1 comments about Little Miracles.

1. this book is so touching and so very well written..........it touches the heart and soul........one can picture in their minds the content....tears rolled down my eyes on several chapters...........my husband is also a survivor...........he and his family hid in the woods for several years...i understand dr bichler's book so well.........kudos to you.

1 comments about Forever Alien: A Korean Memoir, 1930-1951.

1. Interspersed with historical information that feels forced and dry, this is a memoir of a young Korean girl and her family growing up in Japan during Japan's Occupation of Korea. They face racial prejudice, poverty, death of mother, improved life when father becomes acupuncturist, evil stepmother, wartime. The narrator ultimately makes it to American with missionary help. Although we're invested in the narrator, the historical info overcomes the story at times, and there is little personal insight, and hence, little feeling of connection with her. Certain details are lasting, however, such as gruesome descriptions of how the mother dies of gangrene, her infection dripping from the coffin.

1 comments about The Golden Age of Tongue Kissing.

1. The Golden Age of Tongue Kissing describes this author's memorable story of growing up in Brooklyn in the 40-ies and 50-ies. What a pleasure to read. I could not stop smiling when reading the recollections about this wonderful golden age of innocense and not-so-innocense. I am sure that this compilation of stories mixed in with humorous jokes from and about the old times will remind you of all those good memories of your own or will at least show you a peak of the yesteryears we all yearn for.

No comments about At the End of the Day: A Memoir.

4 comments about Juan.

1. The book is very engaging and also very hard to put down. Once you start reading it you will find it very hard to stop. If everyone would read the book Juan the world would be a more compassionate place.



2. This book is an outstanding true story about the lure of the political and economic freedom that so many of us take for granted here in the United States. The love and heartbreak that the writer goes through in trying to get his adopted son legal citizenship in the U.S. is nothing short of amazing. I read this book in two days because I could not put it down. I have also bought a classroom set which I use in my 12th grade U.S. Government class in a lesson that helps many of my students understand what freedom means to people who don't have it and why so many people risk all they have in an attempt to enter the United States everyday. An outstanding book!



3. This is a gripping tale that becomes all the more poignant with the realization that it is a true story. I had the privilege of knowing Juan because Karl Price happens to be my uncle. One might say that this would color my thinking of the book and therefore this review, but, being one who also likes to write, I think the book is very well-written. Writing it in the first person, with Juan telling his own story, makes it all the more heart-wrenching. I was captured anew by the pain and frustration experienced by those that I knew and loved, even as I learned many details for the first time. I highly recommend the book and hope that many people read it. It is a story that needs to be told.



4. I had the chance to "preview" this book before mass publication. The sincerity, the depth and the poignancy in this book made me read it through without putting it down. This story is all the more compelling because it is a true account of one boy's life. The wheels of fate that are put into motion by a series of almost surreal coincedences is amazing, and caused Juan to lead a life he could never have imagined growing up in poverty. For anyone who can remember the turmoil of Nicaragua in the late 70's, this is a personal glimpse into the lives of people affected by that war. The heart-wrenching conclusion stayed with me for a long time. Simply written - very powerful.

No comments about Apprentice in Budapest.

No comments about That One Peculiar Year (Large print).

3 comments about Lost Innocence: A Daughter's Account of Love, Fear and Desperation (New Beginnings).

1. Reading this book brought memories of my own abuse to the surface. While reading, I understood the pain and the misunderstandings of what love is in a child's mind. Just knowing that another went thru the same emotional and physical abuse helps me to confront my own. Its a book worth reading.



2. This book is a gripping story that I could not put down. Cathy's an amazing writer who caught my attention with her powerful words.

   The story is narrated in a child's voice and Cathy consistantly maintains the childlike point of view throughout the book. The reader can truly see the tragic events through the eyes of a beautiful young girl. Several times while reading the story, I cried for this child who has fallen through the cracks of our society. As a mother, I desperately wanted to jump into the pages, rescue this little girl and hold her safely in the embrace of my adult arms.

   Cathy expertly shows the reader the reality of incest and child abuse. The details are disturbing and real. I look forward to reading Cathy's continued account of how she bravely overcomes these terrible life events at such a tender, young age.




3. Cathy Brochu's book is a moving account of a tragedy that ooccurs far too often in our so-called 'civilzed' society -- a child, whose innocence should be their birthright, selfishly turned into a victim, a sexual plaything, by a parent, the very person to whom she should be able to turn for protection, care, love, honesty and trust. This sort of treatment ruins the lives of many -- among those strong, determined ones who have the opportunity and courage to break out of the trap and reclaim their lives are people who are heroes in the truest sense of the word. They have learned that they are not to blame for their treatment -- that they did not receive it because they deserved it, or because they are somehow 'defective' -- and that, through education, therapy and hard work, they can take back what has been stolen from them. Cathy Brochu has written this book -- detailing graphic, grim events in her life as a young girl -- so that others may find that courage, that they may realize that they are not alone, and that there are many good people out there who care about giving them the help they need.

   Utilizing a technique unique among the books of this field which I have read, Brochu effectively gives her child-self a voice with which to relate her story. As I read this book, I was struck by the language, the syntax -- it was as if I was reading the hand-written journal of a young girl. I could easily close my eyes and imagine the words written in pencil on one of those old Big Chief tablets that I used in school as a kid.

   The story is admittedly heartbreaking, but there is a determination in this young narrator -- a determination to free herself from the situation that, as the book progresses, she knows more and more in her heart to be wrong. All of the symptoms and feelings with which victims must struggle and cope on the road to becoming survivors are here -- the feeling that this is the only way she will be loved; the fear of being seperated from her dad, even though he is abusing her; the feeling that she somehow is the one in the wrong -- but in this case, in this book, we see and feel these through the child herself, described in her own words and language.

   Cathy is planning a trilogy -- this book is the first installment -- detailing her abuse, finding her (physical) freedom, and taking the painful but necessary journey to making her life her own again. This story is a compelling one (all the more because it is true) -- I can wholehertedly recommend it not just to those who are survivors, or to those professionals who work in this vital field, but to the general public as well. The best chance we have to rid ourselves of child abuse, our greatest shame, is through education. This is an unpleasant subject to any right-thinking person -- but it is something that is horrifyingly real to far too many. The more we know about it, the more we learn to recognize the signs present in a child who is secretly being abused, the more light we shine on this topic -- the fewer places there will be for the perpetrators to hide.

   In 1995, Cathy Brochu was awarded the Women of Courage Award by the Syracuse (NY) Commission for Women -- not only for having the courage and determination to reclaim her own life, but for openly and frankly speaking out on the subject, in order to encourage and empower others to do the same. She and others like her (and thank God, they're out there) are the reason that this battle will one day be won.

   I'm eagerly awaiting NEW BEGINNINGS, the second volume in the trilogy, as well as the third. We know the story will have a happy ending -- Cathy Brochu is a happy, healthy, productive woman who cares about helping others -- how she got there is the inspiration.

No comments about Having the Last Word.

5 comments about I Don't Want to Die All Alone.

1. For those that have not read I DON'T WANT TO DIE ALL ALONE it is definitely that you should add to your bookshelf. The book shares not only the journey that the author has been on to change himself but his mission to help change others as well. The encouragement he gives to all of us is inspiring and shows what can be achieved if we work towards good.



2. I feel that this book is a good learning tool for young kids today. Many of our youths don't know how hard was back in the day to get what you wanted and needed. The book tells about a strugle a young man went through and I feel that all teenagers and young adults should definately pick this one!



3. This book is about overcoming many obstacles that get your way. He told about a lot of things people would have block out of their minds. By telling of his experiences, it will reach out to someone who has gone though the same things. I encourage you to read this book to see how someone can grow up to be sucessful after overcoming the odds.



4. Henderson's book offers a personal insight to the harse world of child abuse and survival on the streets of the 'hood'. To see him survive this cruel environment and become a model citizen is an inspiration to people everywhere.

   I highly recommend this book, especially to teenagers and young adults.




5. The author has a unique way of making his story vivid to the readers...from the very beginning I was hynotized by the unique way the words leaped off the page and came into existence as I read the book word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, and chapter by chapter! This books warms the soul and touches the heart. I can sympathize with the author as he fought hard to find himself in life, and became an example to all that if one has the will to make it on the streets, one can. This book is evidence that no one has to die all alone if one is determined to have life and have it more abundantly.