A Mended Vessel

About the Book

A Mended Vessel is the true story of the author, Pearl K. McCullough, who, at eight years old, suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted teacher – a trauma that caused her years of emotional pain during which she would not speak. Her widower father, a harsh man incapable of understanding, love or compassion, planned on placing Pearl in an institution, but Pearl was saved by a grandmother she had never met, who took her to her home in the remote North Carolina Mountains. Her Granny’s loving care helped heal Pearl’s emotional wounds, and after several years she regained her willingness to speak. But her troubles weren’t over, and in spite of the gentle mountain life she shared with her Granny, she faced yet another rape, followed several months later by a traumatic and painful night in the forest where her childhood was erased and this young girl became a woman as she induced her own abortion. A Mended Vessel is compelling writing, simply and factually expressing the love and hatred that filled a young girl’s heart and mind as she struggled for years to become the person her grandmother prayed she would be. A Mended Vessel gives the reader a peek into the world of the Appalachian mountain people that few outsiders have experienced. And when this young girl, at age 13½ , left the safety of her grandmother’s heart and home and struck out on her own, determined to find her place in life, the trials she suffered were many, the lessons learned were painful, and she saw more of life before she reached the age of twenty than do most people in a lifetime. Always knowing there was something more ‘out there’ for her, Pearl persevered and overcame the many life trials that would have put a lesser person to ground. Through the love for her children, her dear Granny, and God, Pearl found “the other side” – the side of her that could give help to others as she had always so wanted to do.

About the Author