North Side of Down: A True Story of Two Sisters

An international B.R.A.G. Medallion winner! "How do I want to die? Oh, I don't know. How about a pillow over my face? It will probably be a family member." Thus illustrates the biting candor of Amanda Bailey, the youngest sibling in this poignant, funny, painfully honest story of bitterly divided family. With their father on his deathbed, eight siblings engage in a feud over property and possessions. Granted a monthly Social Security check due to her disability, Amanda is pulled into a belligerent guardianship dispute. Her favorite sister Nancy is immersed in bankruptcy and foreclosure. Just when Nancy needs to support Amanda the most, she is at her most broken. In unexpected ways, Amanda lifts her up as no one else can. Set in Michigan's remote and economically depressed Upper Peninsula, THE NORTH SIDE OF DOWN examines the paralyzing legal position of people with disabilities. It shows how two sisters' love for each other transcends loss, grief and upheaval within a hopelessly dysfunctional family. In the midst of chaos, it is the misfits who manage to shine. Reviewers write: "Amanda, born with Down's Syndrome, cultivates a wit and genius that surprises and delights. Her wisdom places her at the heart and center of the Bailey clan, and her relationship with her sister Nancy glows from the pages." - Sue Harrison, "Mother Earth, Father Sky" "Ms. Bailey has written a memoir about family that tells a story as old as Greek Tragedy, and her clear, muscular prose and complete honesty provide its power." - Mike Wall, "Every Good Morning"