SEEING EYE GIRL

In this debut memoir, a woman chronicles her arduous years with a mother who was blind and abusive.

By the time Armento was born in 1941, her mother was completely blind. Corneal dystrophy, a rare eye disease, had gradually taken Alett’s eyesight. Despite her affliction, “Momma” doted on her young daughter and proved herself a skilled artist. But things changed after 5-year-old Armento and her baby sister Sharon’s Italian father had a frightening, bloody row with Momma and her lover. Dad left, and the family, including the girls’ new stepfather, moved from its Yonkers home to a lowly Miami trailer park. The author was Momma’s “seeing eye girl,” often taking charge of the family (with half brothers soon joining) when outside the home. Unfortunately, Momma soon began abusing Armento—kicking, biting, and pinching, according to the author. The ire Momma directed at Armento needed little to no provocation, and she laced her insults with Italian slurs. In 1950, successful corneal transplants gave Momma her eyesight back. Yet the resultant jubilation didn’t last long; the abuse continued, as Momma showed signs of paranoia with blatant fears of communists and the neighbors who bred “filthy chinchillas.” Home life was an endless burden for the author; the family rarely stayed anywhere for long. At one point, the clan lived in a car for 10 weeks. Armento remained loyal to Momma, notwithstanding the beatings. But college, a potential career, and freedom beckoned. In addition, the author made efforts to connect with the father who seemingly abandoned her and Sharon.

Armento’s indelible prose makes her somber memoir an engrossing read. She aptly relates the hardships she endured. Each morning at the bathroomless trailer, she emptied the overnight “poop-pot” at the park’s bathhouse. Later, she slowly developed an eating disorder at college. The author simply but effectively describes herself as two people: “Strong Beverly,” who excelled away from home (including in academics), and “Weak Beverly,” Momma’s victim who adamantly refused to fight back. Similarly, Momma showcased disparate personalities. She struggled to maintain a happier public persona in her 1953 appearance on the TV series This Is Your Life. Lucid details shine a light on a child’s complicated feelings for an abusive parent, with the narrative occasionally slipping into poetic stanzas: “Like the ebb and flow of the tide that full moon night, / Momma’s rage waxes and wanes / Over the many hours of the evening. / Just when I think she’s exhausted, / Her volatile power erupts once more.” Armento wisely centers her chronological story on her family, from her aloof stepfather (whom Momma also regularly beat) to beloved Sharon. The author moreover incorporates the history that unraveled around her. While Momma’s dread of communists had ties to the Red Scare, 20-something Armento was shaken by the news of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and saw copious examples of segregation in the United States. As it progresses, the memoir will have readers pondering the same things the author questioned for years, such as Momma’s vicious hatred of Armento and her father. But this memorable book, like the author herself, doesn’t have all the answers.

Sublime writing brightens an unforgettable, harrowing personal account.