Something Not Mentioned
To Paddle My Feet is an inspirational memoir detailing the obstacles in your life and how you overcame them. Why was this an important book for you to write?
My earlier life had remained hidden for many years. I wanted readers to know how difficult life was like in the 1950’s. No-one realised the tough time I had while in hospital, made to walk to fit into society. I wanted to tell readers what it was like for disabled people during those times and how long it took for disabled people to be accepted into society. It is easy for today’s generation to think that it had always been as it is today. I was never allowed to talk about the death of my mother and my brother. I felt as though they had been lost and forgotten. I wanted to talk about them in my book, to let readers know that they had existed and were part of my life. I feel as though they have now been recognised.
What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you were younger?
Love was something not mentioned or demonstrated in my early years. My father and stepmother did care for me and did their best to give me a better life but if someone had shown affection and expressed love I might had found life easier.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from your book?
I want to readers to believe however difficult life is, you can strive and succeed.
Do you see anything differently now that you wrote this book?
Writing this book has made me re-evaluate my own feelings on my life. I can be allowed to have negative and positive thoughts about the things that happened to me. I have a great sense of achievement that I actually wrote down all my memories and produced a book which will record my life forever.
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The hospital became her home, and the ward sister her mother. Hospital life was harsh in the 1950s: crying was a punishable offence and meant solitary confinement. Rita struggled to walk again using leg callipers and a spinal brace, and later became mobile with the use of a wheelchair.
Finally, she had to learn to live with her own family again, and with a new mother that she didn’t know. She tried to fit in, often feeling trapped at home while the family led busy lives.
After a time at boarding school, Rita changed; she became positive, and strove to become fully independent. She went on to travel abroad extensively with her wheelchair.
This book is about Rita’s early life and how she achieved her dreams.
Posted on December 28, 2020, in Interviews and tagged author, biography, book, book recommendations, book review, book reviews, book shelf, bookblogger, books, books to read, ebook, goodreads, inspirational, kindle, kobo, literature, memoir, nonfiction, nook, novel, read, reader, reading, rita sandford, story, To Paddle My Feet, writer, writing. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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