My Mother's Ghost

Book excerpt: The story of a brilliant woman cut down in her prime and of a haunted man who confronted the source of his pain, uncovered startling truths, and reclaimed his own life along with that of his mother. “Beautifully written…. A fascinating portrait of an engagingly complex and admirable woman.” —Los Angeles Times LaVerne Madigan led an extraordinary life. In an era when few women even worked outside the home, La Verne was the executive director of the only major national rights advocacy group for American Indians at the time. Brilliant, beautiful, stylish, and independent, she worked tirelessly for what she believed in and inspired those who knew her. Perhaps no one as much as her young son, Fergus Bordewich. One morning when Fergus was fourteen, he and his mother went riding, which they did often. It was the last time he saw her alive. Attempting to jump from her runaway horse, LaVerne fell under the hooves of her son’s mount and was killed. Fergus was left with the belief that he was responsible. More than thirty years later and after a lifetime of guilt and self-punishment, the son returned to his mother’s life.