Ruth Bowley

Distant Voices, Distant Rooms Ruth Bowley

Distant Voice, Distant Rooms is loosely based on my partner's many years spent behind the walls of mental institutions. It is factual in the humor that Megan, the main character, holds dear, and in the perseverance of strong women everywhere. The book talks of a woman's discovery of life outside of mental institutions. At forty, Megan begins to find that her disability can be her greatest ally, given the right direction. During Megan's journey through schizophrenia, she will open up to the voices held behind the walls of therapy. Her strong passion for life delves deep into the humor that saves her in the end. Megan is based on my spouse of eleven years. She has spent twenty-plus years in institutions and thirty-plus years in therapy. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, she deals with multiple voices in her head every second of every hour of every day of her life. She has inspired many to understand that being disabled does not mean you are not whole, and that being incarcerated by mental illness does not mean you cannot overcome. Ruth Bowley quietly resides with her partner of many years in a small New Hampshire town. It is there that her writing continues to touch on the subject of subjects "not spoken about" in mixed company. She is an advocate for those with mental impairments and the injustices they suffer at the hands of a faulty social service system. She is a freelance writer, works with animals, and plans to begin writing her fourth book. Publisher's website: http://sbpra.com/RuthBowley