Unlock The Secrets Of Boy In The Ivy: The Inner Child Of A Buried Man Envisioned By T. McKinley File Format Publication Copy

enjoyed reading “The boy in the Ivy” by T McKinley, The writers brother committed suicide inleaving the writer with many questions, first of being “Why he had not done the same” His brother and the writer shared the same struggle of depression, shame, loneliness and inadequacy.
His path showed ails of toxic parents in an upperclass environment, Something that is never entirely looked at through society eyes, as most feel privileged should heal all wounds, The writer T. Mckinley admits “I realized Id been locking myself out for many, many years, and I finally wanted to come in from the cold”, The writer illustrates how he digs himself out of the torture through a summer of renovating a house to make it his family home, finding his inner child that had been lost in the ivy.

I give the bookthis book is a selfhelp and memoir, T. McKinley has a wonderful flow in writing, I would like to see more books from him, and I feel he has talent presenting a very well thought out story.


The writer and his wife purchased a house that was used by a mother and son, the house was filled with junk, over grown, it was a mess of epic size.
The house had additions of a bar build to lasts of years and many hidden treasures, The renovation of a house is a great metaphor for tearing down a psyche, to remove a “man childs” secret world to be replaced with an adults grace and healthy life.


The writer really did a good job of waiting until the end to explain his perception, allowing the story to unfold not seaming like a selfhelp book.
I stayed interested in reading and reflecting on my own battle with depression, Looking at how I hide from family and friends, I might not use alcohol as a shield from feeling, but I feel we all when sad or ill have different ways to deal with the stressors, This book is not just about generational addiction but about life, and how instances can influence insights, The writer was able to face his dread, learn and write about what was important to him, There is so much more to this book then what I have outlined, I suggest you read if not just for fun, but to see how it touches your heart as it did mine.

"Boy in the Ivy" grabbed my attention from the very first page and from there I found myself on a ride of twists and turns, never knowing what would happen next! A truly rewarding read from start to finish.


T has a way of engaging the reader, at the same time sharing his difficulttoswallow past of dysfunction, loneliness, shame, and isolation, I admit that at times I needed to put the book down, feeling sucked a little too deep into his gloom, Yet, I was quick to pick it back up again to see what happened next,

The book is a lovely memoir of confessions, ghosts, and most importantly transformation of house and soul!!, By the time I reached chapter eight, I knew my interest in this book wasn't simply due to the fact that it was written by my sons' English teacher.
The reason was much more personal: this story hit a little too close to home, I felt myself identifying many times with young T, his upbringing, as well as his continued struggles and ways of coping throughout adolescence and into adulthood, In the end, at page, I was relieved to let it all out, I cried, along with T, as he finally connected with and embraced his inner child, Simultaneously I felt myself hugging my little "Jenny",

My hope is for T to continue to write and share his story, His candidness will help those who are buried but wanting, like me, to find a way out, In, T McKinley's brother committed suicide, and his first question to himself was why he hadn't done the same, In this moving and poignant memoir, McKinley takes the reader back through the events that led to a lifelong struggle with depression, shame, and inadequacy, Beginning with his own conception and birth and continuing through his parents' divorce and the fragmentation of his family, McKinley traces the origins and evolution of his deepseated belief that everyone would have been better off if he had never existed at all.
In this way, McKinley blamed, rejected, and buried his inner child, setting himself up for a lifetime of disconnection and depression, Years later, McKinley married, had two children, and soon saw that he was repeating the same toxic patterns that defined his own childhood, His feelings of hopelessness continued to increase until the family bought a fixerupper house in suburban Virginia, As they sifted through the rubble of the dysfunctional family that had come before, McKinley was brought facetoface with the pain that had buried him for far too long.
He began to realize his own value to his family and reconnect with his own childhoodand the innocent child he had once beenin a more compassionate and loving way.
He realized he was not broken, but that he did need to ask for help, Ultimately, through this experience, McKinley was able to find the hope that his brother never could, McKinley approaches difficult subjects with insight and humor, in a direct and disarming way, Readers are invited to approach their own issues with shame and depression with compassion instead of fear, and to confront their own patterns of disconnection and isolation with hope instead of powerlessness.
McKinley had contemplated suicide often, but he learned that sometimes the greatest strength comes from admitting you need help, T. McKinley has an undergraduate degree in religious studies and a master's degree in folklore, He has worked a variety of jobs in his life, including shortorder cook, towel boy at a YMCA, sperm donor, bartender, and professional cartoonist, and he spent six years working as a standup comic in Los Angeles.
For the past eighteen years, he has taught English and theater in a variety of private middle and high schools, He is a suicide survivor who is happily married with two children, I have been many things in the course of my life: student at an elite boarding school, religious studies major in college, and graduate student in folklore, Along the way I worked a variety of jobs, including short order cook, towel boy at a YMCA, sperm donor, bartender, professional cartoonist, and I spent six years as a stand up comic in Los Angeles.


For the past eighteen years, I have taught English and theater in a variety of private middle and high schools, Finally, I am a suicide survivor who is happily married with two beautiful children, .