The author recounts his journey of estrangement from his abusive mother, offering guidance on recognizing abuse, setting boundaries and navigating the process of parting from toxic relationships, while addressing the stigma, emotional challenges and generational cycles tied to familial estrangement.

"In The Power of Parting, Dolan has written the book he wishes he'd had when he was struggling to free himself from his mother's abuse. In the process, he discovered how widespread estrangement really is: at least 27 percent of Americans are estranged from a parent, sibling, or other family member. He also learned why so much stigma surrounds this common--and often lifesaving--phenomenon. Even among therapists--the professionals who would seem most attuned to the pain relatives can inflict--there's a bias toward reconciliation, when millions of their patients need instead to escape their abusers' grip. Estrangement, Dolan realized, should be understood and embraced, not shrouded in shame. shame"--