Approaching Neverland: A Memoir of Epic Tragedy & Happily Ever After

"I read this book in one weekend. Correction: I devoured it. I fell in love with this family and their triumphant and tragic stories. Approaching Neverland is beautifully written, and a genuine page-turner and emotional rollercoaster."
Psych Central, Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S.

"Approaching Neverland is the only book that EVERYONE in my book club loved."
C. Walters, Castro Valley, CA

"This book will go a long way toward helping break down the stigma surrounding mental illness and bipolar disorder."
Dr. Gifford Boyce-Smith, President, NAMI-San Francisco

"Approaching Neverland is a good book for reading, re-reading, and sharing with others because it is beautifully human...The family's strengths, vulnerabilities, tragedies, and joys will have the reader crying at the bottom of one page, smiling by the top of the next, then crying and smiling by the bottom again. Basically it will make you one hot mess, so if reading in public, keep a tissue handy."
Emily Seibert, Feminist Review

Watch Peggy Kennedy on ABC's "View from the Bay"

"Psychotherapists need to order this book NOW, read it and share it with clients and colleagues."
Maure Quilter, LMFT, The Therapist Magazine, Nov./Dec. 2009 issue

"An inspiring and beautiful life story."
Fran Martin, NAMI Contra Costa, Dec. 2009 issue

"Truly inspiring for anyone who has suffered tragedy or loss in their life."

"What we have here is a large slice of life, told with purpose...about conviction, redemption, and staying the course."
Metapsychology Online Reviews

"Approaching Neverland helped me get through my Post Partum Depression."

"Kennedy depicts the stability provided by her firefighter father, the love her mother gave when well, and the tight-knit support of her four older siblings."
Bipolar Magazine

"Reminiscent of JD Salinger."
Wayne Felton, Charlotte, NC

"A must read that will leave you smiling with tears in your eyes."
Mary Eileen Williams, Feisty Side of Fifty

"It is hard to believe that one family experienced so much "Life" and handled it with love and grace and...humor. That 3 of 5 children were gay was amazing. Knowing that the 3 gay & lesbian kids were loved and celebrated along with their straight siblings made my heart ache with envy and gratitude for their great fortune." A.M. Zubere, Venice, CA

"Unforgettable!"

For as long as she could remember, author Peggy Kennedy bore witness to her mother's Mental Illness: while growing up in the 1960s, Peggy's mother, Barbara, often liked to play games of make-believe and tell the children they were all going to Neverland-just like Peter Pan. But while the children knew it was all pretend, Barbara believed it to be all too true.

Approaching Neverland recounts Peggy and her family's attempts to deal with their mother's acute bipolar disorder during a time when it was little understood and even feared.

With brutal honesty and surprising humor, Peggy shares the turbulence of growing up under the shadow of Barbara's illness, of being shuffled from one family member to the next, and of visiting her mother in the mental institution. As the years pass, the shadows of Barbara's mental health challenges become a loving legacy in Peggy's quest to achieve happiness and fulfillment in her life.

A vivid, haunting portrayal of one woman's struggle to understand how the past fits in with her future,Approaching Neverland is as inspiring as it is beautifully written, and will stay with you long after the last page is turned.

Henry Tannenbaum interview, KRON 4 Weekend News Sunday, July 18

LOVE this article by Jenn Wadsworth in San Ramon Patch about Approaching Neverland

Watch Peggy Kennedy on CBS Bay Sunday

Interview with Mary Eileen Williams of Feisty Side of Fifty

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