Meet the Author
Dan Bessie was born in rural Vermont, where his parents eked out a hardscrabble existence during the Great Depression. His early years were also spent in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and finally, Southern California. Following high school, Dan became a shipboard steward in the merchant marine, a longshoreman, and an automobile assembler. Dan worked at various factory jobs to support his wife and children until 1956 when he realized his childhood dream—to become a cartoonist.
Following an apprenticeship at MGM Studios working on Tom & Jerry, Dan enjoyed a more than forty-year career in the industry, animating TV commercials and Saturday morning children’s programs, like The Marvel Superheroes, Spiderman, and Linus the Lionhearted. When Dan transitioned to live action, he directed a series of patient advice films for doctors’ offices. Between 1970 and 1975, he ran his own studio, producing films (including several award winners) for schools and libraries, and co-produced the feature Executive Action (starring Burt Lancaster) that dramatized the assassination of JFK.
Dan relocated to Santa Cruz, California, in 1978, and until 1995, he continued to write and direct educational and TV films, including the highly successful Peter and the Wolf, featuring Ray Bolger (Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz). Between 1986 and 1987, Dan wrote and directed Hard Traveling, a feature film that recalled an incident in his mother’s life. By 2006, Dan had authored three published titles and illustrated books written by his then-partner, Helen Garvy. The same year, Dan and his wife Jeanne Johnson moved to southwestern France, where they both continue to write and Dan creates cartoons.
Endorsements
“In Life Is Here, and I Have Been Away, Dan Bessie artfully threads together two compelling narratives into a poignant and moving story. Both a memoir of a young boy struggling to survive in the hostile environment of an all-boys boarding school and an intimate portrait of a loving mother climbing her way out of deep depression to be reunited with her sons, Life Is Here, and I Have Been Away begins with Bessie’s mother, Mary Burnett, as she stands on the brink of suicide. She realizes she needs help and, for the sake of her sons, signs herself into a psychiatric clinic. There, with the help of her journals, she sifts through her life, searching for the root causes of her illness, so she can come to terms with and heal her past.
“In the meantime, Dan and his brother, David, are sent to a boarding school, where they encounter strict religious authority and a gang of vicious bullies. The two boys, who do not know where their mother has gone, do their best to protect each other while hoping she will return and bring them home.
“Tender, compassionate, and deeply moving, Life Is Here, and I Have Been Away reminds us that the motivating force of love truly can overcome the darkness of emotional trauma and bring healing and light to the future.”
—Amber Lea Starfire, editor, writing coach, and award-winning author of Not the Mother I Remember (MoonSkye Publishing, 2013) and Times They Were A-Changing; Women Remember the ‘60s and ‘70s (She Writes Press, 2013)
“A compassionate, considered account of one woman’s struggle with mental illness, with suicide’s seductive call, and with a heroic reinvention of her life and ambitions. Additionally, as the story interweaves actual documents with empathetic imagining on the author’s part, it feels like an honest but loving attempt to understand how people fall apart and put themselves back together again—how the circumstances of our lives, and often the people who are in them and then leave, also shape our emotional perspective, our very core self.
“The story is told with careful deliberation and gentle humor, and, too, doesn’t shy away from the difficult, heartbreaking moments—though the language never veers toward overwrought sentimentality or salacious investigation. The characters in this memoir retain their dignity because of its empathetic rendering. This will be an important addition to our understanding of women living through mental illness, despite a culture that generally offers little support.”
—Kerry Beth Neville, short story writer, creative writing teacher, and author of Necessary Lies (BkMK Press, 2006) and Remember to Forget Me (Braddock Avenue Books, 2017); stories and essays included in Best American Essays and Short Stories; coordinator of the MFA program and faculty member at Georgia College and State University
“As Mary Burnett struggles with depression and self-doubt through her 30s and 40s, and finally expels her demons, Life is Here, and I Have Been Away makes visible the power of women to shape their own lives. By weaving together much of the material from her journals and other writing, Dan Bessie augments his mother’s strength in a loving and respectful manner, one that makes the events of her life, and those of his brother and himself (then nine and six), accessible without becoming maudlin. Mary’s journey from the depths of despair to achieve the goal she’s long sought—‘to be of some use in this world’—resolves in a strong, affirmative conclusion. I highly recommend Life Is Here, and I Have Been Away, a story that will move and inspire its readers.”
—Yetta Goodman, Regents Professor Emeritus, University of Arizona; credited with popularizing the concept of “kidwatching” (i.e., encouraging teachers to be professional observers of the language and learning development of their students)
“The author’s mother’s odyssey and how it affected him and his brother is of special interest to many, myself included, who have dealt with parental separation, depression and many other life challenges. I congratulate the author for this contribution.”
—Richard Sternberg, M.D., Specialist in Patient and Health Professional Education
UK endorsements
“I read Life Is Here, and I Have Been Away in a sitting. So much of Mary Burnett’s struggle with mental illness resonated with me, as someone who has also suffered bouts of serious depression. Mary’s story is told partly in her own words, collated from the eloquent and moving notebooks of the book’s title, as well as in the equally powerful and lyrical voice of her son Dan, both as a boy and as a narrator. At times, the subject matter is harrowing, but Mary finds a way to recovery that can help anyone facing their own demons.”
—Rachel Kelly, reporter, health columnist, and author of the London Sunday Times top-ten bestseller Black Rainbow: How Words Healed Me—My Journey through Depression (Hodder & Stoughton, 2014).
“As a therapist and coach, I’ve long known the value of diary work. This book humbly, yet powerfully, illustrates the value of reflective journaling.
“Dan Bessie’s most excellent book chronicling his mother’s troubled journey from mental illness to mental wellness is beautifully written. Mary was a successful and influential woman in her community, championing the enhancement and development of young lives, but very few knew of her earlier life struggles. After Mary’s death, Dan Bessie discovered his mother had left diary entries that told of a time of deep heartache, near suicide, and the deep desire to somehow be ‘of use to this world.’ As he worked his way through the many volumes, he came to the conclusion that her story needed to be told to inspire others and to prove to the world that from the depths of despair can arise great strength.
“This is not a depressing book. It’s not a book full of the theory of overcoming depression and finding life’s meaning. It is, instead, the story of a real woman finding a real way through harrowing emotions, thoughts, and circumstances. This makes it deeply powerful and life changing. I read the book in the space of two weeks, and I found Mary walked with me throughout those two weeks. She was a living, breathing woman who was working through her life, and I felt her courage influence mine. It is therefore no surprise that I firmly believe Life Is Here, and I Have Been Away is a book that should be shared far and wide.”
—Beverly Taylor, coach, counselor, and trainer specializing in stress management, depression, addiction, communication skills, and cognitive behavioral therapy
