Valerie Cantella

"Unputdownable!" Pavon James

For those who had hoped for the white picket fence

"Valerie's vulnerability as she shares an authentic look at parenting and marriage behind the white picket fence is inspiring. Her journey is a reminder that when we embrace the challenges and learn to let go, we find strength we never knew we had."

Rachael Ross Steidl, Founder, YouthWell and ParentClick

Raw and Vulnerable

For those who had hoped for the white picket fence

"For those who've never had a first-hand glimpse at parenting a high-needs child in traumatic personal circumstances, Valerie's raw and vulnerable depiction will be an education. If you're going through something similar, you'll find hope in these pages. If you're walking alongside someone taking this journey, you'll find hope, too, as well as clues for how to help."

Robynne Elizabeth Miller, author, speaker, teacher, and mother of special needs kids

I wish I'd had this book...

For those who had hoped for the white picket fence

For families with mental illness

"With candor and grace, Valerie shares the most difficult struggles she faced as a wife and mother, giving permission for parents to openly discuss the challenges of mental Illness and substance abuse. When my parenting journey went “off script" 7 years ago I wish I’d had this book. It’s encouraging and hopeful and honest."

Melissa

For families with mental illness

"When a child is diagnosed with a developmental or mental illness, the whole family is affected. Parents are often thrown into a world that doesn't make sense and then begins the scramble to learn everything necessary to advocate for their child. I lost and found myself in Valerie's story as I read her book Off-Script. As a mother of a child with a serious mental illness, I could relate to her fears, her exhaustion, and her treasured moments of love and happiness. Bravo! This is a must-read for all NAMI families."

Ramona, mental health advocate

Authentic and inspiring

For families with mental illness

Authentic and inspiring

"Your book is honest, compelling, sad, heartening, tragic, heroic, interesting, and informative, written in a way that leaves you absorbed, wanting to read just one more chapter … at the end of every chapter! You have such an authentic, beautiful writing style that has a way of leaving you feeling lifted by the end of each chapter, regardless of the content in the middle."

Yvonne Sloan, Parent

Resilience

For families with mental illness

Authentic and inspiring

"Off-script is a memoir of searing reconciliation and resilience of a woman who had to find her way back, over, and through rigid expectations and black and white thinking. She shares her journey to an acceptance that while life is messy, heartbreaking, and can feel like it is pounding us into the ground, if we have the willingness to question our ideas and learn to flex and adapt, a much richer existence is possible. When our existence feels excruciating, some people bend and others break; the author shines as an example of an individual who learned to bend, to adapt, and who finally learned to love and forgive herself and others."

Wandering Reader