the wrong side of the river, and trying with all her intelligence to make it seem right. Reaching shows how easy it is for a damaged person, or one who is a weakened state of depression or illness, to be brainwashed and persuaded to hand over power to another person or group. She is given the promise of “healing” by a self-appointed prophet, supposedly of the Christian faith. For years she follows his dictates, to the point of being held under water in the river. This is followed by a slow dawning that she is not being helped by this man; instead, her own identity begins to re-emerge, and with it a sense of self-worth. She is able to get back on the boat and return to her life, as a wife and mother, and lover of gardens. Her diagnosis in the end makes perfect sense, but you’ll have the read the book for that!
September 23, 2013
Wow. Grace is one gutsy woman.
As a young child she endured both abuse and emotional neglect at the hands of her parents, whom she refers to in her memoir as "the mother" and "the father."
Things didn't get any better for her as a teen, or even after she finally finds love. All along, she is haunted by disturbing dreams. Even her waking hours are filled with dark thoughts. As chronicled in "Reaching," a gripping, powerful story, Grace knows something is wrong. She knows she needs help. She searches for it in church, but when she can't find it, she simply dons a happy face and feigns "normalcy" -- whatever that is. then, With her emotional instability at an all-time high, Grace finally seeks help from "Brock." But as it turns out, his dangerous brand of armchair psychology is the last thing she needs...
"Reaching" is more than a story of one woman's quest for self-acceptance in the wake of a disastrous upbringing. It is a tale about the fragility and resiliency of the human spirit.
I commend Grace not only for having the intestinal fortitude to triumph over her demons -- both real and imagined -- but for having the courage to share her story.
As a young child she endured both abuse and emotional neglect at the hands of her parents, whom she refers to in her memoir as "the mother" and "the father."
Things didn't get any better for her as a teen, or even after she finally finds love. All along, she is haunted by disturbing dreams. Even her waking hours are filled with dark thoughts. As chronicled in "Reaching," a gripping, powerful story, Grace knows something is wrong. She knows she needs help. She searches for it in church, but when she can't find it, she simply dons a happy face and feigns "normalcy" -- whatever that is. then, With her emotional instability at an all-time high, Grace finally seeks help from "Brock." But as it turns out, his dangerous brand of armchair psychology is the last thing she needs...
"Reaching" is more than a story of one woman's quest for self-acceptance in the wake of a disastrous upbringing. It is a tale about the fragility and resiliency of the human spirit.
I commend Grace not only for having the intestinal fortitude to triumph over her demons -- both real and imagined -- but for having the courage to share her story.
October 28, 2013
Reaching is the gut wrenching story of a girl growing up without love, warmth, or care from her parents and other adults in her life. They were so isolated from each other that the girl called them the mother, the father, the scary aunt, the mean grandmother. The neglect that characterized her young life broke my heart and compelled me to keep reading in hopes that her life would get better.
Throughout, the main character’s voice was raw, open, and courageous. This is a book that is brutally honest and beautifully written. I’ll never forget it.
Throughout, the main character’s voice was raw, open, and courageous. This is a book that is brutally honest and beautifully written. I’ll never forget it.
June 2, 2013
Reaching is introspective and brave. The author peels back layers of her life to reveal the heartache that molded her into an adult. She tackles uncomfortable topics with poise, but does not hide from them. Although my life experience is quite different from the author's, there were still many places where I related to her challenges and suffering. A beautiful read that reminds us both how frail humans can be and how much we can overcome.
January 2, 2014
It’s agonizing to see how self-centered most of the adults are in this book, but it’s a truth that needs to be told. In a world that often lives by the saying, “Don’t worry, be happy,” this memoir shows just how deep some emotional scars go when it comes to trying to live a balanced life. I really enjoyed Peterson’s tactic of describing her surroundings as opposed to her feelings. Memories often form in relation to our physical environment, and the author excels in rendering memory this way.
October 7, 2013
Great writing! Troubling story that is uplifting in the end.
November 7, 2022
Grace's sense of humor wins me over. She's a beautiful soul evidenced by her resilience to such a traumatic childhood. And a stellar writer. Very talented.
I originally picked up this title based on an "SRA survivor" label someone, somewhere gave it. Yes, there is a weak mention and kinda memory of her abusive Freemason grandfather with no substantial discussion about it. Grace fell under the unfortunate spell of a "charismatic" guru during formative memory recollection years - the standard age many disassociative memories float up for survivors. Does this mean any meaningful memory retrieval and healing are stunted? Or maybe Grace chose not to disclose? Whatever the reason, it would be easy for a skeptic to discredit SRA experiences based on the pushy guru and irresolute detail. Not quite the support for this topic I was hoping for, but who am I to judge? Grace told an amazing story and maybe prefers keeping her healing journey for herself.
I would read anything this woman writes.
I originally picked up this title based on an "SRA survivor" label someone, somewhere gave it. Yes, there is a weak mention and kinda memory of her abusive Freemason grandfather with no substantial discussion about it. Grace fell under the unfortunate spell of a "charismatic" guru during formative memory recollection years - the standard age many disassociative memories float up for survivors. Does this mean any meaningful memory retrieval and healing are stunted? Or maybe Grace chose not to disclose? Whatever the reason, it would be easy for a skeptic to discredit SRA experiences based on the pushy guru and irresolute detail. Not quite the support for this topic I was hoping for, but who am I to judge? Grace told an amazing story and maybe prefers keeping her healing journey for herself.
I would read anything this woman writes.
March 2, 2016
I took my time reading this compelling and often frightening story by Grace Peterson. It took me awhile to grasp her style of keeping the people in her life at a distance by using the third person to name them, but in time, I fell in fully with her story. In any memoir like this, and especially one that begins with the protagonist as a child, you feel worried for the fate of the person. How are they going to survive such indifference, such pain? But this is a story of survival, beautifully and memorably told. I read the book in eBook format, but I would have preferred the hard copy for notes in the margin. Without giving anything away, I came away feeling how much I can learn from Peterson. Even without having had her particular experiences, she has made "reaching" for freedom a universal longing.
May 22, 2014
This was an interesting book and well written. It follows the story of the author's abusive childhood, struggle with anxiety, paranoia and depression, and her years of involvement with an unscrupulous religious leader. My only quibble is that I found the ending - her years of therapy and road to healing - too short in comparison and I only hope that means that there is another book, about the happy years, on the way. A brave book!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews