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.