NCJ Number
156239
Date Published
1983
Length
444 pages
Annotation
Written by a mother whose daughter (Nancy Spungen) was murdered, this book traces the life of the daughter and her interaction with the family from the mother's perspective; the mother's reaction to the daughter's murder, her communications with the charged boyfriend, and the family's subsequent involvement in the victim's movement are chronicled.
Abstract
The book begins with Nancy's birth, a difficult birth in which the umbilical cord was wrapped around the infant's neck, apparently depriving her brain of needed oxygen. Perhaps for this reason, among others, her behaviors as an infant, child, and adolescent were problematic for her parents as well as for Nancy herself. The book traces the parents' efforts to obtain the diagnosis and therapy needed to improve their interactions with their daughter. Nothing worked, and Nancy became involved in the drug and rock music culture, eventually becoming the girlfriend of Sid Vicious of the rock group "Sex Pistols." Nancy was stabbed to death, and Sid Vicious was charged with her murder. This book shows the psychological dynamics of a mother who is seeking to cope with the murder of her daughter in the wake of an adversarial parent-child interaction. The parents' involvement in the self-help group Parents of Murdered Children is described, along with other participation in the victims movement. Overall, this is a family's history of coping with difficult and traumatic events while trying to find the meaning and appropriate expression of their love for one another.