Deborah Shepard interview with Sarah Beck, author of new book 'I Only Know Happy People.'

​Notice of an upcoming event at the Takapuna Library next Tuesday 30 April, 6pm - 7.30pm. Deborah Shepard in conversation with Sarah Beck, psychologist and daughter of Christine Cole Catley about her new book 'I Only Know Happy People: A Psychologist's Memoir'. There are so many fascinating themes to explore in this compelling new memoir, one of which is Sarah's work in the field of psychology with accounts of client experiences, included with their permission, weaving through her own narrative of self-discovery. One of the elements that moved me, as I was reading, was Sarah's willingness to reveal the heights and depths of her experience as she traverses life's challenges and hardships and how her honesty, often searing, speaks directly to the reader. But the success of a memoir also hinges on the care a writer takes around the representation of key figures in their life. With complex relationships the writer treads a fine line between speaking the truth of their experience whilst taking care not to malign the person. In Sarah Beck's memoir she navigates this delicate balance beautifully, exploring the mother - daughter relationship truthfully and with a psychologist's insight, as she moves towards reconciliation in her own mind. In her words, in the final paragraph, 'I think again of the first three years (1000 days) of a child's life, when the foundations for happiness are laid. I like to think that a second delayed and happy childhood is possible for all of us who need one. My clients agree.'

​If you are free next Tuesday 30 April this promises to be a special evening.