For dear life
The youngest of ten children of hardworking parents, Belinda Dan grew up on a North Carolina farm influenced by parental love and poverty. Her childhood, which shaped her resolve to get away from here, is unforgettably described. Motivated by a dream of education and a better life, she borrowed 50 cents and was on her way. Alone and self-willed, she struggled through a variety of schools and jobs. When she decided to become a nurse, Jelliffe was finally forced to confront her own basic character. She was unable to follow simple routines, misunderstood ambiguous directives, trusted the wrong people, and ended up on the verge of a breakdown. Her autobiography ends with her marriage to her psychiatrist. Alice Beals Parsons wrote that "the personality revealed here is an elemental force, scorning conventional moves, but with a law of its own, insensitive in many ways, but sensitive in others, strong, hysterical, and impetuous. Her story is interesting from the first page to the last."
Print Book, English, 1980, ©1936
Arno Press, New York, 1980, ©1936