Character Witness: A Memoir (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781496242631)

When Jason Brown's mother is arrested for stealing $38,000, he agrees to serve as a character witness for her, hoping to keep her out of prison.

Thus begins Character Witness, a memoir, a chronicle of a mother's struggle with mental illness, addiction, and poverty, and an inquiry into whether we can escape the legacy of the past. Brown realizes that his troubles as a young man mirrored his mother's, and as he chronicles how sexual abuse can pass down through generations--from father to daughter, and later from mother to son--he begins to look for answers about whether people can change.

Brown and his mother share a difficult history, but they also share a common sense of humor and a sense of the absurd. More than simply a recovery narrative, Character Witness centers the necessity of staying with loved ones even in their worst moments.


Author: Jason Brown
ISBN-10: 1496242637
ISBN-13: 9781496242631
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
Language: English
Published: 09/01/2025
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback