For decades, Elizabeth Silva has crafted an annual holiday newsletter to family and friends, summarizing her family’s year in light-hearted, witty prose. Little do her readers know, however, of the conflict and pain behind those season’s greetings full of optimism and cheer.
Another Cheesy Family Newsletter is a memoir covering a span of twenty years in Elizabeth Silva’s life, the years her oldest child struggled with mental illness and substance abuse. Contrasting each chirpy letter is a narrative of the true, sometimes dark, events that really happened each year. Those stories, along with the backstories that impacted Elizabeth in later years, present a picture of four generations of a family’s missteps and triumphs as they navigate the storms caused by addiction, codependence, and mental illness.

Reviews:

“This memoir is well written and captivating from start to finish! Silva’s written description of her life’s joy and pain allows the reader to experience the events with great insight. Although her “chocolate honey bunny” was around for much of this, the story caused me to over indulge in which the book was finished in one sitting.”
— Jason T. – Amazon review

 “This is a well-written, courageous “insider” view of an average American family. With all the superficial trimmings of a happy family – including the annual holiday letter – we see the behind-the-scenes impact of addiction, autism, “failure to launch”, unemployment, grief and various degrees of mental illness. The Silva family survives it all! This book is bound to resonate with many others dealing with the all-too-common problems of today’s middle class families. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry. I promise.”
— Carol Lake – Amazon review