{"product_id":"mermaid-eileen-cronin-9780393350746","title":"Mermaid: A Memoir of Resilience","description":"\u003cp\u003eAt the age of three, Eileen Cronin first realized that only \u003cem\u003eshe\u003c\/em\u003e did not have legs. Her boisterous Catholic family accepted her situation as \"God's will,\" treating her no differently than her ten siblings, as she \"squiddled\" through their 1960s Cincinnati home. But starting school, even wearing prosthetics, Cronin had to brave bullying and embarrassing questions. Thanks to her older brother's coaching, she handled a classmate's playground taunts with a smack from her lunchbox. As a teen, thrilled when boys asked her out, she was confused about what sexuality meant for her. She felt most comfortable and happiest relaxing and skinny dipping with her girlfriends, imagining herself \"an elusive mermaid.\" The cause of her disability remained taboo, however, even as she looked toward the future and the possibility of her own family.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn later years, as her mother battled mental illness and denied having taken the drug thalidomide--known to cause birth defects--Cronin felt apart from her family. After the death of a close brother, she turned to alcohol. Eventually, however, she found the strength to set out on her own, volunteering at hospitals and earning a PhD in clinical psychology.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReflecting with humor and grace on her youth, search for love, and quest for answers, Cronin spins a shimmering story of self-discovery and transformation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Eileen Cronin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0393350746\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780393350746\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e W. W. Norton \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/16\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.60lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.60w x 0.80d","brand":"Eileen Cronin","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43946584834303,"sku":"9780393350746","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_cbe81361-6e60-4b7d-b826-2f727a8624cd.jpg?v=1681513986","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/mermaid-eileen-cronin-9780393350746","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}