How do we begin to describe our love for our children? Pamela Richardson shows us with her passionate memoir of life with and without her estranged son, Dash. From age five Dash suffered Parental Alienation Syndrome at the hands of his father. Indoctrinated to believe his mother had abandoned him, after years of monitored phone calls and impeded access eight-year-old Dash decided he didn’t want to be "forced" to visit her at all; later he told her he would never see her again if she took the case to court.

But he didn’t count on his indefatigable mother’s fierce love. For eight more years Pamela battled Dash’s father, the legal system, their psychologist, the school system, and Dash himself to try and protect her son - first from his father, then from himself. A Kidnapped Mind is a heartrending and mesmerizing story of a Canadian mother’s exile from and reunion with her child, through grief and beyond, to peace.

Pamela Richardson started out modelling, acting in TV commercials, and styling fiml sets. By age 3 she was host of The Saturday Show, a weekly program in Vancouver. She has also worked at Toronto Life Fashion, Vacouver Magazine and Western Living. Although Pamela has written and produced pieces for her television program and articles for magazines, this is her first book. Today Pamela is a full-time mother to 15-year-old Colby and 13-year-old Quinten. She lives with her husband, David, in Vancouver and continues her involvement with many school, community, and arts organizations. A Kidnapped Mind is her last gift to her son, Dash.

Pamela Richardson's profile page

"This true story is excruciatingly painful to read. With rare courage and brutal honesty, former Vancouver broadcaster Pamela Richardson tells the tragic tale of her son's suicide... A Kidnapped Mind takes readers on a real life emotional roller-coaster ride. Its message is that whenever possible, former partners and the justice system should work together to ensure that children maintain strong and positive relationships with both parents."

Brenlee Carrington, a Winnipeg lawyer and journalist, is the Law Society of Manitoba's equity ombudswoman