wrestles

with the nature of lies in ‘Girl I Am’

Gibney imagines her life as a series of struggles with her birth mother

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

It’s OK. You’ll just make it up. Not the right toys when you were a kid? No problem, you had your imagination. No impressive friends to brag on? You can always pretend to know the rich, famous, or infamous. Boring job, cheap house, hoopty car? It’s fine, you can conjure whatever you want and who cares?

As in the new book, “The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be” by Shannon Gibney, it’s all a fantasy anyhow. There are facts. Provable, honest facts.

Shannon Gibney was born Jan. 30, 1975, in Ann Arbor, Mich. So was Erin Powers. Both were daughters of a Black petty criminal, and a white lesbian mother who struggled to give them up.

Another fact: Shannon was Erin, before she was adopted.

‘The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be’

By Shannon Gibney

Shannon grew up in a middle-class white family with two brothers, a good education, toys, vacations, and stability. She had a “short relationship” with her birth father when she was an adult, and a longer (but shaky) one with her birth mother, which made her wonder what life might have been like, had she been raised as Erin.

When Erin was 19, she learned that her mother was dying of breast cancer, and wasting what life she had left. At 10, Erin had to learn to get along with her mother’s latest girlfriend; and she had to listen to racism from the white side of her family. Also at 10, she saw a spiraled portal and another girl who looked like her, but she didn’t entirely understand it.

c.2023, Dutton | $18.99 | 245 pages

Every year on her birthday, her mother mourned an adoption she never wanted to happen.

When Shannon was 10 years old, she was cruel to a boy who liked her, and she wasn’t sure why. When she was 19, her parents loaned her their car so she could visit her birth mother and her birth mother’s partner. And at 35, she was reminded of the legacy her mother left her, one she must be “diligent” about for the rest of her life.

A dozen pages or so into “The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be,” author Shannon Gibney wrestles with the nature of lies, explaining that her book does, and does not, use “manufactured literary devices.” In other words, get ready for one really weird read.

And it remains as such, until you understand what’s going on: the story here is fiction mixed with fact, an imaginary life framed by a real one. “Erin” is the fiction, as Gibney imagines her life as a series of struggles, personal and otherwise, living with her birth mother. “Shannon” is Gibney’s story of finding out who she is and where she came from. The tales merge and diverge, neither with a lot of sense until you’re well past the halfway mark of this book.

Can you stick with it that long? Readers ages 15 and up might at least try; you’ll lose a little time adjusting to “The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be,” but don’t worry. You’ll make it up.

Announcement

The difference in winning and losing market share is how businesses use their advertising dollars.

CNPA’s Advertising Services’ power to connect to nearly 13 million of the state’s readers who are an engaged audience, makes our services an indispensable marketing solution. For more info call Cecelia @ (916) 288-6011 or cecelia@ cnpa.com

Switch and save up to $250/year on your talk, text and data. No contract and no hidden fees. Unlimited talk and text with flexible data plans. Premium nationwide coverage. 100% U.S. based customer service. Limited time offer get $50 off on any new account. Use code GIFT50. For more information, call 1-844908-0605

Become a Published Author. We want to Read Your Book! Dorrance Publishing-Trusted by Authors Since 1920. Book manuscript submissions currently being reviewed. Comprehensive Services: Consultation, Production, Promotion and Distribution. Call for Your Free Author`s Guide 1-877-538-9554 or visit http://dorranceinfo.com/ Cali

NEW AUTHORS WANTED! Page Publishing will help you self-publish your own book. FREE author submission kit! Limited offer! Why wait? Call now: 1-855-667-0380

Prepare for power outages today with a GENERAC home standby generator. $0 Money Down + Low Monthly Payment Options. Request a FREE Quote -Call now before the next power outage: 1-844-439-5645

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-855424-7581

AUTOS WANTED

DONATE YOUR CAR TO KIDS Fast Free Pickup – Running or Not - 24 Hour ResponseMaximum Tax Donation – Help Find Missing Kids! Call 1-888-4911453.

DONATE YOUR CAR OR TRUCK TO HERITAGE FOR THE BLIND. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. CALL 1-844-491-2884

CABLE / INTERNET/ SATELLITE TV

FREE high speed internet for those that qualify. Government program for recipients of select programs incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15 GB internet service. Bonus offer: Android tablet FREE with one-time $20 copay. Free shipping & handling. Call Maxsip Telecom today! 1-855480-0769

Get DIRECTV for $64.99/mo for 12 months with CHOICE Package. Save an additional $120 over 1st year. First 3 months of HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Epix included! Directv is #1 in Customer Satisfaction (JD Power & Assoc.) Some restrictions apply. Call 1-888-641-5762

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Over $10K in Debt? Be debt free in 24 to 48 months. No upfront fees to enroll. A+ BBB rated. Call National Debt Relief 1-888-231-4274.

INSURANCE

SAVE BIG on HOME INSURANCE! Compare 20 A-rated insurances companies. Get a quote within minutes. Average savings of $444/year! Call 1-844-410-9609!

(M-F 8am-8pm Central)

REAL ESTATE/ LOANS

RETIRED COUPLE $1 MIL for business purpose Real Estate loans. Credit unimportant. V.I.P. Trust Deed Company www.viploan.com

Call 1-818-248-0000

Broker-principal DRE 01041073. No Consumer Loans.

WANTED TO BUY

TOP CA$H PAID FOR OLD GUITARS! 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D’Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos. 1-844-9101960.

DID YOU KNOW

Newspaper-generated content is so valuable it’s taken and repeated, condensed, broadcast, tweeted, discussed, posted, copied, edited, and emailed countless times throughout the day by others? Discover the Power of Newspaper Advertising. For a free brochure call 916-288-6011 or email cecelia@cnpa.com

THIS SPACE CAN BE YOURS! CALL 1-916-288-6011 or email cecelia@ cnpa.com