{"product_id":"freeing-teresa-a-true-story-about-my-sister-and-me-9781999406103","title":"Freeing Teresa: A True Story about My Sister and Me","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhen an idealistic activist objects to her siblings' plan to ship their disabled sister off to a nursing home, she's forced to choose between family and her sister's freedom.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTRIGGER WARNING: This true story deals with dysfunctional family relationships and ableist attitudes, which some readers may find upsetting.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"The result is more than a memoir: it's a testimony to how 'tickets to freedom' are gained through \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003efighting and love\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eD. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA true story about disability, sisters, and standing up for the right to be yourself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFranke James is an environmental \u003cstrong\u003eactivist\u003c\/strong\u003e who got into trouble in her own backyard-\u003cstrong\u003efamily trouble\u003c\/strong\u003e. She objected when she heard her siblings' plan to put their \u003cstrong\u003edisabled sister\u003c\/strong\u003e, Teresa Heartchild, into a nursing home. Teresa, who has Down syndrome, refused to go. But the other siblings insisted and secretly put Teresa into an institution for \u003cstrong\u003eend-of-life care\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTeresa was in shock. Franke was horrified and organized a rescue. That's when all hell broke loose. The \u003cstrong\u003etwo sisters had to stand together\u003c\/strong\u003e-against their siblings, the medical system, and the police-\u003cstrong\u003eto defend Teresa's right to be free.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a \u003cstrong\u003etrue story\u003c\/strong\u003e about a key \u003cstrong\u003ecivil rights \u003c\/strong\u003eissue for all people with disabilities-the right to decide where you live.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAWARDS for Freeing Teresa\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHuman Relations Indie Book Award Winner, 2024: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003col\u003eGold Award, Family ChallengesGold Award, Special Needs (Disability Rights)Silver Award, LeadershipSilver Award, Inspirational\u003c\/ol\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEric Hoffer Award, 2024: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003col\u003eFinalist, Memoirs\u003c\/ol\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirebird Book Awards, Q2, 2024: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003col\u003eJudges' Pick1st place, Social\/Political Change1st place, Special Needs (Disability Rights)2nd place, Leadership2nd place, Inspiration\u003c\/ol\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePinnacle Book Awards, Summer 2024: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003col\u003e1st place, Inspiration\u003c\/ol\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Franke James, Billiam James\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e James Gang, Iconoclasts Inc.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/12\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 346\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.12lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.77d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781999406103\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJames, Franke:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Franke James is an artist, activist and the author of four books on human rights, climate change, free expression, and ethics. For her, these issues are all connected by the need to speak up and take action. The spark for Freeing Teresa was lit in 2013. Franke and her husband Billiam James helped her younger sister get out of a nursing home and then helped Teresa ask for an apology. Earlier that same year, Franke had published Banned on the Hill, which led to her winning the BC Civil Liberties Award for Excellence in the Arts. Her related poster campaign, \"Do Not Talk About Climate Change,\" appeared in three Canadian cities and Washington, DC. In 2015, Franke was awarded PEN Canada's Ken Filkow Prize for \"tenacity in uncovering an abuse of power and commitment to fostering a national conversation in the face of censorship.\" Franke lives in Vancouver, BC, with her husband and her sister, Teresa.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHeartchild, Teresa:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Teresa Heartchild is an artist, self-advocate, and author who has Down syndrome. Teresa has shown remarkable resilience and courage. In 2013, a social worker said she was incapable of deciding where she would live. Teresa was put into a Toronto nursing home. Within days, her father, her sister Franke, and her brother-in-law, Bill, helped her get discharged. Teresa had a new capacity test done that determined she could decide where to live. Two years of campaigning later, BC Civil Liberties wrote to the Ontario government on Teresa's behalf: \"We are gravely concerned that the government, through its actions, appears to condone the forced placement and mistreatment of developmentally disabled adults.\" The Ontario Minister of Health responded by publicly apologizing to Teresa. The BC Human Rights Commissioner named Teresa a \"Champion for Change.\" In 2023, Teresa is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of her rescue and lives with her sister, Franke, in Vancouver, BC.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJames, Billiam:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Billiam James is an activist, artist, designer and award-winning videographer. In 2013, he helped his wife, Franke, get her younger sister, Teresa, out of a nursing home and brought her to live with them. Together, they helped Teresa ask for an apology for the wrongful institutionalization. After two years of campaigning, the Ontario Minister of Health publicly apologized to Teresa. Billiam combines storytelling, visual art, music, and social activism to effect change. Over the past three decades, he has produced creative work addressing the following themes: disability rights, mental health, climate change, and free speech. He lives in Vancouver, BC, with Franke James and sister-in-law Teresa Heartchild.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"James Gang, Iconoclasts Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43119726428275,"sku":"9.782E+12","price":22.62,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/files\/img_833c8180-1853-4c99-9769-251450a3eae9.jpg?v=1749298526","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/products\/freeing-teresa-a-true-story-about-my-sister-and-me-9781999406103","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}