In the 1950's and 60's families are expected to deal with death

privately and silently. This is no different for the Bernards, a large

Catholic family that tries to rebuild after the loss of their three oldest

children. Yet the deaths haunt the author's emotional development

into adulthood with a subtle force she can only uncover in

psychoanalysis while mothering her own young children.


Ollie Ollie In Come Free is an immersion in the secrets of a young

girl's inner life and unexpressed grief. Brimming with memories of

Midwestern childhood during an era of social upheaval, it offers

moving insights into Anne Bernard Becker's personal healing journey

as well as universal themes of loss and growth.