Heartbreaking Honesty
920124
This book is honest, difficult, gut wrenching, reflective and joyous, all at the same time.  With absolute soul baring honesty it shows just how easily one can lose themselves, and how incredibly difficult it can be to find all the missing pieces and put them back together again. Natalie was a reflection of so many facets of life, and I loved her for it.  Strength, weakness, bravery and fear.....a real woman.  I also loved the reminder that just because true love leaves, it doesn't always die.  Sometimes it might be easier if it did, rather than always following as you walk through life, hovering just beyond your reach, waiting for you to let it go.  This book spoke to me on so many levels....as a mother, (Army) wife, woman, and keeper of true love.  This may very well be the first book ever that I choose to read twice....and I read a LOT of books!
4544007
"Not Exactly Love" is an honest and heartbreaking peek into the world of domestic abuse.  Ms Hafner told her well written story with great insight and wove her story with lots of facts and situations.  I watched her fall in love, hoping for happily ever after, and spiral out of control.  I cheered her on as she fled her abusive situation and happily watched her Journey take a positive turn.
I hope women in a similar situation gain strength and resolve to change their situation by reading this heart-filled memoir.
256040
The memory of this book has been seared into my brain and quite honestly, I border on wishing that I had never read it at all. But there is a poignant, heartbreaking truth to be told. The details of Megan's memories of abuse are so harrowing that I often wondered if they were some morbid fictional account.  Please be mindful that this is a trigger inducing book for those individuals who have endured sexual abuse. But if you're brave enough to finish, you will encounter a remarkable journey of woman that attempts to come to terms with the abuse she literally survived, and how she managed to rejoin the fragmented pieces of her psyche that allowed her to cope.
1087701
Dana is so courageous to share her heart into the deepest chambers of pain.  With the loss of her husband and then a few short years later her son. And also her second husband going through cancer at the same time is so heartbreaking.  Dana so beautifully describes how her faith has guided her through the darkest days of her life.
I highly recommend Dana's book.
3421421
Paul Connolly's story is simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting. That's what makes it so difficult to put down.
It is unfathomable to imagine the kind of people Paul has encountered through his life's journey. From beginning to end, this story will make you feel the pain of a little boy without a family and the struggle of a man fighting (literally) to make a life for himself....it captures every emotion. Paul's writing is honest, real and authentic. His physical, mental and emotional challenges in life were many but his story leaves you with the feeling that it's really not about how many times we fall, but how well we rise. A must read...truly inspirational.
88417
Barbara Hale Seubert's memoir of her daughter's slow, horrible death from an eating disorder is unflinchingly honest. Writing this book must have been a bare-knuckled act of courage. It takes some courage just to read it.

Seubert neither blames her daughter nor herself for the spiraling crisis that threatens to overwhelm her family. The book is unusual because Seubert does not hide behind the myth of the Great Mother, who through the force of love and will can save her daughter. She can not embody that myth, and by stating that plainly, she seeks to give her readers permission to accept their own humanity. Neither is her daughter the Great Victim. Her daughter is depicted with agency and power, but not in the end, the ability to conquer her disease.

It is the stripping away of these myths that is so frightening for the reader. Seubert refuses to sugar coat the situation. She lets no one off the hook for their own responsibility in the tragedy that befell her family, yet she is compassionate about the humanity of everyone involved.

In the end, despite Erin's tragic death, Riptide is an uplifting book. Seubert and her family survive - they even thrive. She is able to be a whole person with a loving marriage, and to be loving parent to her remaining children. The maelstrom of Erin's disease does not destroy Seubert's family. She points the way towards true forgiveness and healing, not by platitudes and magical thinking, but by the hard work of the heart.
4771828
Wow. At times heartbreaking, this gritty memoir is probably the most honest book on weight, body image and the consequences of society's pressures to be thin that I've ever read. The one caveat I had was that it tends to get repetitive, but then, the obsessive ups and downs of weight loss and gain and the ensuing self-loathing caused by that process gets repetitive, too. This is a brave book by a brilliant writer, a searingly honest look at living in a body that society finds unacceptable. A must read for any of us women who struggle with body image and "weighty issues," and a manifesto on the politics of fat vs. thin. I loved it.
2673775
Goodbye, Sarajane is an honest - heartbreaking story of an abused child's horrid abuse in the foster and adoption systems. Sequoya's incredible love for her addicted mother via beautiful letters keeps her connection to Katherine alive. Beautiful Katherine Kelly was born in 1960 and was brought up in the church where foundations are built towards accruing and securing family life. Daniel, Keyonna, Elijah, Raeannah, Stanford, Dee and Sequoya were all victims of their mother's unending addiction and their father's addiction and imprisonment. By the time of age 29 Sequoya's mother was fully addicted to drugs. Sadly, one of the most heartbreaking stories in the book happened on Sequoya's 10th birthday when foster mother Benita arranges for these abused children to secretly see their mother for the last time. When Raeannah has an asthma attack; and the forbidden mother Karen takes her child to the hospital, foster mother Benita is unglued. Tearing up those children's pictures from that event was one of the cruelest things Benita could have done to a child.  The road ahead for Sequoya and her siblings was gruesome. It entailed lies, beatings, punishments by adults in the foster system that was a crime. When Twanda punished the kids against the wall and punched and abused the children, regularly, you cry. For what they did to Sequoya and her siblings: Benita, Karen, Twanda, and others, they need to be ripped out of the foster system and should be jailed. Kim, the caseworker carted the child in and out of the system, seemingly not caring about the emotional toll it was having on these children and, the physical damages Sequoya and her siblings suffered. By the time the kids acquire permanency with the white mother, the emotional and physical damages are done. No help is proffered. And, then the ultimate abuse of adoption incurs when Abram, Sequoya's new brother punches her in the face with no consequences upon meeting his new sister, Sequoya. The white family of Karen and Neal and Abram is a long nightmare for Sequoya, who is constantly challenged by Karen. The love for her mother Katherine, was the only thing that kept Sequoya alive. Perhaps if Katherine's mother had not passed away when Sequoya was 3, she could have helped or; perhaps Katherine's mother could have taken Katherine's children in. The torture of being stripped from one lying, abusive family to another is unfathomable. Being stripped of the name your mother gave you, is the ultimate crime to a child.  Sequoya says it best in the book: "Karen had slowly snatched my identity away from me." It brings you to tears. Lack of love, continual abuse, unfounded accusations, what Sequoya suffered in this book is reprehensible. Her letters to her mother revive you. I am so proud of Sequoya for fighting throughout this book to preserve her mother's love. I am proud of her for standing up for justice and recognizing the little things from all of her abusers. From Benita's lies and anxiousness to get to the airport, to Twanda's sick physical abuse to Karen's many emotional and physical violations, Sequoya survives. One of the best books I have ever read. This book is a window into all that's wrong with the government foster and adoption systems and the nation's failure to conquer drug addiction. No child should have suffered what these children suffered in this book. Sequoya compensates nicely for her mother's absence, because truly, Katherine with all of her problems with drugs and abandonment of her children, chose to remind her daughter always of the hair growing down the side of her face nicely. Thank God for the simple affirmations in life, that have the power to keep us alive. I commend this book to all. This is an excellent read. It should be required reading for all adoption and government agencies of the same kind.
4352669
The description of this book is heartbreaking, but I came away from reading it moved, overwhelmed, and possessed by the joy you can only feel in the presence of truth. Forman has been through pain that most of us will never experience -- by taking us with her on that journey, we are able to see her growing through sadness, anger and denial into a warrior, teacher and healer who advocates fiercely for her multiply disabled, but no less beautiful or important child. Through her eyes we are able to learn truths that we might never reach on our own; when she writes, "Even a short life is a whole life; this I have learned," I cried, not with anguish, but with joy.

There is a Zen saying, "If you want to find the path, set fire to your own life." By enduring the flames of her rage, pain, and ultimately love, Forman illuminates truths that will stay with me forever. I am grateful for this book.
3882124
This was a very honest, raw and emotional book.  At times it was hard to read at times because Taya's pain was so great. I applaud her for her courage in putting her thoughts and powerful emotions out there and sharing her experiences, no matter how painful they were and continue to be.  She is a brave woman. I wish her luck with her foundation.
4263851
This book is both heart wrenching and heart warming.  Andrea Carlile writes with such honesty that you can't help but feel her pain, frustration and desperation.  Yet her faith, hope, and love of her husband and God is laced throughout this book.  The realities of what our veterans and their families must cope with command our respect and continued assistance.  This book can be a beacon of hope to those who suffer from or know someone who suffers from PTSD.  With tears still damp on my face, I am overcome by the ultimate redemption experienced by the author and her husband.  I would encourage anyone to read and be moved by this amazing true story.
2496159
Amber Sayer shares a difficult experience in this book with great honesty.  It's such an important story to tell.  As another reviewer said, I think this is a valuable book for any young athlete to read, but also for anyone struggling with a personal difficulty such as addiction or problems with self esteem.  I'm sure that Sayer's courage in confronting her disease will be inspirational to people trying to do the same, as well as informative and comforting for the people in their lives.
3763020
This was a great read - heartbreaking, of course, but great all the same. It points out a few tragic truths about abuse. First, it's frustrating just how much our emotional make-up seems almost designed for abuse. Children generally love their parents, regardless of their behavior. Children often don't have an understanding of what is "normal", what is not, or even what is "acceptable" and what is not until it's too late to even try to remedy a situation (or at least until after staggering amounts of damage have already been done). Children tend to be easily manipulated with guilt and shame. And the thought of child abuse is "unsavory" enough that it is all too often easier for people to dismiss clues of abuse or even reports of it from a child, choosing the "easier" belief that their suspicions are unfounded or the child is not being truthful. This story also reminded me of the generational nature of abuse. As I read about Mama's behavior, I wondered about what abuse she may have never recovered from that likely [at least] contributed to her abusive behaviors. As I read about her parents, I wondered what possible abuse might have led the [maternal] grandmother to her drinking problem and her obvious "look-the-other-way policy" regarding the behavior of her husband. I even wondered about abuse the grandfather may have suffered that led to his abusive actions. It is for all of these reasons that I'm extremely proud of CeeCee for doing the near impossible - breaking the chain. She recognized and rose above the culture of abuse that plagued her family and began a new family with a new outlook and a new tradition of love and acceptance. This story could be interpreted as a tragic tale. I choose to see it as an inspiring "rising phoenix-type" story that showcases the triumphant strength of an incredible woman. Hugs to you, CeeCee, and thank you for sharing your story with us!
3727138
Deeply moving and honest. I was heartbroken by her journey and uplifted by her courage...this is a story that needs to be widely shared.
2423699
An INCREDIBLE read. Honest, heartbreaking, and beautiful. Don't let the excerpts that leaked before publication fool you. She takes responsibility time after time, and feels awful for losing and letting us down. But she also talks about what other factors played a role.

A difficult but important read.
1726607
This book is very helpful because of its honesty.  She shared she struggles and the various facets of a loss.  None of our loss is ever simple, and sometimes we don't even know why and when we struggle.  Thank you, Sheryl!
4583654
I loved the honesty in this book.  It was an enlightening story of what happens behind the walls of a house filled with what looks like normal people. The pain that this author experienced from family members is so sad and yet Im guessing much more common than most of us would believe possible.  After reading the book I was encouraged that there can be victory after years of heartache and emotional as well as physical pain. This author came out a winner and is now living a happy fulfilled life.  She made a clear point of letting go of your pain and hate so that you can move on to a full life.