Freeing Teresa, Franke James
Freeing Teresa, Franke James
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Club: $5.99

Freeing Teresa
A True Story about My Sister and Me

Author: Franke James, Teresa Heartchild, Billiam James

Narrator: Jackie Blackmore, Lauren Potter, Dayleigh Nelson, Cynthia Potvin, Bill Mackie, Paula Hoffmann, Rob Cottingham, Sidika Larbes, Geoff Sugiyama, Laurel Bailey, Divina Soriano-Leacock, Justin Smallbridge, Roshni Kashyap, Icosphere (Music)

Unabridged: 7 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/13/2024

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

When an idealistic activist objects to her siblings’ plan to ship their disabled sister off to a nursing home, she’s forced to choose between family and her sister’s freedom.A riveting and inspiring true story brought to life by a cast of over a dozen actors, including Jackie Blackmore, Lauren Potter, and Dayleigh Nelson.TRIGGER WARNING: This story deals with dysfunctional family relationships and ableist attitudes, which some readers may find upsetting.Franke James is an environmental activist who got into trouble in her own backyard—family trouble. She objected when she heard her siblings’ plan to put their disabled sister, Teresa Heartchild, into a nursing home. Teresa, who has Down syndrome, refused to go. But the other siblings insisted and secretly put Teresa into an institution for end-of-life care.Teresa was in shock. Franke was horrified and organized a rescue. That’s when all hell broke loose. The two sisters had to stand together—against their siblings, the medical system, and the police—to defend Teresa’s right to be free.This is a true story about a key civil rights issue for all people with disabilities—the right to decide where you live.
PRAISE for Freeing Teresa“The result is more than a memoir: it’s a testimony to how ‘tickets to freedom’ are gained through fighting and love.”D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“Gut-wrenching and awe-inspiring. This story will break your heart and then fill it up again.”Catherine McKercher, author of Shut Away
“A gripping story about courage, love, and an unshakeable belief in human potential.”Marty Seldman, Ph.D. author of Survival of the Savvy

Reviews

Goodreads review by Josephine on September 20, 2024

Teresa is the seventh of seven children and she was born with Down’s Syndrome. At the time, in the early 1960s, the conventional medical advice for babies like Teresa was to be institutionalized. Untraditionally, her parents decided to keep Teresa at home and raise her with the rest of the family, j......more

Goodreads review by Sally on September 16, 2024

Sometimes I find memoirs very difficult to review and this is one of them. It really bugged me that Franke would not even listen to her siblings' option of the nursing home. To me it felt like her siblings had been doing all the care for her father and sister and then all of a sudden Franke decided......more

Goodreads review by Chelsea on September 12, 2024

This book reminded me of a documentary that blows your mind. You can't believe the injustice that some people are so quick to lay out. Teresa is a woman living with her elderly father. She has Down Syndrome and she lives a full life. But lately her older siblings are worrying about what will happen......more

Goodreads review by Anna on August 19, 2024

This book was an eye-opening real life story about the challenges family face when supporting their loved ones with disabilities. The author tells the story of freeing her sister from a life of quiet institutionalization in long term care but also as the story reveals, the limiting views of her sibl......more

Goodreads review by Mohit on September 24, 2024

"Freeing Teresa" is a compelling audiobook written by Franke James that chronicles her decade-long struggle to protect her sister Teresa's rights and autonomy. Published on the tenth anniversary of Teresa's liberation, this audiobook serves as both a personal memoir and a powerful advocacy tool for......more

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