Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Would you stand up to your family to protect your sister’s freedom?”

Sometimes, a book comes along that really opens your eyes and fills your heart. This was that book for me! In Freeing Teresa, Franke James fights for her sister’s rights as a person with Downs syndrome, even if it meant cutting ties with her family. Such a moving, emotional and powerful read about doing what’s right, no matter how difficult it may be. I’m so happy to be sharing my review of this wonderful book!

About the book

When an idealistic activist objects to her siblings’ plan to ship their disabled sister off to a nursing home, she’s forced to choose between family and her sister’s freedom.

Franke immediately objected when she heard the plan to put her sister, Teresa, into a nursing home. Teresa herself, who was born with Down syndrome, refused to even consider the idea. She wanted to stay with her father. But none of this mattered to the other siblings, who were acting as Teresa’s “guardians.” They insisted they had all the power and said Teresa had to be thrown into the government care system. And so, the siblings took Teresa from her father’s home and put her into a nursing home. Franke was horrified. She put a team together to help Teresa get discharged. That’s when all hell broke loose. And the two sisters had to stand together—against their siblings, the medical system, and the police—to defend Teresa’s right to be free.

The old institutions have closed, but today there are thousands of young people with disabilities who are forced to live in nursing homes. This is a key civil rights issue for all people with disabilities—the right to decide where you live.

The beginning

The first thing I absolutely need to mention, before we even talk about my opinions of the book itself, is that it actually has trigger warnings! Hurrah! After questioning reasons authors and publishers leave out a trigger warning for so long, it was wonderful to see one in this book. I loved it 👏 The book begins in such a way that makes it sound almost fictional; the author pens her story so well that it’s instantly clear she’s a natural born storyteller. Even if her story is very much a true one. The introduction to the book was informative and conversational which felt really good, and I easily became acquainted with Franke herself, Teresa, and different members of the family. I quickly became lost in the flow of Franke’s words. There was a kind of calmness in them at the start, a tone that makes you feel at ease, one of empathy and kindness. And when we see how Franke interacts with her sister, Teresa, how she involves her and shows care and compassion towards her, it filled my heart with love. Such an engaging start!

“Nobody knows what life is going to throw at them. And how they will change as a result.”

Teresa has Down’s syndrome. It was so good getting to know her through the eyes of Franke and what was so refreshing to see was photographs in the book to go along with Franke’s words. I smiled at so many of the photos including Teresa, Franke and Bill, but also felt a tug of sorrow seeing some of these photos had been edited, removing some of Franke’s family members, which she explains signifies their absence in her life. It was so powerful. Things had changed over time which we would soon learn over the course of the book. Teresa lives with their father, but after conversations about what would happen to her when their ninety-year-old father passed, it was here where cracks began to show in the family. Discussions, no matter how difficult they were to have, had to take place to determine how she would be cared for and where she would live. It felt saddening, especially as Teresa wasn’t a part of these conversations, having her own input about her future, about what she wanted.

The middle

I loved Franke’s anecdotes from years gone by and I even enjoyed finding out more about her work. I actually found an interview that is referenced in the book conducted by journalist, Silver Donald Cameron, which was a really insightful watch. If you’re interested in climate change and human rights, I really recommend you Google Franke’s name! You can watch the interview here if you’re interested. It was saddening to hear that Franke’s siblings found her successful career path to be ‘selfish’, claiming that they ‘selflessly’ cared for their father and Teresa in her absence, which is not fair at all. Their family dynamic soon becomes rocky, and I could personally relate to a few situations with their father. My grandparents, also in their nineties, are going through a few stressful processes at the moment. Carers, talks of nursing homes, slowly losing their independence, increased anxiety, worries about taking the right medication and when. The multiple phone calls my family has each day. Franke’s words, as they also aligned with my life right now, felt like a big warm hug. It was, surprisingly, just what I needed. It was strangely calming.

“If someone had told me back then that within the next year, three of my siblings would be working hard to put Teresa into a nursing home, I never would have believed it.”

The fight to keep Teresa out of a nursing home was a long, difficult, uphill battle with Franke’s siblings. Franke pens her experiences with such attention to detail, ensuring all the feelings, all the emotions are portrayed as she and her family felt them. There is so much back and forth, with Franke fighting so hard to act in Teresa’s best interests. When the possibility of Teresa living with another person with Down’s syndrome came to light, I felt elated at the possibility, and I’m sure I felt many of the same feelings as Franke did when the future could look so bright! But still, her siblings were pushing back against her, making the task so much more difficult than it had to be. It broke my heart hearing about heated discussions, how Teresa and their father’s welfare was causing a rift in the family. I felt so strongly about Teresa’s future. She deserved to live a full life instead of being limited and living half a life in a a nursing home. I really hoped we’d see a positive end to such a difficult time in their lives.

The end

It was when Franke and Bill made the life-altering decision to offer Teresa a place to live with them full time for the rest of her life that we really see the magnitude of their kindness and selflessness. It was a huge step and if it went ahead, they knew their lives, their routine and their normality would change considerably. But things go south once again, the shocking actions of Franke and Teresa’s siblings made me shake my head in rage and frustration. From lying about Teresa’s health and refusing to provide proof, to shipping her off to a nursing home without their or their father’s knowledge, it all broke my heart all over again. It was a shocking thing to read. There was no thought or consideration for what Teresa and their father wanted, nor any warning about what they did. I couldn’t help thinking about how this move could negatively impact both of them and I couldn’t imagine what would have been going through their minds at this time. They didn’t want this, and it was time they understood that. I felt so thankful that Franke was there to fight their corner.

“I woke up alone. Half-asleep, half-awake, I did a mental reality check. What happened yesterday? Was my family destroyed forever? Was there anything I could do to make peace and still protect Teresa?”

The ending chapters took me on a complete rollercoaster ride of emotions. Just when we think we hear the best news possible for Teresa and her future, we get knocked back down once more. How much more could she and her father go through before they got what they needed?! It’s clear there is still work to be done surrounding who can act in the best interest of those with disabilities, and I know Franke and Bill would continue to fight for these rights. The ending of the book, even though everything wasn’t fully resolved, was a much brighter one, and all I could have hoped for was for Teresa and her father to be in a position where they felt comfortable and safe. I loved ending the book knowing there was more to Teresa’s story of freedom, but Franke and Bill came out victorious and I loved them for everything they’d done for Teresa! Such a moving finale and quite an emotional one too, which I half expected. Hugely recommend!

Overall thoughts

Freeing Teresa is an emotional and powerful story of sisterly love, generosity, selflessness and fighting for what is right. It beautifully portrays Franke and her sister Teresa’s relationship, the strength and resilience of Franke and her husband as they push to do what is right. The book explores a traumatic time for Franke as she fights a broken system, her strength so empowering. Despite the hurdles and the heartache of keeping Teresa from living in an unsuitable place for her needs and the breakdown of her family dynamic, the book is one of hope and all that can be if you work hard enough and believe in success. An insightful, raw and inspiring account.

Freeing Teresa: A True Story About My Sister & Me is out right now, available on Amazon! Make sure you’re following the author, Franke James, over on Twitter/X and Instagram to keep up to date with her books and her work. You can read a Q & A with Franke here!

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