Victims Books

I purchased this book for my daughter. She read and finished the book and told me that it was well written and that it was very interesting reading. I didn't read it so I would be hesitant to recommend.

I loved this book! My heart goes out to Sharon Rocha and the rest of Laci's family.

I was pregnant with my 3rd son when Laci went missing and was so devastated to hear how she went missing. As time went on, and I looked at Scott on TV, I could tell he was guilty. He was blank, cold, and detached looking. I felt so sad for Laci and her son. She was so beautiful and looked to be like such a sweet loving woman. I was drawn to the story, and waited for her mother to write a book about her. I realized it might not happen, but was happy when she finally wrote this book. I read the book by Scott's half sister, and really enjoyed that book. I also read this book and cried like a baby at certain parts. I was confused how Laci could have been so trusting of Scott, as most women (or at least I thought) have women's intuition that would tell them something was wrong. I am happy that her mother wrote this book. I always wondered what went on with Laci's side of the family during this whole tragedy. Even though I cried many tears while reading this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

When the story of Laci broke news, I thought it wouldn't be as sensational as it turned out to be, I mean how many people go missing, or are murdered;my husband thought the same way. I began reading the books about Laci and the investigation, which covered forensic, and mental health issues, but no emotional feelings until I read Sharon's book. It's powerful in its own right. A must read!

This is a compelling book which reads very quickly, as it is hard to put down. Sharon Rocha paints a lovely portrait of her daughter Laci. You can't help be empathetic as evil moves in around her. I have an incredible amount of respect for her and the search-and-rescue fund/foundation she created. This tugs at heartstrings and elicits tears. I can't help but cry.

I really enjoyed reading this novel and had a hard time putting it down! The aspect of the novel that I enjoyed most was the parallel stories. I found both stories incredibly engaging and was thrilled to see it all come together at the end. This is one of those books that consumes you and makes you forget that you are flipping pages and reading. The concept of memoriane is very interesting as well, especially in a time where all sorts of medical research is being conducted. The situations that the characters in the novel find themselves in cause th reader to experience his/her own moral dilemma. I am looking forward to reading more by this author!

I thought Flashback was a great read, I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the creative plot, and I was also drawn to the characters. I look forward to reading other novels by him.

Braver's novel struck me as nothing but genius. He took fascinating ideas and translated them into beautiful literature. As a nurse, I pick up easily on medical inconsistencies on television or in writing, but I was thoroughly impressed by Braver's knowledge and presentation of pathophysiology and pharmacology. "Flashback" is an extraordinary piece of work that combines modern medical concepts with a brilliant imagination. As this was my first Braver novel, I can't wait to read his other books. I would be happy to recommend Gary Braver to anyone.

Braver has written a thoroughly enjoyable thriller in Flashback. This is the first book of his that I have read and I will definitely be checking out his others. The story evolves around an ethical dilemma faced by a drug company. The company's decisions are certainly not surprising and definitely to be expected. One wonders almost every day whether decisions like this are made by the big drug companies in the world. I think they are. Very interesting storyline to involve alzheimer's a disease which surely we are all afraid of suffering.

Braver joins Lincoln Child, Douglas Preston, Greg Iles, James Rollins, Michael Palmer and others on my list of favourite thriller writers.

What distinguishes a Gary Braver book from the majority of other thrillers is that they are smart, very well-written, filled with fascinating details and fully fleshed-out characters. In the tradition of the best that thriller stories have to offer, Braver's characters are real people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. The real kicker is that Braver's books have something vitally important to say about the very foundations of what makes us all human, and they make a thoroughly entertaining study of the human condition. His books are thinking-person thrillers. In fact, they elevate the genre of "thriller" to a literary level. Flashback is no different, and might be his best yet. Flashback, like his other books, would make an ideal motion picture.

That last reviewer must not understand the concept of a memoir or is prejudiced. You write the story of your life the way you see it not the way someone else thinks you should. The author is this case tells how the molester manipulates his victims into thinking they are to blame, that it is a "game". That's why it could go on so long. Of course, he thinks it was and is horrific as does the reader. In fact, I'd venture to say, more horrific because you have a glimpse into the mind of a pedophile as the author uses his molester/father's writings. I haven't been abused but I've never read a better book that takes me there - the last taboo - that unfortunately too many children experience. Father's Touch is a must read! Where are you Oprah? James Fry lied but there are true stories that need to be told!

WAY too graphic so that the abuse is portrayed sexually from the child's viewpoint in my opinion... didn't get the impact that needs to be shown from the eye of the helpless child who is tormeted.

Too bad James Fry lied to Oprah. Memoirs are important and she is moving away from promoting them. Father's Touch is both a well-told story and educational at the same time. A must read for those interested in understanding the mind of a pedophile, as the author quotes from his molester/father's writings. This book shows the manipulative skill of molesters as well as the resilience of survivors in challenging the misconceptions of friends and family. I wonder why the victims must always have to answer why they are this way, why they made the choices they did. I am not a victim but I hope one day molesters undergo the amount of therapy that victims no doubt need to survive. Father's Touch is a one-of-a-kind memoir. Read it!

I just finished the complimentary ("Thanks!") copy of your book, and I must say I've never read anything as disturbing and frightening as "Father's Touch." I cannot relate; I'm a son and a father, but your background is one I could not even begin to imagine.

What strength, courage and bloody guts you displayed from a very early age. Having to deal with an abusive father, a manipulative Church, a school full of peers teasing and laughing at you; I think you showed in your book - whether intentionally or not - that you were infinitely stronger than you believed you were.

The book was compelling from beginning to end, a real page-turner. As someone who has not experienced any form of abuse, or been seen as "different" in any way, you must think I read your story with the same fascination as a bystander at a horrible traffic accident trying to see the dead bodies. Perhaps there's some truth to that. But your writing style was crisp, fast-paced and often humourous, and (like all great story-tellers do) I appreciated being transported into different worlds I was - am - completely unfamiliar with.

Anyone who has regard for the future can only view the destruction of a child's innocence as one of the most heinous crimes in the human lexicon of brutality. When this occurs in the family home and is perpetrated by a parent with an obvious duty of care, the betrayal and it's consequences are immeasurable.
Daniel and Jeannette D'Haene emigrated to Canada from Belgium in 1957 where they settled in a rural area and had four children. Ronny the eldest was followed by Donald, the author of this book, then Marina and Erik in turn. On arrival in Canada both Daniel and Jeannette were Roman Catholics, she more devout than he. Daniel felt constrained by a diktat by the church in Belgium the faithful should not read the 'Bible' which would confuse them. This must be peculiar to the clergy at that time and place, since the same was not true then in UK. Daniel was attracted by the Jehovah Witnesses who actively encouraged religious study and became a pillar of the local community group. Eventually he persuaded his wife with a mixture of rhetoric and beatings she should change her faith too.
Whatever the expectations and demands of the Witnesses, Daniel believed in his own home he was the master, and his wife and children, his property. They were expected to be obedient to every whim and caprice. At the age of four Donald was introduced to 'The Game'. This involved masturbating his father and was merely the beginning of ten years of prolonged abuse, during which more serious assaults occurred. In time the children would pool their knowledge and learn each of them were initiates in 'The Game'. Daniel informed his elder sons he would expect them when they were older to perform incestuously with their sister, after he finished with her. Each child was intimidated into silence and their innocence of moral certitudes exploited. When they learned what was happening to them was wrong, their father foisted the illusion of mutual culpability upon them. It was only when Erik, aged five, told his mother what his father had insisted on doing she became aware of the abuse. Daniel promised to get help, but continued molesting his children.
In 1973 Jeanette and her children approached the Elders of the Witnesses to gain protection for themselves. Their reaction was to 'excommunicate' Daniel without telling his family he had also confessed to bestiality. When the situation at home deteriorated still further, Ronny and Donald persuaded their mother to leave with all the children. Daniel, meanwhile, joined the Baptists and after a divorce, remarried and once again became a pillar of his community.
Without exception all four children suffered immense psychological damage. Ronny, temporarily became a 'control freak' like his father and left home before worse effects would be felt. Donald, by chance, reading a newspaper article discovered his father had actually committed a crime for which he could be charged. By then, at least thirty people in authority, knew the family's story and none had advised them of their legal position or alternatively to seek legal advice. Finally getting this from a policeman from Ontario, Donald instigated criminal proceedings against Daniel and obtained therapy for himself, Marina and Erik.
When Daniel came to trial, it was a complete travesty informed by incompetence, ignorance and plea-bargaining. He was sent down for two years in a reformatory, having sentenced his family to years of miserable flashbacks and psychological trauma. The severity of damage is evidenced in that it took twenty years before Donald could face his memories and write this detailed account of his childhood. To many fellow victims it will appear to be classical in the methods used by Daniel to control his family and the secrecy and shame they endured. It also highlights the confusion of sexual identity which often results exacerbated by the normal raging hormones of adolescence.
There is very little literature on the subject of father/son sexual abuse which is still for some a taboo subject. This well written and fluent book should be required reading for all engaged in the protection of children and the victims of today. These may care to know Donald more than survived his past and is today a successful art journalist, actor and TV presenter. Lawyers should also view the last chapters of the book as a textbook summary of how not to prosecute a case and judges can gain a refresher course on what poor administrative services can do to 'justice'. In this instance, Donald and his family were the victims of secondary rape by the very system which allegedly should have redressed their wrongs and protected them.
Although this matter came to trial in the early 1980's in Canada, whilst there is a better understanding of the evils of sexual abuse today, there are still errors of judgement by social workers and laxity in prosecution on both sides of the Atlantic.
Finally, the author should be commended for his courage in writing this book. To discuss the unspeakable acts committed by a parent and expose the induced guilt and shame created with undoubted finesse is a triumph of talent and the will over adversity.

It was shipped to me within 2 days, great service and great product.

I had to read this book for one of my Woman's Studies classes at Western Illinois University. I think this is a must read book for everyone (especially those who are in recovery or have been convicted of a violent crime of this nature). It is a bit graphic and I don't recomend that anyone under high school age read it. I had to set it down a couple of times due to that, but, it was nessessary to truely understand Ms. Raine's story. You don't truely understand what someone goes though after rape without going through it yourself.

A friend loaned this book to me but it is likely a book I will never forget. Nancy Venable Raine tells her important story in a very accessible way. As a nurse who took care of rape victims in the middle 80's and now a school nurse, I am aware that the secret of abuse and assault reverberates in too many lives. And while I would never say that my experiences as a young nurse were equivalent to those of my patients, I vividly remember hearing my victim-patients stories and identifying with them. Many of my victim-patients were not that different from me--young, single, living alone. During that time, I _usually_ slept with the lights on because I wanted to try to be able to identify my perpetrator, if that ever happened to me.

Raine shows us her story, how it echoes in her life. Coming back from and integrating the experience in life is not, cannot be easy but one cannot help but feel she is one of the minority of individuals who gets the needed help to do so.

Now, in year 2007, I was acutely aware that at times Raine paired the rape experience and the torture experience. It is a source of sadness to me that we, as a nation, are perpetuating that experience for so many. There is something profound about her description of the rape victim as a container for her perpetrator's anger. And that is far from the only profound idea.

Having also read "Lucky" by Alice Sebold, I would say they are both very important books but this book is a far better glimpse into the recovery aspect.

"Throw away the lights, the definitions
And say of what you see in the dark" - Wallace Stevens

"Speech is civilization itself. The word . . . preserves contact - it is silence which isolates." - Thomas Mann

Following her rape, this author became a completely different person, a person who lived "with sudden fear the way others live with cancer. The fear was always there." It took seven years before she could begin writing about her experience. She states that the anniversary of her rape "was more significant than my own birthday, and yet there was only silence . . . I had become, the one who marked her anniversaries in silence . . . Could I celebrate my survival in silence and alone? Not according to Webster's, which defines the verb "to celebrate" this way: "to perform (a sacrament or solemn ceremony) publicly and with appropriate rites" . . . It pained my family and friends to remember. To acknowledge my experience might bring up what they hoped I had forgotten . . . for me to remind them that I had not forgotten seemed unkind, even cruel, because I knew they needed to believe I had. Our rite was, therefore, silence."

"I thought about Wittgenstein's observation that the limits of language are the limits of reality. Was rape off limits to our most distinctly human attribute - language? . . . I could no longer consent to silence."

Another friend and rape victim asked her, "How do I tell people who don't know, people who might become close friends? If I don't tell them, it makes it a secret, like something to be ashamed of. When I do tell them, they make it worse. They never ask me about it. It'a a part of me, part of who I am now, but they don't want to know about it. It's no-win. Just no-win."

"But silence has the rusty taste of shame. The words 'shut up' are the most terrible words I know. I cannot hear them without feeling cold to the bone. The man who raped me spat those words out over and over during the hours of my attack - when I screamed when I tried to talk him out of what he was doing, when I protested . . . The real shame, as I have learned, is to consent to them."

So she wrote an essay "Returns of the Day" in The New York Times Magazine in 1994. In response "Without exception, all of the letters from survivors described the isolation of the aftermath of rape, its life-altering transfromations."

"The victims of rape must carry their memories with them for the rest of their lives. They must not also carry the burden of silence and shame."

If you have friend or family member dealing with these issues (and the odds are that you do), here are other books that are also excellent on this and related topics, "Lucky" & "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold, & "Siolence" edited by Susan McMaster - all written by women. Rape victims and victims of relationship violence and abuse often hide their experiences and the behaviors of their abusers, feeling ashamed for even being involved with the abusive patterns. All of these books suggest women become more free and mentally at ease when they realize there is nothing to be ashamed of about being victimized. And they suggest the causes of our silences and the things we hide probably deserve more attention, new perspectives, and reconsideration.

Ms. Raine describes the trauma and recovery of rape in clear and helpful terms and I appreciate the references to other works about rape recovery and feminism. Raine's AFTER SILENCE inspired me to read another landmark TRAUMA AND RECOVERY by Judith Herman, MD. It is hard to find books about rape recovery and people who can and will talk calmly, rationally, compassionately (or at all) about this subject. Raine's AFTER SILENCE should be required reading in high school for both boys and girls! Rape is so widespread that it should be addressed more often by family and friends; local, state, national, and world leaders; educators and news media. Raine also references I NEVER CALLED IT RAPE by Robin Morgan, another excellent source for raising awareness of the frequency and extent of rape in society. My own childhood incest and young adult rape were not known to my parents, siblings and doctors for decades even though the symptoms were so obvious that I was hospitalized for months. Can't praise Raine's work enough. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to Raine and all those who made her work possible. Healing may be slow in coming, but it does come, after the silence, with the help of authors like Raine.

This is an unusual book, strange in so many ways I'm going to have trouble listing them all. I'll try, though. I will say that at some level I enjoyed this book, and if you can overcome the shortcomings that I'll list below, you may enjoy it more than I did.

For one thing, there's the issue of the author's name. This *isn't* the Michael Collins who was the first president of Ireland (of course not, he's been dead for 80 years) though the author was born over there. He's also not the astronaut who stayed on Apollo 11 while Armstrong and Aldrin wandered around on the moon. And he's also not Dennis Lynds, who has a series of detective novels featuring a one-armed private eye named Dan Fortune, and who writes novels under the pen name Michael Collins. This is the other other other Michael Collins. Very weird.

The plot of the book is pretty complex. All of the plot takes place in the late 1970s, a strange choice for the author. It works at some levels, though. Frank Cassidy is a small-time next-to-nothing, working at a burger joint, married to a woman who is at first a dispatcher for a trucking company. They have two kids, though the older one is from her previous marriage. Frank gets word that his uncle has died, and he decides to return to his hometown for the funeral. However his cousin and the cousin's wife are very angry at this.

This is where things begin to get strange. It turns out that Frank's wife, Honey, was married before, and her husband killed two people and is now on Death Row. She beats the son she had with the first husband. Frank, meanwhile, steals cars and money in order to finance their trip back home. As the novel progresses, there's not a single solitary character in the whole plot who's truly honest, good-hearted, and/or selfless. Everyone's out for themselves, dishonest, and nasty. It's sort of a cross between American Beauty and The Grapes of Wrath.

One point I think worth making is that the author isn't an American. You've got to wonder what these guys are thinking (I'm thinking of the guy who wrote American Beauty) when they move here in order to write stuff and tell us what jerks we are. I wonder if an American could move to Britain or Ireland and write a novel like this, and get it published, let alone receive awards. Needless to say, all the gushing blurbs on the back of the book are from British and Irish newspapers, which all insist (of course) that it reveals "America's long malaise".

The author *can* write, though. There's not that much of a plot, unfortunately. Instead, we get a bleak, desolate account of Middle America a quarter century ago. While the author isn't positive about anything, it's interesting to watch the characters wander through the plot. The mystery angle isn't (as is traditional) important to the book, and the solution, when revealed, seems rather forced and quick. Luckily, as I said, it's not that significant.

I enjoyed this book within these parameters. I might recommend it, but you've got to be aware of how annoying it can be at times.

This is where things get weird, however.

This book is a pleasure to read. The writing style is effortless - Mr Collins is a skillful and inventive writer.

The story follows a 1970s family who return to the Frank Cassidy's hometown for his dad's funeral. As the mystery around the death unfolds, other themes are also addressed. In a couple of generations Frank's family has moved from primary industry, mining and farming, into the service econony (flipping burgers). The novel shows the impact on families, on men and women and their ideas of their place in the world. Some people can survive in the modern world of corporate farming, of colleges which free people from their tie to the soil. It is not an easy journey but the ability of people to survive shines through, especially when the benefits of education are used to change for the better. In the background the impact of a war fought overseas is also in the air.

Ultimately, a novel about hope. Perhaps even an update of the American dream? Great book, deserves more recognition.

The hero is a pragmatist in a Godless world. The protagonist, Frank Cassidy, had not had a day off in two years when he quits his job in New Jersey to go the the Upper Peninsula, Michigan for reason of a death in the family. He steals a car and later robs a man named Melvin. Frank's brother-cousin and his wife, Norman and Martha, dread the arrival of Frank and Honey and Robert Lee and Ernie, the children.

In the boarding house where they stay there is a hint of opulence. It is learned that the body of the deceased uncle, Ward, is being held by the authorities. Honey feels they should try to get jobs in the town. Frank works as a security guard and Honey in the business office of a college undergoing a transition from a community college to a four years residential college with a Great Books curriculum.

For Thanksgiving it is decided to eat at Cedar Lodge and stay there through the long weekend. Listed winter activities are ice skating and ice fishing. In a telephone call Frank learns that his cousin Norman is collapsing. Norman upended the sheriff's car when served with papers of foreclosure. Frank and his family go to Norman's place where it is discovered the dairy herd has been killed. In the end Frank uncovers and clarifies mysteries that have always surrounded his boyhood. The atmosphere created by the author matches the subject of the search for meaning by being indeterminate, foggy, bewildering. The children are presented in interesting realistic detail.

~ Frank Cassidy learns in a newspaper of the death - possibly, murder - of his uncle, and goes back to North America to investigate any possibility of inheritance; to find out why his uncle died; and to sort out loose ends left in his head from a fire at his family farm in his childhood...

This book starts off quite promisingly. The writer evidently knows the mechanics of how to write well. But the book lacks sufficient plot after about the first hundred pages (of a 360-page book) to keep the reader very interested in continuing with it. The journey to the end of the book becomes boring, too unstimulating, too slow, too drawn out, with too much description and detail just for the sake of giving description and detail, too much describing of humdrum life, with the reader wondering if the book is going to go anywhere sufficiently interesting to be worth going on turning the pages. The characters in the book aren't made particularly interesting in themselves. The story ceases to be interesting. The reader is left in the dark for too long as to where the book is heading to, or why all the details are supposed to be interesting, or what the point of the book is supposed to be. Whilst what really happened many years before, in Frank's childhood, is revealed to us in the last fifteen pages of the book, by the time the reader gets there, he will probably have lost interest in the tale anyway.

A few specifics in the plot that didn't really seem to fit together well:
1. It seemed odd for Frank just to dump Juniper, the family pet, in someone else's car, and for that action then just to be accepted by the rest of the family.
2. It seemed odd for Frank to go back home with specific personal missions in his mind, but yet then never actually to get round to meeting up with Norman and Martha face to face for the whole time he was up there.
3. It seemed odd for Norman and Martha just to run away without saying more to anyone, after their herd was slaughtered.
4. Why Chester Green was suddenly being referred to as 'the Sleeper' didn't seem to be explained.
5. It seemed odd for Frank, not rich, not to want to salvage any possessions from either house before they were bulldozed.
6. It seemed odd and too convenient for Frank suddenly to be interrogating Baxter, his new co-worker, for information, which was forthcoming, as soon as he met him.
7. It seemed odd for Frank just to be allowed to be left alone with Chester Green in a hospital unsupervised, particularly in later visits after he had already been suspected of trying to harm or interfere with Chester Green earlier on.
8. Why Baxter suddenly ended up in the sanatorium following the window-smashing incident and ended up getting ECT treatment wasn't very clear.
9. Frank suddenly realising his mother had died in a fall many years ago, by listening to tapes, didn't really ring very true.
10. The detail at the end of the book (page 357), of Frank killing the paralysed 'Chester Green' in the sanatorium, seemed to be a detail borrowed straight out of 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest', where the huge red indian suffocates the comitose Jack Nicholson at the end of that film. That conclusion seems to be borne out by a reference to 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' in this book, just a page later (page 358).

All in all, this was not a very satisfying book, for a variety of reasons - mainly lack of interesting plot and lack of interesting characters.

Frank Cassidy lives on the fringes of society in a succession of demeaning jobs, a wife with an ex-husband on death row in Georgia, an angst-riddled stepson waiting for his father to be executed and an innocent pre-schooler, obsessed with his toy dinosaurs. Frank's edge-of-desperation lifestyle can be traced back to his childhood, his father and mother killed in a fire that erupted on the family farm when Frank was five-years old. His memories of that time are dim, shaped by the overwhelming presence of his uncle, who raised him as one of his own, and the psychological evaluations the doctor hoped would unlock Frank's fragmented memory of the night of the conflagration.

As soon as he is old enough, Frank leaves the farm behind, along with all family connections, to make his way in a hostile world with no patience for an emotionally damaged survivor. His life since then has been a series of misdemeanors, an anti-social approach to the rest of mankind. Frank views his occasional petty crimes as the natural evolution of a careful society, like car theft, his deeds "preordained statistical probability", but refuses to believe that "stupidity and desperation equate to evil". When he reads of his uncle's murder, Frank gathers his family and heads for the past, a dark trek from New Jersey to the vast, empty cold of the far north in Michigan.

Along the way, Frank telephones his cousin at the farm, arguing about the purpose of the trip and the resolution of a shattered history. For Frank, this journey is like poking a stick at a bad tooth, as painful memories surge, taunting and confusing his every action, his haunted youth returning with savage intensity. He makes his way back to the kind of town nobody would willingly return to unless called by tragedy or loss. People here live in despair, inhabiting days frozen in minimal needs and obligations, waiting to thaw. At each phase of his odyssey, Frank is beset by images and memories, the flickering light of a television screen in a starless night, black and white reruns the backdrop for a tragedy buried in his subconscious that fills him with a vague sense of guilt, a mistrust of his own motivations.

Thirty years after the traumatic events that stole his childhood, Frank is called back into the chaos of his youth, the self-destruction that has defined every rebellious action since. Both distressed and comforted by a suffering family he can barely provide for, Frank plunges into what remains of his world, forced to redefine time and place, to make a stand in this frozen wilderness, drawing courage from his own need for resolution and the love of his dysfunctional family. He does so with consummate grace, a tragic character cart-wheeling through free-associative hell on a collision course with the truth. The prose is shadowed and disturbing, a painful view of the underbelly of American life, where the have-nots gather around a burning trash can in hopes of warmth in an indifferent landscape. Luan Gaines/2005.

This was a fantastic read!! I couldn't put it down and finished it within 12 hours! (I should have been sleeping...) This story will break your heart and you will fall in love with Lori Jean. This was a fabulous book that I would recommend to any avid reader.

This book is not only a page turner, but it pulls you into the characters. It is well written and a must read!

This book was a page turner! I finished it in two readings - couldn't put it down until I found out what happened to Lori Jean. This story is very sad but well worth your time. I definitely recommend it.

J.L.Miles is a undiscovered treasure. I couldn't order her next book fast enough, "Coldwater Creek". It is turning out to be another fantastic read. She really gets it. The characters are so real. I love southern fiction and Ms. Miles did not let me down. I feel I have gained better understanding of other peoples' "worlds". I learn something from each of her books. I have already ordered, "Divorcing Dwayne". Ms. Miles writes with heartwarming HUMOR and wisdom.

This book touched my heart. Reading from the point of view of a murdered child was a very different experience. Even though it had some heartbreaking moments, it was well worth the read.

I read this book a few years ago, but I recently ordered a few copies when Amazon was having a sale. I realized I'd given mine to somebody at church and that I really needed a copy for my library because it's worth reading twice - or more. I love DeMuth's lyrical style and how beautifully she writes about human emotions that are difficult to talk about, let alone admit they exist. This is one you should add to your library.

The whole time I was reading this book I kept wondering if this was intended for adults or children? The subject matter certainly did not seem appropriate for children but I found the book "childish". The characters are portrayed as either evil or good without exception and Mara is not a believeable heroine.

A disappointing book.

This novel so accurately described a child's thought patterns when forced to deal with a situation beyond her wisdom and age. I suggest that every parent, educator and neighbor read it to learn to be aware and protect the innocence of those who are most vulnerable. It is both a tragic and beautiful story made more poignant that it reflects the authors own story and her desire to use her experiences to help others (shared in her non-fiction "Building the Christian Family You Never Had"). Thankfully, there is hope and assurance at the end, but left enough hanging to look forward to the sequel.

In her debut novel, Watching the Tree Limbs, Mary DeMuth introduces us to Maranatha, a creative girl who longs to color her world and to belong. As nine-year-old Mara struggles to cope with life-changing circumstances and rejection in her small Texas town, she falls prey to a neighbor boy who sexually abuses and terrorizes her. Although her story is heart-wrenching and painfully sad at times, it is not depressing or hopeless. Mara's story is also sweet and funny, especially her interactions with her best friend, Camilla, and her guardian's housekeeper, Zady. DeMuth gives the reader a beautifully written tale of grace and hope, transformation and deliverance. Mara plays real-life Nancy Drew with Camilla to solve the mystery of her past, which adds an unexpected element of suspense to the novel. As she grows, so does her faith, not only in God but in those He puts in her life to help and love her. The faith DeMuth portrays is not full of simplistic, pat answers and platitudes. Mara rages at God and wonders how He could allow such a thing to happen, even as she views her abuser as having almost supernatural powers to see inside her head and know her every thought and action. I look forward to continuing Maranatha's story in the book's sequel, Wishing on Dandelions.

Only read this book if you're ready for God to change your heart! You'll laugh with the protagonist, Mara, as she grows up, makes friends, and experiences the quirks of small-town life in Burl, Texas. You'll cry with her, too, as she experiences isolation, rejection and the deep pain of betrayal by those whom she should have been able to trust. By the end of the book, you'll rejoice with Mara as she works through her painful experiences to discover fresh hope and restoration.

Mary DeMuth's gift for storytelling is revealed in the creation and development of complex, yet lovable characters; the sustaining of a well-paced plot; and a balanced, redemptive approach to an extremely difficult subject: sexual abuse. With poignance and grace, Mary addresses abuse and its related issues in a way that is truthful, yet redemptive. If you're tired of "fluffy fiction" and are searching for authentic, well-written, Christ-centered prose, look no further than Watching the Tree Limbs. This book has certainly earned its Christy award nomination for the category of "First Novel"! It's "transformational truth" at its finest. A must-read for any woman who has dealt with sexual abuse.

Martha Stout goes into case studies of patients who had a lot of dissociation, but this book also applies to everyone. We all dissociate, it can be simple as going to the movies and getting engrossed in the movie without realizing that 2 hours have flew by. It can also be subtle, like when someone has selective hearing. Stout offers advice and ideas on how to integrate the dissociated parts of ourselves. This is one book of a few that will help you grow!

I really liked Martha's other book, The Sociopath next door, but this one was a snoozer. I got as far as her hypnotizing one of her patients it took several pages and was mind numbingly boring she wrote every single word she said to hypnotize her patient like it was a "how to" book. I tried reading a few more pages after that but it didn't improve so I quit. It might have gotten better at some point but I just couldn't get there.

This book was recommended to me, and I have never heard of dissociative states until I read this book. It is indeed an eye-opener for me.

"The Myth of Sanity" is one of the best analysis on dissociated mental states, forgotten memories of childhood or adult trauma, and multiple personality disorders. She brings the tales of dissociated states or multiple personality from her patients and her experiences with them, and how these states are often common in everyday life. This book is truly inspiring and an eye-opener.

In Stout's words, a dissociation is "the universal human reaction to extreme fear or pain...in traumatic situations, [it] mercifully allows us to disconnect emotional content - the feeling part of our 'selves' - from our conscious awareness" (p. 8). This term is important for everyone as it should be applied to our understanding of being self-aware, of being self-conscious. Self-awareness is extremely important because, without it, we would not have known ourselves to exist or having a sense of self-identity. It is part of who we are. When we are in a dissociated state, our self-awareness had left our bodies and is elsewhere, and our bodies are either in trance or doing what they normally do. Much like a machine, now is it not?

To put it in another way as Stout pointed it out: "As the result of a daydream, this mental compartmentalization is called distraction. As the result of an involving movie, it is often called escape. As the result of trauma, physical or psychological, it is called a dissociative state" (p. 27). Whenever we are distracted, we are in a mildly dissociative state. Distraction and escape are quite familiar to everyone because they live these states almost constantly and every single day. When we are driving and thinking about something else while our automatic bodies do the driving, we are in a dissociative state. How is this so? Because our minds are away from our bodies and not focusing on the driving as we should have. We would forget our surroundings and our bodies' reactions to those surroundings. Whenever we are distracted, our minds are detached from our bodies' sensation to whatever object was touched. Has anyone ever noticed how they got the cut on their leg or arm and not having remembered where they have gotten it? This is one of the consequences of being in a dissociated state.

How would an understanding of "dissociation" from this book be helpful for the readers? It is a powerful understanding or clue for one to be engaged in a self-observation, which requires one to be fully conscious of one's being and one's surroundings. Distraction actually can hinder us to be engaged in self-observation or being self-conscious. We would lose ourselves, letting our sense of self be far away from our bodies. What if you are not in control of your bodies and your bodies are being influenced to do things that you yourself would never do? This brought us to the question of our minds being controlled or influenced without our being aware of it. But, this should not be a scary notion on the readers' mind. We do have a choice to make: to be or not to be.

Stout has given us the list of signs of dissociates states in ourselves in her book and we can identify which one we would fall under. And, these includes a brief phasing out, habitual dissociative reaction, a dissociation from feeling states, intrusion of dissociated ego state, demifugue, and fugue. These signs are extremely helpful to discover the clues about ourselves and compel us to be more aware of our actions and reactions in everyday life. In order to be self-observant, one would need to develop an observing ego, as suggested by the author in this book.

If we choose to do so, we can look at ourselves and find one or more of these signs in ourselves. Once we do find these dissociative states in ourselves, we can choose not to be associated with them and to keep our self-aware active. Stout's "Myth of Sanity" is a highly important study in one's need to be engaged in self-observation or being self-conscious. Increased self-observation will help one to become more self-conscious of one's surrounding and become more attentive to people's action as well as one's own. It also a great book for one to seek a personal growth or search for one's identity.

I would strongly recommended this book for the readers. It is one of the most treasures that one can ever ask for.

Very interesting read and very informative on how we all disassociate. Really shows we all need to learn about ourselves.

Her case studies I found very fascinating and Martha Stout has a very nice writing style that kept me interested to the end.

Martha stout has produced an essential piece of psychology that everyone should read. For those unfortunate enough to have experienced trauma in early childhood and have kept those events locked away in their subconscious many case studies are presented to assist in how to go about repairing the damage caused. Even if you have survived childhood relatively unscathed, it really highlights just how much of our time is spent in a dissasociative state and what we can do to wake up and take a far more proactive part in our life decisions.

I admire this author and person very much. She survived a hideous childhood, yet has the strength to write about it. I know her story will help countless others who have endured similar experiences. Her writing skills are excellent.

I had to order this book for school, but I would definitely recommend it if you are interested in social work.

The story belongs to the one who tells it best. This will never be topped. Sensitive and brave, Sue William finds the words to tell the truth and heal not only her own soul but many others.

There is a reason why this book has such a high customer rating. I have never read such a well written and beautifully articulated story of horrendous abuse. I read ALOT of books on this subject. None can compare. It addresses the subject of incest by a father and an enabling mother. It speaks of her relationship with her parents well after the abuse has ended. Anyone who must, or choose, to stay in relationship with their abuser will relate to this. There is much to connect with in her story. Buy it quickly!

I bought this book with hesitancy due to what I thought would be wading through the horrors of family incest, however; Silverman writes with such beautiful prose she makes the subject remain heartwrenching, yet readable in one of those books that does not come along very often. Her account is horrific and not for the faint of heart, but the writing and her courage to to endure and survive the atrocities of her childhood give the reader faith in how strong the human spririt can truly be. An amazing story told by an amazing woman who is obviously also a very gifted writer.

This is a wonderful read for anyone who wants to live a Biblical life, but just can't seem to get over the hurts of abuse and betrayal. Joyce Meyer writes in her straight forward yet compassionate transparency. In this book, she takes the reader on a hope filled, "get from there to here" journey. I wish I had read this book a long time ago.

This book has helped me tremendously. It was a real eye-opener into my personal life. Thanks Joyce for writing the things God gives you.

not only it help me understand why im going through what i gone through at that time. at first i did'nt know about healing process if there is such a thing but there is. thank God for this book. as God was doing His beautiful,healing yet painful work in me this book encourage me, help me. plus i love how joyce would include her experience, her story it's very helpful!plus she's so real, honest not faking it. Thank you Lord

My grandfather sent this book to me and I confess that when I first saw it, I wasn't sure it was anything I wanted to read. Emotional healing? What could *I* possibly need to be healed from? Denial is an amazing thing. Thankfully, I had nothing else to read at the moment and picked up this book. From page 1, I was captured by Meyer's ability to share her story, make light of her struggle, and give examples of God's amazing power to heal us from our wounds, whether we recognize them or not. This book took me through the whole scope of emotions. I found myself laughing, and alternately, weeping as I recognized myself in the pages and yes, even found God speaking to me through Meyer's testimony. I simply could not put it down. If you are a survivor of any type of abuse, or even if you're just trying to work on building mature, Christ-centered relationships, consider this book. You won't be sorry you did.

Having been a victim of abuse Joyce is able to speak to others who have been abused on their level, not just from observation or education. She doesn't just leave the reader in the place of accepting that they have things they need to work through, but she leads them through the same steps she took by God's hand to receive that healing. I have used this book to lead a women's study group and have been wonderfully blessed to witness the changes that have come out of their applying these truths to their lives.