Angels and Blackbirds

Mam gone. No Mam. No Mam’s house. Tom’s sister Emmy has almost become one of the family with Rachel, Beth and Alice. But learning-disabled Emmy lives with her fiercely protective mother. A mother who has let her own fears constrain Emmy’s life and made no attempt to prepare for Emmy’s future. Emmy is thirty-six when her mother dies, and their rigid home routine has left her unprepared for change. Walk with Emmy as she takes tentative, scary steps towards independence with support from Rachel and her friends. It takes a while, but Emmy finds that she has a role to play in other people’s lives. And discovers where she truly belongs. The author has a lifetime’s experience working with people like Emmy. He has walked alongside them as they journey towards empowerment and a sense of their own agency. Sometimes, the smallest steps are the most significant.