601 Texas St
Shreveport, LA 71101
USA
A local author is preparing for a Saturday morning book signing where she will autograph copies of her book detailing more than 20 years spent in dysfunctional marriage and codependency.
Shreveport resident Maple Sudds said her book, “No Blood in a Turnip: Memoirs of a Codependent,” took her 21 years to write. In her book, Sudds describes a turbulent relationship with a drug-addicted husband she first married for love, and the pain and turmoil she felt watching her two sons climb an escalator from school suspensions to incarceration. The snapshots are all told by a natural storyteller with a strong sense of humor, resilience and faith in God.
Sudds said she first heard the term “codependency” in a college class but didn’t recognize herself as a codependent until years later.
“Codependent is when you allow other people’s behavior to affect yours and you’re obsessed with trying to change their behavior,” Sudds said.
The book’s title refers to an adage passed on by the author’s grandmother — “You can’t get blood from a turnip” — and symbolizes an extremely difficult situation.
“I now realize that I did not do the best that I could have done by my sons. But at that time, I did the best that I knew how,” Sudds wrote in the epilogue of her book. “I’m sure my story represents many whose sons and daughters are incarcerated, on drugs and have other behavior problems. My sons were bombarded with adult issues at an early age… and mirrored what they were exposed to.”
Crystal Stairs Restaurant, 601 Texas Street, Shreveport
3 p.m. – 5 p.m. Feb. 20
