The Crocodiles Will Arrive Later

by Kathy McCoy, Elizabeth McCoy

Kathy McCoy had three major first, that she would grow up to become a suburban housewife with no power of her own; second, nuclear annihilation; third, that her father would kill her. One wasn't out of the question; her alcoholic, mentally ill father threatened his children's lives on a daily basis. Her dad called his explosive mood swings 'crocodiles,' he feared they would devour him as they had his mother. He wasn't the only one.

A memoir of horror and humor, "The Crocodiles Will Arrive Later" tells the story of growing up in mid-century suburban Los Angeles. It is a story of hope and learning how to let go of a painful past to create a very different future.

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 9, 2020

About the author

Kathleen McCoy, PhD is a psychotherapist and the award-winning author of a dozen books including ALA's Best Books for Young Adults winner The Teenage Body Book (Random House, 2008) and Understanding Your Teenager's Depression (Perigee, 2005). Dr. McCoy was the columnist for Seventeen's "Sex and Your Body" and she is a former editor of Teen. Dr. McCoy has also written for national publications such as Readers Digest, The New York Times, Family Circle, Mademoiselle, TV Guide and The Journal of Clinical Child Psychology. Dr. McCoy and her husband recently moved from Los Angeles to Florence, Arizona, a small historic town where they live with their four cats Gus, Maggie, SweetPea and Hamish.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
What an amazing story of success after growing up in a dysfunctional home with mentally ill parents and an alcoholic father. The swinging from love from her parents to her father blaming his children for his problems is hard to read but her ability to overcome so much is inspiring.

[Dee Ready · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finishing this book last night, I laid it aside and simply dwelt in the comfort it had given me. The title, the first line, and the suspenseful beginning had initially led me to wonder if the memoir would present parents who were unloveable and unloving. And perhaps, it would also depict how their daughter had escaped their failures and flaws.

This was not the case. At the center of this memoir lies a wellspring of love--that of a daughter for parents she comes to understand only in her maturity and that of parents, one of whom faces the crocodile of life-long depression and one of whom dwells in her own passive reality.

In this memoir, the author shares with us her growing understanding of her parents. And . . . how her search for meaning in those early years led to a wisdom that she has shared with others in books and magazines and in friendships--far and wide.

The crocodiles of the title did arrive, and yet, their arrival brought forth first a child's confusion and then, as she aged, a child's growing understanding of love. The depth of tn amidst pain and the height of it amidst misunderstanding and the breadth of it amidst the love ultimately offered her in bits and fragments that made up the quilt of her early life.

The readers of this book helped me understand my own parents and my life. What a great gift, this memoirist has given us. Peace.

[Janet Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Guess That You Had To Be There
This is an autobiography based on serious child abuse. If this triggers anyone, please do not read. The early half of the book is all about how tortured parents made their children feel as badly as they did. Most of the abuse is psychological, but it is severe. While the father is the active abuser, the mother is passively allowing it to go on. Both parents are mentally ill. I found it very difficult to read about this. The second half of the book is about how the three children grew to adulthood, had their own lives, and survived and thrived. While this helps the story digest better, it is still hugely depressing. The only thing worse would be if any of the children had committed suicide (they did not). This is not a book for empathetic readers. It did give me nightmares and sent me into sorrow over my own youth. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a weighty memoir. The author had a dysfunctional childhood with an abusive, mentally disturbed father and a passive mother. The stories she shared gave me chills. Some of the nuns at her parochial school were horrible harridans while others became lifelong friends. There were bright spots: her grandfather on his deathbed wrote a check for her first year’s tuition at NorthWestern. Each of her siblings wrestled with their own demons as a result of their childhood. It’s an interesting read, but I felt like a glass a wine at its conclusion. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Helen Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down. The story was wryly funny, and often heart-warming, with a backdrop of what amounted to serious child abuse growing up in Los Angeles in the 1960s, but the author never descends into pathos or self-pity. It is a tale that reminds us that attitude is everything, and survival is sometimes possible, even in the most trying of circumstances. You find yourself rooting for the spunky girl at the center of this memoir. A great read!

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher via netgalley. I have not been compensated for my review, any opinions expressed are my own.

A beautifully written and relatable memoir about growing up with in a dysfunctional family with an
abusive mentally ill father, a complacent mother, and overcoming all the difficulties associated with it and in the end truly succeeding at life.

[Wanda Argersinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Kathy McCoy was able to write the story of her childhood is an example of not just a survivor but of a woman with determination to overcome terror, threats, and a childhood without love. Her writing is strong which allows her to tell a vivid tale of a life no child should have to live. Unfortunately and thankfully she had a brother to cling to throughout her growing up years. It is a question of whether either would have survived alone. Add an impotent mother either unwilling or unable to intervene on the children's behalf adds to the brutality and unbelievable story. All you have to do is read her story and you will realize how lucky you were, no matter what kind of dysfunction you lived through.