LocalLit book preview: adoptive mom tries to free son from abusive past

A couple weeks ago, Betsy Naglich of Plainfield reached out to me about her adopted son and his weight loss journey.

The Herald-News had profiled the success of Crest Hill native Michael Washlow with a brief story in 2019 following his successful laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy surgery at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox.

Naglich told me she had written a novel based on her relationship with her son and sent me a review copy. I’m planning to read the novel, “The Length of our Staircase” this weekend and review the novel in the LocalLit newsletter on Tuesday.

Here is the abridged Amazon description: “’The Length of Our Staircase’ is fiction, based on a true story about a strong, independent woman named Rose. While lacking confidence, she is determined to fulfill her late mothers wish, to adopt an older boy who needs a home. It is both heart-breaking and heart-warming as Rose adopts the child and then faces years of hardships and conflicts because of her son’s abusive past. One problem leads to another, and Rose finds that her life now has a purpose: to succeed in creating a happy life for her son and a happy life for herself … this story is for every mother who fought for their child in any difficult situation.”

“The Length of our Staircase” is available on Amazon.

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Each week LocalLit will deliver an original short and family-friendly story (or a book review) by a local author to the newsletter’s subscribers.

Local writers: Do you have a book you’d like me to review? A short story you’d like to share with LocalLit subscribers?

Please contact me at 815-280-4122 or dunland@shawmedia.com.

Authors with a connection to our readership area may submit. Submission does not guarantee acceptance.