The Trouble with Truth begins when a love-starved child, thrilled with a ride in her dad's sports car on a mountain outing, discovers he has taken her on a date with one of his co-ed students while mom cleans house in her Peter Pan blouse and Ferragamo pumps back home in Burbank; or maybe it begins when she falls in love and swiftly says "I do" to her Sun Valley ski instructor, who not long after, staggers in from an overnight drunk and threatens her with a gun while she protects herself behind a bed sheet.

Beth Kelly feels trapped in a continuous cycle of destructive relationships. First there’s Roland, the handsome ski instructor who turns out to be a liar and a drunk, fully capable of threatening Beth with a gun to prevent her from leaving him.

Breaking free from Roland after she makes a failed suicide attempt, Beth meets tight-lipped Sam, who is, sadly, Roland redux. Meanwhile, Roland still calls whenever he needs money, twisting Beth’s emotions for his own gain.

Beth seems doomed to continue making self-destructive choices, both in her relationships and career, until renowned therapist and author Jean C. Jenson (Reclaiming Your Life) changes everything. Jenson helps Beth see the world truthfully, a painful process but ultimately one that liberates Beth. As Jean notes, “The truth will set you free. But first it will make you miserable.”

A true story told with a sharp sense humor skillfully blended with a clear and compassionate voice meant to smooth what could be, and was, a rather perilous journey. Beth’s tale spotlights the pitfalls of searching for love when you've never been loved, and how our self-perceptions color how we love, forgive, and live. A thoughtful mixing of setting, scene, and action with memorable characters,The Trouble with Truth is a memoir unique in style and scope. It redefines the meaning of family and everything we've ever been taught to call love. It is about domestic abuse and what that looks like minus black eyes and broken jaws. It is about shining the light on the truth. It is about how you mend a broken heart. It is a hopeful, happy story meant to spotlight a subject the author confronted not only in her own life but also daily for fifteen years as director of the Crisis Hotline in Ketchum, Idaho.

.