WASSIL-GRIMM, Claudette 1948(?)–

PERSONAL: Born c. 1948. Education: William Patterson College, B.A., 1970, M.Ed., 1972; University of Arizona, M.F.A., 1983.

ADDRESSES: Home—Parkersburg, WV. Agent—c/o Author Mail, The Overlook Press, 141 Wooster Street, New York, NY 10012.

CAREER: Editor and writer. Has appeared on numerous radio and television shows. Worked in education before turning to writing full time.

WRITINGS:

(With Virginia M. Fontana and the staff of Hunter House) Charting Your Way Thru' PMS: A Woman's Appointment Book and Planning Guide, Borgo press (San Bernardino, CA), 1985.

How to Avoid Parents' Mistakes When You Raise Your Children, illustrations by Jonathan Grimm, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1990.

Where's Daddy? How Divorced, Single, and Widowed Mothers Can Provide What's Missing When Dad's Missing, Overlook Press (Woodstock, NY), 1994.

Diagnosis for Disaster: The Devastating Truth about False Memory Syndrome and Its Impact on Accusers and Families, Overlook Press (Woodstock, NY), 1995.

The Twelve-Step Journal, Overlook Press (Woodstock, NY), 1996.

Served as editor for several books, including The House of Marriage, William Summers, M.D., Erdmann Publishing; Grandparenting in the 90s and Love and Power/Parent and Child, both by Glenn Austin, both Erdmann Publishing; and for Getting High in Natural Ways; An Info Book for Teens; Helping Your Child Succeed After Divorce; and Menopause without Medicine, all published by Hunter House, Inc.

SIDELIGHTS: Claudette Wassil-Grimm has written several books in the fields of family health and psychology and is a certified instructor of conflict resolution techniques. For her books, she draws largely from extensive interviews with people who have survived and overcome the problems she writes about, such as parents who grew up in dysfunctional families and went on to become successful parents or women who were sexually abused but have reunited with their families. In Where's Daddy? How Divorced, Single, and Widowed Mothers Can Provide What's Missing When Dad's Missing, Wassil-Grimm discusses such issues as why fathers disappear from their children's lives and provides potential approaches to compensate for the father's absence by, for example, making sure there is some type of male presence in the child's life. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted, "The author covers… issues… in a constructive yet realistic spirit, aiding single mothers without bad-mouthing fathers." In a review in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, Sandra A. Jensen and Alan J. Hawkins noted that, although the book targets single mothers, it "can also be a great resource for therapists and the general public." They went on to write, "The book's format, with its engaging narratives and chapter-end summaries, makes it easy and enjoyable to read."

Diagnosis for Disaster: The Devastating Truth about False Memory Syndrome and Its Impact on Accusers and Families examines several views about the supposed "recovery" of suppressed memories in child sexual abuse cases. For the book, the author interviews several people who later retracted their claims about child sexual abuse and discusses such issues as the dramatic increase in such claims and the possible causes for such reports, including the encouragement of overzealous therapists. Writing in Booklist, Kathryn Carpenter noted, "Wassil-Grimm's … book is a tough read because of both the complexity of the issues and their emotional charge." A Publishers Weekly contributor called the book "a clearly written handbook that is also a cogent critique of the excesses of the sexual abuse 'recovery movement'."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 15, 1995, Kathryn Carpenter, review of Diagnosis for Disaster: The Devastating Truth about False Memory Syndrome and Its Impact on Accusers and Families, p. 884.

Choice, September, 1995, review of Diagnosis for Disaster.

Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, January, 1997, Sandra A. Jensen and Alan J. Hawkins, review of Where's Daddy? How Divorced, Single, and Widowed Mothers Can Provide What's Missing When Dad's Missing, p. 99.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 1994, review of Diagnosis for Disaster.

Publishers Weekly, December 19, 1994, review of Diagnosis for Disaster, p. 40; June 20, 1994, review of Where's Daddy?, p. 89.