an excellent book describing life for the families and victims of ...
350594
an excellent book describing life for the families and victims of a wide variety of health and body-type problems. I was married to a schizophrenic and the chapter on that problem was the best description I've read of the chaos generated and futility of treatments.
4268106
A very sad book.  The author did a good job of describing the abuse she and her siblings suffered at the hands of their mother.  I am glad the author was able to recover and make a life worth living.
3489851
This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to know about the lives of real people in Haiti. Never do these stories ignore poverty, sadness, grief and more. But always these realities of life in rural Haiti are set in the human context of family, community, hard work, generosity and more.

The color photographs are stunning. The Study Guide and Suggested Readings are helpful to readers of all ages.

I'll recommend this book to everyone to know better this small nation.
4683248
I thought this book was fantastic.  It was interesting, held my attention through out the book, found it hard to put the book down.  It is a real life event and the way the children and parents forgive the two people who were causing them so much grief, was amazing.  I do not know if I would have the grace and ability to forgive these two people.  I learned a lot about the fact that you have to keep reinforcing your commitment to forgiving the offenders.  I have had to forgive people in my life and it help me to realize that I do have to keep forgiving - that it is not a one time thing.  Life is a struggle and this book helped me understand that forgiving is an on going thing.  I would like to thank the author for helping me realize that it is a life long thing to keep forgiving when the memories return.  Would recommend it to everyone so that they understand why we have to forgive the people who hurt us deeply.  Does not mean we approve.  Forgiving is for oneself.
3756907
Well written accounts of what the families of the fallen experienced, emotionally and spiritually, after the tragic loss of their sons.
880374
A profound memoir of a family struggling with their faith in the midst of what initially appeared to be tragedy of a middle child's struggles physically and mentally, but ultimately is uplifting to the reader whether you have faith in a higher being or not. And, is an excellent book for parents who are grappling with a child who is different from what they anticipated before the birth. The siblings are pretty extraordinary people themselves. I highly recommend this non-fiction account of a family struggling for years on many levels. I believe there are extraordinary people who live "ordinary" lives and this is an excellent example of that.
4626696
This book is about life and how we live it during and after a tragedy. It shows how people can overcome whatever life throws at a family.
3884025
Having had the privilege of receiving one of the first copies of a book that I helped title, I was excited to read it. M. J. Brett does a phenomenal job of bringing real-life people that suffered a tragic event to life and putting us inside their heads and feelings. I enjoyed the book, appreciate the privilege of contributing to the title, and hope that the family feels justice was done in contributing to their memory of their loved ones that died as victims of a horrific crime.
4542198
I work as a nurse in an acute behavioral health hospital serving, children, adolescents and adults.  This book is so well written. It depicts the depth of the issues with child abuse and neglect in our country.  It is so telling of the pain and suffering and the effort mere survival requires for these children.
Most amazing is the the keen ability of the author and her siblings not to just survive,  but move on and become healthy, seemingly well adjusted adults.  Not all survivors have this degree of inner strength and desire to overcome this.  I see the emotionaly and mentally scared, and drug depend victims who do not fair so well.  Very moving, telling, straight forward, well written biography!!
837641
This book was released a week prior to a painful tragedy in my life. I am glad I was able to read it because it prepared me for the emotional distress I was forced to face. It also helped me to be appropriately supportive to those who needed me. "A New Normal" outlines the grief process and how it is a personal, unique journey for each individual. I highly recommend reading it.
229206
This book was given to our family for my oldest son (then 3yrs)as we had many family members and pets die within a few months.  My son asked who would be next to die?  Grandma, me or even himself.  This book was extremely helpful in explaining the cycle of life for all living things in a way he could understand.  That was almost 30 yrs ago.  Now I have a friend who's daughter is dying of cancer and she has 3 children under 8 yrs of age.  I remembered this book given to our family years ago and knew it would be a big help for my friend and her family during this traumatic time in their lives.  I highly recomend this book to anyone dealing with trauma, death, and grief.
11399
The author has portrayed the arc of a family's life with all its competing emotions -- expectation and disappointment, intimacy and callousness, love and fear. The real people -- especially the author's husband, whose mind has been overrun by dementia -- come through with clear-sightedness and respect for their humanity. I especially appreciated how the author reflects on the impact to the family dynamic and the strangeness of boys become fathers to their father.

While sharing her family's travails, the author reaches out to the care givers who are a key audience for the book, admitting that one eventually becomes distanced from the loved one who is so changed.

The blend of narrative and commentary is perfect. The stories form the core, with just enough information and context to elucidate the events and their significance.
3120217
This is an excellent book in describing the sequelae of trauma as well as researched treatments,  although the treatments may be somewhat dated.  It is well worth reading for everyone.  Easy to read and very interesting, and gets and keeps your attention.
3904467
This book is an excellent book and deals with real life issues. It is a story about two families and how their lives interact together yet how different they can be. One is a couple recently "married" by  leaving Mexico for a better life and hope in America. The other family is a  middle class American family, a stepfather, Delaney, mother and son, who  are getting along with what they have and just try to get through the  pressures of their life. It describes in detail the horribleness of poverty  and prejudices that are often times hidden from the public. On a recent  missions trip to innercity Los Angeles I was able to confirm the reality in  this book and was in shock of how others are treated. It helps you to open  your eyes and care for others who are different from you. You don't see  them as different but as one of God's children, as we all are. It also  helps us to look as circumstances and take for granted what we DO have,  which seems to be a lot more than others. This is an excellent book and I  would recommend it to anyone, people of all kinds.
3372113
This book takes you right into the lives of an abusive home. The father was a raging alcoholic who verbally and physically abused his children. The mother was some kind of narcissist who was incapable of caring for her children. The story is told through the eyes of Eileen when she was a child, and there are plenty of things told by her siblings also, some of whom turned against her when she pushed forward with the murder accusation. The constant terror those kids lived in...

I found this book fascinating because it really illustrates the complexity of abusive relationships, especially with parents. Eileen wanted to think the best of her father and so did her siblings in spite of his very cruel treatment of them when they were children.

I also found Eileen to be very forthcoming in the book, including things about herself that most of us would not want to admit to anyone, much less the public. Thank you for writing this book, it has really been a good read for me and has given me much to think about. I hope Eileen and her siblings are happy now!
1435238
This book truly represents the tragedy of a needless death in a medical system that must change.  My own child died at 14 years of age due to hospital error, and the author and father described those feelings of devastation so well.  It is heartbreaking to see another family live through this horror yet reassuring to know that they have turned their grief into positive action.  I commend John Lewis for having the courage to share his story and his feelings so honestly and to make efforts to repair the system that failed for Claire.  I have recommended this book to many other families and colleagues.
1531411
Excellent treatment of a very personal loss. Children can relate to this.