Here be dragons

Reviewed by:

Ceil Carey, retired public librarian and longtime book discussion leader

Title:

Here be dragons: Treading the Deep Waters of Motherhood, Mean Girls, and Generational Trauma

Author:

Melanie Shankle

Publisher:

Waterbrook

https://waterbrookmultnomah.com/

Date:

2025

Format:

Hardcover

Length:

200 pages

Overview:

From the cover of this book, I thought the story was about Melissa Shankle and her teenaged daughter, their relationship, and the hurdles of being a teen parent in the 2020’s. Although the last third of the book does describe this in more detail, the actual relationship most highlighted in Here be dragons is that of Melissa and her own mother. It is a struggled, difficult and non-satisfactory one until the very end but it does prepare the author to have a close and beautiful bond with her own daughter. And the author provides readers with many helpful and soul searching insights.

Rating:

4 out of 5

Suggested audience:

Readers interested particularly in mother-daughter relationships

Christian impact:

Shankle’s journey of relationship with her mother gives many insights to readers about their own mother-daughter bonds and encouragement for  relationships with their daughters.

Also includes:

-acknowledgments

-notes

-about the author

http://Amazon.com

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/