When she was ten years old, Shirlee Scribner witnessed an act of violence, a life changing blow that sent her mother to the emergency room and caused her youngest brother Dallas to suffer severe mental impairment at birth. Afterward, Scribner and her six siblings were sent into the cold arms of foster care, until at last they were reunited with their mother, who had remarried. And that's when a new and horrifying chapter of violence began. Meanwhile, Scribner-already an adult by then-was struggling to make a stable life for herself out of the chaos of her childhood. She eventually fulfilled her dream of earning a college degree, embarked on a successful career, and, in spite of the alienation and neglect that had formed her emotional landscape, found strength and support with her husband Blake. So when, in his thirties, Dallas finally gave voice to the brutality he had endured his entire life, Scribner heard his cry for help and fought to give her brother a better life. Untangle is a lyrical and compelling account of the ways in which we triumph over the pain of the past. At times shocking in its detail, Scribner offers a rare and dignified account of how someone with mental disabilities, whose life was profoundly shaped by abuse, broke free from its legacy. Ultimately, Untangle is a testament to the human spirit, and our capacity to show love, strength, and courage, both to ourselves and to each other, even in the face of utter cruelty.