DIAMOND BAR, Calif., August 6, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Jessica's spirit is withering away. Living with an alcoholic father is detrimental and she constantly struggles with the verbal abuse, the embarrassment and the effects he is having on her three-year-old brother. In Deanna Hessedal Tiddle's new book, Hold On, Jessica, Don't Let Go (now available through 1stBooks), readers follow 11-year-old Jessica through her realization that her future is in her own hands.
Teachers are concerned about Jessica's slipping grades, but she is afraid to confide in them. An intelligent girl, she knows that when drugs are offered to her in school, they would only make her situation worse. She's crumbling under the weight of her father's addiction and longs for a father's love. She unsuccessfully attempts to run away with her little brother.
Over the next two years, Jessica gradually learns the nature of her father's drinking. She discovers that there are things she can change and things she can't. She comes to realize his problem is not her fault. Jessica knows the best escape to a better future is through education, which will provide her options that will last a lifetime.
A touching novel for young people, Jessica's story illustrates the power of perseverance and the positive outcomes that result when one holds on to optimism in the face of adversity. Tiddle shows the value in "holding on and not letting go" as she reveals Jessica's later years and the future the girl makes for herself.
Tiddle attended the University of Minnesota, working her way through school at a local bank. She became a teacher and worked in Michigan, Ohio and California, where she raised her family and currently lives. Several of her children's stories have won awards and have been published in magazines. However, Hold On, Jessica, Don't Let Go is her first novel.
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