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I Belong to No One: One woman's true story of family violence, forced adoption and ultimate triumphant survival
Rape, teen pregnancy, illegitimacy, domestic abuse - in 1970s Australia all were shameful secrets that trapped women in poverty, loss and ongoing emotional trauma. This is one woman's story of all she lost and how hard she fought to survive.
A teenager in the 1970s, Gwen Wilson grew up in Western Sydney. It was a tough childhood. Illegitimate, fatherless - her mother in and out of psychiatric hospitals; it would have been easy for anyone to despair and give up. Yet Gwen had hope. Despite it all, she was a good student, fighting hard for a scholarship and a brighter future.
Then she met Colin. Someone to love who would love her back. But that short-lived love wasn't the sanctuary Gwen was looking for. It was the start of a living hell. Rape was just the beginning. By sixteen she was pregnant, her education abandoned. Australian society did not tolerate single mothers; prejudice and discrimination followed her everywhere. In an effort to save her son, Jason, from the illegitimacy and deprivation she'd grown up with, Gwen chose to marry Colin - and too quickly the nightmare of physical abuse, poverty and homelessness seemed inescapable.
In 1974, in the dying days of the forced adoption era in Australia, this isolated teenager was compelled to make a decision about her child that would tear her life apart, one she would never truly come to terms with.
I Belong to No One is one woman's story of all she lost and how hard she fought to survive and eventually triumph.
A teenager in the 1970s, Gwen Wilson grew up in Western Sydney. It was a tough childhood. Illegitimate, fatherless - her mother in and out of psychiatric hospitals; it would have been easy for anyone to despair and give up. Yet Gwen had hope. Despite it all, she was a good student, fighting hard for a scholarship and a brighter future.
Then she met Colin. Someone to love who would love her back. But that short-lived love wasn't the sanctuary Gwen was looking for. It was the start of a living hell. Rape was just the beginning. By sixteen she was pregnant, her education abandoned. Australian society did not tolerate single mothers; prejudice and discrimination followed her everywhere. In an effort to save her son, Jason, from the illegitimacy and deprivation she'd grown up with, Gwen chose to marry Colin - and too quickly the nightmare of physical abuse, poverty and homelessness seemed inescapable.
In 1974, in the dying days of the forced adoption era in Australia, this isolated teenager was compelled to make a decision about her child that would tear her life apart, one she would never truly come to terms with.
I Belong to No One is one woman's story of all she lost and how hard she fought to survive and eventually triumph.
314 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
29 people are currently reading
522 people want to read
About the author
Gwen Wilson
1 book28 followersGwen Wilson started writing her memoir in her fifties. Essentially self-educated, Gwen worked as a motel receptionist, dental nurse and switchboard operator until at nineteen, in the exciting days of the pre-container era, a chance opportunity saw her land a role in customs clearance on the male-dominated Port Adelaide waterfront. A stable marriage and successful career in shipping and logistics in Sydney followed until she retired, after which Gwen entered university for the first time and now holds a Master’s Degree in Electronic Commerce. Gwen and husband Bill live in Wollongong, New South Wales.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 15, 2015
Gwen Wilson tells her story about growing up in a family that faced adversity on many different levels. The book explores many issues, including growing up with a parent who has a severe mental illness, the stigma associated with being a single mother, family violence, the lack of support available, forced adoption and the inequality that women faced.
I am thankful to Gwen for sharing her story. I learnt a lot about what it was like for a woman living in Australia during the 1970s and most importantly that it is possible to recover and live through adversity. Gwen also explored, to a smaller degree toward the end of the novel, how she later in life developed awareness around the reasons behind her thinking, behaviour and reactions to situations and relationships. I am glad Gwen included the epilogue and I felt a sense of closure after finishing the novel.
This is a well written, honest and thought provoking read. I highly recommend for anyone interested in social issues and growing up in the 1960s and 1970s in Australia.
I am thankful to Gwen for sharing her story. I learnt a lot about what it was like for a woman living in Australia during the 1970s and most importantly that it is possible to recover and live through adversity. Gwen also explored, to a smaller degree toward the end of the novel, how she later in life developed awareness around the reasons behind her thinking, behaviour and reactions to situations and relationships. I am glad Gwen included the epilogue and I felt a sense of closure after finishing the novel.
This is a well written, honest and thought provoking read. I highly recommend for anyone interested in social issues and growing up in the 1960s and 1970s in Australia.
February 28, 2023
I found Gwen Wilson's memoir riveting. The writing flowed well making it an easy read. However, I didn't think the life she portrays in the book was that harrowing, or much different to any low socioeconomic families of that era.
Brought up by a single mother with mental health problems Gwen explains how neighbours and family often took her in. She was an intelligent and fiery young girl who wasn't afraid of hard work.
I few bad decisions and a stubborn personality sees Gwen hit rock bottom; pregnant and unemployed.
I Belong to No One is heart-wrenching in its reading. Although the author has spared her readers the graphic details of abuse she still manages to clearly portray the injustices and inequality suffered by women in the 70's.
Wilson is an inspiration to all in the way she turned her life around, offered forgiveness and moved forward.
Brought up by a single mother with mental health problems Gwen explains how neighbours and family often took her in. She was an intelligent and fiery young girl who wasn't afraid of hard work.
I few bad decisions and a stubborn personality sees Gwen hit rock bottom; pregnant and unemployed.
I Belong to No One is heart-wrenching in its reading. Although the author has spared her readers the graphic details of abuse she still manages to clearly portray the injustices and inequality suffered by women in the 70's.
Wilson is an inspiration to all in the way she turned her life around, offered forgiveness and moved forward.
September 12, 2015
Rape, teen pregnancy, illegitimacy, domestic abuse – in 1970s Australia all were shameful secrets that trapped women in poverty, loss and ongoing emotional trauma.
I Belong to No One is Gwen Wilson’s story of all she lost and how hard she fought to survive. She suffered all these horrors but went on to become a successful happy woman.
Gwen was illegitimate in a time when illegitimacy carried a stigma. She grew up in Sydney’s western suburbs without a father and virtually without a mother. Her mother suffered from mental illness and was in and out of psychiatric hospitals her whole life. Gwen and her brother mostly raised themselves, living in abject poverty. It was enough to make most people give up – but despite her inauspicious beginning in life, Gwen was a promising student who looked as if she could fight her way into a better life via a scholarship and education. She appeared to have a bright future – so what happened?
Gwen met Colin who promised her love, the love she desperately craved. Gwen was raped by Colin’s older brother, possibly with Colin’s knowledge and compliance, although this fact was never clearly established. Not unusually for the 1970s, the police did not believe Gwen’s story and Colin was no help, claiming he had been hit on the head by his brother, left unconscious and didn’t know what was happening. Colin was scared of his brother and consequently the rape went unpunished.
At only 16 Gwen found herself pregnant, and although she had her doubts, she decided to marry, mainly to give her son a family and save him from the slur of illegitimacy. Marriage, however, was not a sanctuary, it was the beginning of a life of even more hardship and poverty. Colin continued to be one of the lads, to gamble and start a new job with monotonous regularity. He also didn’t hesitate to use his fists when displeased.
We must remember that in the 1970s, Australian society was not as tolerant of illegitimacy and teenage mothers as it is now. From our position in 2015, we may ask why she didn’t have an abortion or why she didn’t raise her son on her own. What we forget is that the unmarried mother’s benefit was almost non-existent and that for someone like Gwen, who knew personally the stigma of illegitimacy, a husband and father for her son seemed if not the only solution, then certainly the best solution.
In 1974, in the dying days of the forced adoption era in Australia, this isolated teenager was compelled to make a decision about her child that would tear her life apart, one she would never truly come to terms with. My heart broke for Gwen, but in the long run, she is not a victim she is a survivor.
I Belong to No One is an honestly written story of one woman’s life, of all she lost and of how hard she fought to become the woman she is today. I feel nothing but the highest admiration for this remarkable woman.
Coincidentally just as I finished reading this book I stumbled across the following quote from the Dalai Lama – "We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us, and make us kinder. You always have the choice." Those words could be written about Gwen Wilson.
I Belong to No One is Gwen Wilson’s story of all she lost and how hard she fought to survive. She suffered all these horrors but went on to become a successful happy woman.
Gwen was illegitimate in a time when illegitimacy carried a stigma. She grew up in Sydney’s western suburbs without a father and virtually without a mother. Her mother suffered from mental illness and was in and out of psychiatric hospitals her whole life. Gwen and her brother mostly raised themselves, living in abject poverty. It was enough to make most people give up – but despite her inauspicious beginning in life, Gwen was a promising student who looked as if she could fight her way into a better life via a scholarship and education. She appeared to have a bright future – so what happened?
Gwen met Colin who promised her love, the love she desperately craved. Gwen was raped by Colin’s older brother, possibly with Colin’s knowledge and compliance, although this fact was never clearly established. Not unusually for the 1970s, the police did not believe Gwen’s story and Colin was no help, claiming he had been hit on the head by his brother, left unconscious and didn’t know what was happening. Colin was scared of his brother and consequently the rape went unpunished.
At only 16 Gwen found herself pregnant, and although she had her doubts, she decided to marry, mainly to give her son a family and save him from the slur of illegitimacy. Marriage, however, was not a sanctuary, it was the beginning of a life of even more hardship and poverty. Colin continued to be one of the lads, to gamble and start a new job with monotonous regularity. He also didn’t hesitate to use his fists when displeased.
We must remember that in the 1970s, Australian society was not as tolerant of illegitimacy and teenage mothers as it is now. From our position in 2015, we may ask why she didn’t have an abortion or why she didn’t raise her son on her own. What we forget is that the unmarried mother’s benefit was almost non-existent and that for someone like Gwen, who knew personally the stigma of illegitimacy, a husband and father for her son seemed if not the only solution, then certainly the best solution.
In 1974, in the dying days of the forced adoption era in Australia, this isolated teenager was compelled to make a decision about her child that would tear her life apart, one she would never truly come to terms with. My heart broke for Gwen, but in the long run, she is not a victim she is a survivor.
I Belong to No One is an honestly written story of one woman’s life, of all she lost and of how hard she fought to become the woman she is today. I feel nothing but the highest admiration for this remarkable woman.
Coincidentally just as I finished reading this book I stumbled across the following quote from the Dalai Lama – "We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us, and make us kinder. You always have the choice." Those words could be written about Gwen Wilson.
August 25, 2015
This is a brave book, a memoir written by an author knowing that she may be criticised, knowing that readers may disapprove, but having the courage to write it anyway. To say ‘This is me, this is what I did when I was a teenager’.
Gwen Wilson had a tough start in life. Her father was not in her life, in fact in later years she discovers that her father was a completely different man from the one she thought he was. Instead she grows up with her mother and half-brother Steve. Her mother would today be diagnosed as bi-polar, Steve is thrust into the role of authority figure. The young Gwen grows up relying on stand-in families, those of trusting neighbours or the parents of her schoolfriends. Looking for love, for approval, it is little wonder that she gets ’into trouble’.
Gwen Wilson celebrated her 60th birthday just before this memoir was published. She has travelled a long way and become a different person since the girl who struggled to be a mother and wife when she was still a young girl. There should have been more support for her, but 1970s Australia was in many ways an unforgiving male-focussed society and it sucked Gwen into its moral spin drier and spat her out again.
Pregnant at 17, she marries Colin [the baby’s father] but both teenagers are woefully prepared to be parents. They struggle on for a while until, under Australia’s controversial forced adoption rules, it is decided [not by them] that their toddler Jason would be better off adopted. Cowed, the teenagers agree and sign the forms to give away their son. Gwen Wilson has spent the rest of her life feeling guilty, full of regret.
But this book is more than a story about adoption, it is a window into the world of growing up, poor, in 1960s and 70s Australia. “They said the house was jerry-built. I knew what they meant. The house was cobbled together from scraps of timber, fibro and Masonite – bits other people threw away. Our roof was not terracotta tiles like the others in the street. It was tin. Corrugated iron, they called it. When the sun beat down, the heat spread through each room like an oven. We gasped and baked and prayed for a Southerly Buster. We knew it would come in the evening: we could smell its approach. It roared up the hill from the bottom of the street, and found us perched at the corner, wilting.” Wilson draws such a clear picture of her childhood house, I could be there.
This is no idyllic childhood, Steve and Gwen learn to live without their mother who is in and out of hospital, when their mother is there they know how to manage her moods. They grow up before their time, except they are still children and make bad decisions. Wilson admits that when she was a teenager, she felt bitter towards her mother, for not being there for her daughter, for not supporting her as she had in her turn been supported by her family. Now, Wilson understands how ill her mother really was.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-revie...
Gwen Wilson had a tough start in life. Her father was not in her life, in fact in later years she discovers that her father was a completely different man from the one she thought he was. Instead she grows up with her mother and half-brother Steve. Her mother would today be diagnosed as bi-polar, Steve is thrust into the role of authority figure. The young Gwen grows up relying on stand-in families, those of trusting neighbours or the parents of her schoolfriends. Looking for love, for approval, it is little wonder that she gets ’into trouble’.
Gwen Wilson celebrated her 60th birthday just before this memoir was published. She has travelled a long way and become a different person since the girl who struggled to be a mother and wife when she was still a young girl. There should have been more support for her, but 1970s Australia was in many ways an unforgiving male-focussed society and it sucked Gwen into its moral spin drier and spat her out again.
Pregnant at 17, she marries Colin [the baby’s father] but both teenagers are woefully prepared to be parents. They struggle on for a while until, under Australia’s controversial forced adoption rules, it is decided [not by them] that their toddler Jason would be better off adopted. Cowed, the teenagers agree and sign the forms to give away their son. Gwen Wilson has spent the rest of her life feeling guilty, full of regret.
But this book is more than a story about adoption, it is a window into the world of growing up, poor, in 1960s and 70s Australia. “They said the house was jerry-built. I knew what they meant. The house was cobbled together from scraps of timber, fibro and Masonite – bits other people threw away. Our roof was not terracotta tiles like the others in the street. It was tin. Corrugated iron, they called it. When the sun beat down, the heat spread through each room like an oven. We gasped and baked and prayed for a Southerly Buster. We knew it would come in the evening: we could smell its approach. It roared up the hill from the bottom of the street, and found us perched at the corner, wilting.” Wilson draws such a clear picture of her childhood house, I could be there.
This is no idyllic childhood, Steve and Gwen learn to live without their mother who is in and out of hospital, when their mother is there they know how to manage her moods. They grow up before their time, except they are still children and make bad decisions. Wilson admits that when she was a teenager, she felt bitter towards her mother, for not being there for her daughter, for not supporting her as she had in her turn been supported by her family. Now, Wilson understands how ill her mother really was.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-revie...
October 14, 2015
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. A harrowing story of a girl growing up in a disfunctional family and being made to make adult decisions well before she was emotionally capable. She was fortunate to have Kulpie, Auntie Myra and other neighbourhood people there to give her support and some stability in her unusual childhood. Her mother's mental illness left her unable to be there for her children. Highly rebellious teenage years lead to one disaster after another. It was upsetting to read of a teenager trying to be an adult but really only wanting to be loved, wanted and cared for. She needed rescuing but chose a path that lead to much heart ache and pain - physical and emotional. There wasn't the support groups there that are available today and she felt worthless and deserving of any punishment that she received. It was remarkable that she survived and eventually blossomed into a successful and happy woman. I admire her greatly as even in her darkest moments she never gave up.
January 10, 2016
I could really relate to Gwen's story on many levels. Her fractured and dysfunctional childhood, due to an absent father, and a mother who was battling with mental illness. She was very fortunate though that some of her neighbours, family friends, and relatives would often step in and take care of Gwen during her mother's many hospitalizations. Her older brother takes the role of "man of the house" a bit too literally, and is often too harsh with discipline. Teen pregnancy and marriage to an uncaring, abusive man, soon follows. Eventually, through a series of unfortunate and complicated events, the little boy is removed from Gwen's and her by then ex husband Colin's care, and adopted by a good family. Although Gwen's journey is full of rocky rides and ups and downs, her strength of character and adaptability always shine through. Her epilogue at the end of the book is not necessarily a happily ever after, but it is a realistic and down to earth closure. I loved this book from start to finish.
July 22, 2015
I was a teenager during the 70's also so I found this story very interesting. Growing up in those years I never really knew just how "unwed mothers" were thought and treated. Makes you aware of how far we have come in these matters.
Domestic violence is a terrible crime, one that takes more lives than it should. For someone to speak out about their experiences would be very hard, I would imagine, but hopefully by Gwen sharing her story, someone in an abusive relationship may take on her courage, take the step to get out of that relationship and possibly save their own life.
Domestic violence is a terrible crime, one that takes more lives than it should. For someone to speak out about their experiences would be very hard, I would imagine, but hopefully by Gwen sharing her story, someone in an abusive relationship may take on her courage, take the step to get out of that relationship and possibly save their own life.
March 27, 2016
I am reviewing this book as received in a goodreads give away. Thanks Goodreads!
OK 4.5 stars, Goodreads really needs to get that half star button sorted.
Writing reviews for non fiction books can always be a bit hard, you can not say you don't like a character or the way the way the landscape is because, well, they are real.
I started reading this book knowing I was going to cry. A lot. To be honest, writing this review was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Gwen is such a strong woman and I love that hers is truly a success story.
It is so strange to think that in the 1960's to not have a "full" family was so unheard of, when you look at families now made up from so many different components and it be perfectly normal. When you look at the change between the welfare situation then and now it is staggering how much it has all changed in only 55 years. Has civilization changed for the better? I guess that depends on who you ask...
Religion, this is always a bad thing to turn to when you are suffering. Gwen s mother should never have been humoured by the church, she should have been taken care of by her peers not ridiculed and be made feel ashamed. I don't think you can accurately describe what it is like to live with someone who has a mental illness to someone who has never had to watch for signals or remember how long it has been since and episode. These are things no child should have to deal with, hopefully we as a society will keep moving forward with the education and research required to find the cause and cure of mental illness so that no person will have to live with the crippling symptoms of any sort of mental "problem" again, it is a nice hope.
This book was good in the way that you felt engaged in the story all the time, Gwen s writing is real and as such you feel you can relate with her in the struggles of being in the "poorhouse" or having to explain away your husbands problem keeping a job. These are things so many people even today have to face which definitely isn't a good thing that in the period between then and now we seem to still be making the same problems for ourselves as if we will never learn from the past.
I am very appreciative of the epilogue as I do feel that the book kind of just stopped, in one hand I am glad. I don't know how much more I could have read but in the other hand I feel there was more to tell.
All and all I am glad I read this book, I liked it in the way that it was a good insight into the life of what families and especially woman had to go through just to, well, be.
Also I have never been so thankful for my; Fridge, Washing machine, Dryer, Carpet, and well anything else that we all take for granted these days without even noticing.
OK 4.5 stars, Goodreads really needs to get that half star button sorted.
Writing reviews for non fiction books can always be a bit hard, you can not say you don't like a character or the way the way the landscape is because, well, they are real.
I started reading this book knowing I was going to cry. A lot. To be honest, writing this review was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Gwen is such a strong woman and I love that hers is truly a success story.
It is so strange to think that in the 1960's to not have a "full" family was so unheard of, when you look at families now made up from so many different components and it be perfectly normal. When you look at the change between the welfare situation then and now it is staggering how much it has all changed in only 55 years. Has civilization changed for the better? I guess that depends on who you ask...
Religion, this is always a bad thing to turn to when you are suffering. Gwen s mother should never have been humoured by the church, she should have been taken care of by her peers not ridiculed and be made feel ashamed. I don't think you can accurately describe what it is like to live with someone who has a mental illness to someone who has never had to watch for signals or remember how long it has been since and episode. These are things no child should have to deal with, hopefully we as a society will keep moving forward with the education and research required to find the cause and cure of mental illness so that no person will have to live with the crippling symptoms of any sort of mental "problem" again, it is a nice hope.
This book was good in the way that you felt engaged in the story all the time, Gwen s writing is real and as such you feel you can relate with her in the struggles of being in the "poorhouse" or having to explain away your husbands problem keeping a job. These are things so many people even today have to face which definitely isn't a good thing that in the period between then and now we seem to still be making the same problems for ourselves as if we will never learn from the past.
I am very appreciative of the epilogue as I do feel that the book kind of just stopped, in one hand I am glad. I don't know how much more I could have read but in the other hand I feel there was more to tell.
All and all I am glad I read this book, I liked it in the way that it was a good insight into the life of what families and especially woman had to go through just to, well, be.
Also I have never been so thankful for my; Fridge, Washing machine, Dryer, Carpet, and well anything else that we all take for granted these days without even noticing.
June 26, 2016
I have just finished reading this book and was very moved by this story. It must of taken a great deal of courage to write about such traumatic episodes in this life. We have come a long way since the seventies and still have a lot more to improve. Far too much Domestic Violence still exists in Australia. Gwen's story helps us to remember that in the not so distant past our society showed very little compassion for mental illness or single mothers or struggling families. Thank you Gwen Wilson for being so brave and strong. I hope others will learn from this book. Lesley Lynch
September 13, 2015
Australian society has surely come a long way from the "blame it on the woman era" of the 50's, 60's and 70's. Gwen Wilson paints an honest picture of her tough upbringing in Sydney's West, but ultimately overcomes adversity and learns a lot from life. Moreover, this book also provides some insight into this country's forced adoption period, that former Prime Minister Julia Gillard apologised for.
April 29, 2016
This is an incredibly readable, highly engaging and inspirational autobiography. It follows the story of a woman from early childhood into adulthood, and is addictively readable while dealing with challenging and confronting stories. Wilson has a wonderful writing story, reading like a fiction but absolutely fact. Thoroughly recommend.
I received this as a good reads 1st read in exchange for honest feedback.
I received this as a good reads 1st read in exchange for honest feedback.
February 6, 2016
Gwen's story was an eye opener on women's conditions in Australia of the 60s - 70s. Telling the story of such a troubled youth requires courage and the author took care to measure her words. While she takes the role of the victim in various occasions, I would not dare cast a judgment on her decisions and lack of knowledge at the time. A good read, yet distressing at the same time.
January 2, 2016
Gwen Wilson has told her story despite the torment and trouble she was face with. This is a truly touching and eye opening story that shares the truth of the 1960s and 70s for young, unwed mothers in Australia. Amazing - a real page turner.
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August 15, 2015Fantastic read. Written beautifully with honesty and truth. A must read for young women so they can see how hard their mothers and grandmothers fought for their rights.
July 26, 2021
This book is a coming-of-age and family dysfunction memoir, set in Australia. Australian Gwen Wilson, writer of the blog Garrulous Gwendoline, has published a memoir called I Belong to No One. On the cover it also reads: “One woman’s true story of family violence, forced adoption and ultimate triumphant survival.” I wasn’t sure what I would find when I started to read, but I was immediately hooked by Gwen’s storytelling voice. As you might expect from a woman who bills herself on WordPress as “garrulous” and says in the memoir that one of her favorite words is loquacious, Gwen’s voice expertly tells her story and imparts her personality. Her voice is strong, confident, and positive because so is the woman telling the story of her childhood and youth. She also comes across as humble and sincere. This is the successful, mature adult looking back at her upbringing. And while she was clearly always very emotionally strong and generally positive, she was not always confident because the life experiences she went through from a young age tried to grind her down. But Gwen didn’t let them keep her down. Whenever she could catch a lucky break, she would run with it. Finally, she caught one in the form of a job in the shipping world and was able to move forward with her adult life. Nevertheless, with Gwen’s muscular and straightforward prose, the majority of the story details what she had to overcome. Legally, she was raised by a single, mentally ill mother who was not capable of parenting her. But in reality, Gwen was raised by her older brother Steve and a series of surrogate moms in the form of neighbors, aunts, and friends’ mothers. This patched-together group of “moms” are where Gwen learned how to be a woman. The topics covered from Gwen’s first person perspective include domestic abuse, illegitimacy (in a time when that really mattered), forced adoption, child neglect, poverty, and rape. The rape scene and how it was handled afterward should be mandatory reading for anyone who is unsure of the #metoo movement. It reminds me of how things were when I was young (so we need to remember that we have made some improvements in society and law regarding rape). Gwen truly had nobody to turn to—and no rape crisis centers as they hadn’t been invented yet. Gwen’s descriptions of her homes and the people in her life are carefully and wonderfully drawn. I find it difficult to move from under the spell of her story and back into my own life. Gwen was born the same year as memoirist Mary Karr. There are similarities in topics, but Australia in the 60s and 70s was much different than the United States. And Gwen had less advantages than Mary Karr had. But anybody who found The Liar’s Club or Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle fascinating will find Gwen’s book just as hard to put down.
July 25, 2017
Such a heartbreaking book which made me so angry at the way women were treated in Australia in the 1970's. Gwen Wilson
has experienced so much trauma in her life and we follow her story in this heartbreakingly honest memoir of rape, domestic abuse, forced adoption and most of all the shame that she carried around. It is hard to read in places but it feels like the telling of her story is what helped her too. She is an incredible woman to have come through all that she did and it is ultimately a story of hope.
has experienced so much trauma in her life and we follow her story in this heartbreakingly honest memoir of rape, domestic abuse, forced adoption and most of all the shame that she carried around. It is hard to read in places but it feels like the telling of her story is what helped her too. She is an incredible woman to have come through all that she did and it is ultimately a story of hope.
March 4, 2020
not usually a type of book i read but fairly enjoyable
March 31, 2021
This has been a rather average read . I thought it would of been more interesting an autobiography but I found it quite an emotionless read.
February 14, 2016
Her own childhood was difficult, horrible, poor, lacked guidance, ...but in this autobiographical genre, I've read far sadder and more desolate stories. I'm not trying to say 'it wasn't harrowing enough', I'm just saying there's almost no basis for a novel here... as her sad start in life can be found in anyone's family history somewhere / somehow... I would argue.
And also: Gwen did tell of many people in this book who were on the periphery to help her ... meals / couches to sleep on / old friends to call on... so, again... nothing out of the ordinary from families up and down the country here.
So, yeah, as is the cycle of an upbringing such as Gwen's: she goes and has a child at a young age, out of wedlock and feels compelled to marry this guy, even though he's not right for her.
She then makes a hash out of trying to get some stability / money behind her and walks out on baby to do so.... leaving baby in the hands of the man she claims is violent?!
Whatever. Who does that?! All credit gone at this point for me.
Gwen portrays herself as intelligent, that she 'triumphs' and arrogantly says 'I had a successful career in shipping and logistics... I was well respected by my peers, frequently promoted, and highly paid... my large staff even liked my leadership style...' (True colours coming out here?...)
This story is not new, or particularly moving, nor do the people involved even want to be named in it / involved, which I think speaks volumes.
Gwen's re-telling her life story through rose-tinted glasses and tries to get you to impart some empathy with her. My sympathy ended up being with the ex-hubby and her son.
And also: Gwen did tell of many people in this book who were on the periphery to help her ... meals / couches to sleep on / old friends to call on... so, again... nothing out of the ordinary from families up and down the country here.
So, yeah, as is the cycle of an upbringing such as Gwen's: she goes and has a child at a young age, out of wedlock and feels compelled to marry this guy, even though he's not right for her.
She then makes a hash out of trying to get some stability / money behind her and walks out on baby to do so.... leaving baby in the hands of the man she claims is violent?!
Whatever. Who does that?! All credit gone at this point for me.
Gwen portrays herself as intelligent, that she 'triumphs' and arrogantly says 'I had a successful career in shipping and logistics... I was well respected by my peers, frequently promoted, and highly paid... my large staff even liked my leadership style...' (True colours coming out here?...)
This story is not new, or particularly moving, nor do the people involved even want to be named in it / involved, which I think speaks volumes.
Gwen's re-telling her life story through rose-tinted glasses and tries to get you to impart some empathy with her. My sympathy ended up being with the ex-hubby and her son.
April 3, 2016
This book tells the story of Gwen. She lives in a poor part of Australia.
She tells how her and her older brother had to cope with their mum's mental health problems. Their mum was in and out of hospitals and Gwen was often cared for by her aunt or her mum's friends. Later as a teenager she was raped by her boyfriends brother. Then in her late teens she has 2 children and her boyfriend starts to get physically and mental abusive.
She tells of her struggles with family life and how she came to lose her children.
This was an ok read. I felt really sorry for Gwen and the tough life she has had. But I found the the book was quite slow moving and I found it really hard to get into it. If you like reading true life books than you will properly quite like this, but not really to my taste 2.5/5 stars
She tells how her and her older brother had to cope with their mum's mental health problems. Their mum was in and out of hospitals and Gwen was often cared for by her aunt or her mum's friends. Later as a teenager she was raped by her boyfriends brother. Then in her late teens she has 2 children and her boyfriend starts to get physically and mental abusive.
She tells of her struggles with family life and how she came to lose her children.
This was an ok read. I felt really sorry for Gwen and the tough life she has had. But I found the the book was quite slow moving and I found it really hard to get into it. If you like reading true life books than you will properly quite like this, but not really to my taste 2.5/5 stars
July 10, 2022
It takes an enormous amount of courage to write about something so personal so I commend Gwen on taking that step. No body understands the power of societal prejudices from this era than another mother forced to make decisions she should not have had to make. I had great empathy for Gwen during different parts of her story, my heart ached for her when she felt there were no other options left other than to have her little boy adopted. I was pleased that after such an unhappy and stressful beginning to her life Gwen found happiness and contentment. Thank you Gwen for being so brave in sharing your story.
July 28, 2019
The title of 'I BELONG TO NO ONE,’ piqued my curiosity. As a child, I often asked myself, 'who I am?'
The story opens at a time when women were little more than chattels, and families sacrificed their daughters, an unborn grandchildren, for the sake of ego and vanity.
People with, what is today, a treatable mental disorder, were locked away in asylums and spent their days weaving baskets or counting matchsticks.
From the start, Gwen had a weak hand dealt. She was fatherless, with a mother, who was unable to cope with life and withdrew to a place where only she had access. It is little wonder that as she entered her teens, Gwen was desperate and starved of love.
This beautifully crafted work, flows like golden syrup, without the sugary sweetness. There is no self-pity here. Gwen is self-effacing, taking on a burden of guilt and shame which, in more considerable measure, ought to be shared by a heartless system.
Tens of thousands of woman, and children, in Australia, fell afoul of what is now known as forced adoption. A reunion of mother and child later in life was more often than not a painful experience for both, without resolution or cessation of the pain.
It was said by C.S.Lewis, that, 'we read to know we are not alone.' Gwen's story is the first recant of a dark chapter in Australia's social history that resonated with me on a deep level. Her bravery and honesty made me feel less alone than I have ever felt as an unwed mother of the 1960s. A writer can do no more than sharing a story that helps others to heal.
Thank you, Gwen, for an account, not without humor and pathos in equal measure. Life in the raw, take it or leave it, the mark of any great memoir.
The story opens at a time when women were little more than chattels, and families sacrificed their daughters, an unborn grandchildren, for the sake of ego and vanity.
People with, what is today, a treatable mental disorder, were locked away in asylums and spent their days weaving baskets or counting matchsticks.
From the start, Gwen had a weak hand dealt. She was fatherless, with a mother, who was unable to cope with life and withdrew to a place where only she had access. It is little wonder that as she entered her teens, Gwen was desperate and starved of love.
This beautifully crafted work, flows like golden syrup, without the sugary sweetness. There is no self-pity here. Gwen is self-effacing, taking on a burden of guilt and shame which, in more considerable measure, ought to be shared by a heartless system.
Tens of thousands of woman, and children, in Australia, fell afoul of what is now known as forced adoption. A reunion of mother and child later in life was more often than not a painful experience for both, without resolution or cessation of the pain.
It was said by C.S.Lewis, that, 'we read to know we are not alone.' Gwen's story is the first recant of a dark chapter in Australia's social history that resonated with me on a deep level. Her bravery and honesty made me feel less alone than I have ever felt as an unwed mother of the 1960s. A writer can do no more than sharing a story that helps others to heal.
Thank you, Gwen, for an account, not without humor and pathos in equal measure. Life in the raw, take it or leave it, the mark of any great memoir.
April 22, 2019
Actually, she really irritated me. I was passed this book, it’s not my usual read, perhaps that’s why I’m not that enamoured by it. Yes, her story is quite sad, but there are people with a lot worse.
July 11, 2023
Not the best start it's a okay read but I've read better
June 12, 2016
The vast inequality experienced by women living in Australian during the 1970’s is felt and portrayed deeply by Australian author Gwen Wilson in her biographical memoir I belong to no one. Wilson presents her reader with a heart rendering account of life growing up in 1970’s Sydney to a single mother suffering from mental illness. Wilson explains her life as a wayward teenager, raised intermittently by her older brother Stephen and other significant females in her life. Eventually Gwen marries at an early age and is pregnant before she has a chance to grow up herself. As a consequence, Wilson deals with such issues as abuse, poverty, inequality in the workplace and forced adoption.
This is a brave and honest memoir, highlighting the hardships experienced by a courageous woman. Wilson certainly opened my eyes up to a bleaker side of Australia’s past. I felt truly ashamed that women of own mother’s era could be subjected to such cruel and power robbing policies. Wilson highlights to lack of options and societal opinion that coerced many single mothers into turning to the cruel policy of giving up their own children through the forced adaption policy. It is a policy that I was not aware of until reading this book and I wish to thank the author for drawing my awareness to its existence. Formal acknowledgement of and an apology has recently come from former Prime Minister Gillard in 2013. However, the true scale and damage this policy caused will continue to haunt generations to come. Wilson highlights memoir works hard to highlight the struggles faced by women of the 1960’s and 70’s in Australia. Wilson manages to express to readers through her memoir that despite her tough start in life and subsequent turbulent early adult years, she has not let this define who she is as a woman residing in present day Australia.
A non fiction read that is compelling, insightful and completely honest, I Belong to No One shows the strength the Australian women’s spirit. Admirable, harrowing and informative – it is a must read for modern day Australians.
This is a brave and honest memoir, highlighting the hardships experienced by a courageous woman. Wilson certainly opened my eyes up to a bleaker side of Australia’s past. I felt truly ashamed that women of own mother’s era could be subjected to such cruel and power robbing policies. Wilson highlights to lack of options and societal opinion that coerced many single mothers into turning to the cruel policy of giving up their own children through the forced adaption policy. It is a policy that I was not aware of until reading this book and I wish to thank the author for drawing my awareness to its existence. Formal acknowledgement of and an apology has recently come from former Prime Minister Gillard in 2013. However, the true scale and damage this policy caused will continue to haunt generations to come. Wilson highlights memoir works hard to highlight the struggles faced by women of the 1960’s and 70’s in Australia. Wilson manages to express to readers through her memoir that despite her tough start in life and subsequent turbulent early adult years, she has not let this define who she is as a woman residing in present day Australia.
A non fiction read that is compelling, insightful and completely honest, I Belong to No One shows the strength the Australian women’s spirit. Admirable, harrowing and informative – it is a must read for modern day Australians.
June 25, 2020
I listened to this book in audio format.
Set in Sydney and surrounds, She writes about the absent father, a mother who grew up an orphan, family secrets, the arrival of the families first fridge, of her school friends and the admission of her mother into a psychiatriac ward in a day when those patients were treated terribly, subject to extreme treatment modalities and mental conditions were explained by “nerves” in polite society. Some of the details surrounding her mother, father and other relatives comes from her childhood memories and the rest from documents she accessed as an adult.
A rough childhood in which she was shown no real love resulted in her making bad choices as a teen and young adult and leading to more upset and hurt. Her experiences were very much influenced by the time in which they happened, (Stigma for unmarried mothers, forced adoptions, cops blaming the victim in rape cases) again leading to more hurt and upset.
I felt that the author got bogged down in many minor details and thus I was reading page after page and nothing of any substance was actually happening. I felt all the details weren’t leading anywhere and My overriding thought was that the story wasn’t interesting enough for publication. (Usually memoirs are selected for publication because of an original/striking/interesting/unusual storyline or series of events and this book contained a story that was quite ordinary) Although well written, It reads more like the kind of memoir one would write for their own records/satisfaction or for their family members and decendants.
Set in Sydney and surrounds, She writes about the absent father, a mother who grew up an orphan, family secrets, the arrival of the families first fridge, of her school friends and the admission of her mother into a psychiatriac ward in a day when those patients were treated terribly, subject to extreme treatment modalities and mental conditions were explained by “nerves” in polite society. Some of the details surrounding her mother, father and other relatives comes from her childhood memories and the rest from documents she accessed as an adult.
A rough childhood in which she was shown no real love resulted in her making bad choices as a teen and young adult and leading to more upset and hurt. Her experiences were very much influenced by the time in which they happened, (Stigma for unmarried mothers, forced adoptions, cops blaming the victim in rape cases) again leading to more hurt and upset.
I felt that the author got bogged down in many minor details and thus I was reading page after page and nothing of any substance was actually happening. I felt all the details weren’t leading anywhere and My overriding thought was that the story wasn’t interesting enough for publication. (Usually memoirs are selected for publication because of an original/striking/interesting/unusual storyline or series of events and this book contained a story that was quite ordinary) Although well written, It reads more like the kind of memoir one would write for their own records/satisfaction or for their family members and decendants.
February 22, 2016
The story of Gwen Wilson is a traumatic childhood as well as a traumatic teen life and adult life. It is at times a difficult read.
Would like to mark this as a 2.5 stars
Would like to mark this as a 2.5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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