Brief Book Review - Memoir Betty's Child by Donald Dempsey #BCDempsey

I recently had the opportunity to read Betty's Child and interview it's author - Donald Dempsey. I would highly recommend this book!

If you're interested in reading the review - you'll have to check out the following link on Monday, July 8th 2013: http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

My review:

I feel strongly that even someone with a difficult background can change their path. Often times it's difficult and takes the help of someone who cares, but I've just never bought into the victim mentality of "I was abused so I'm going to be an abuser when I grow up". Maybe that's what drew me to Donald Dempsey's memoir Betty's Child. I'm not going to lie; some parts were difficult to read. As a parent I hug my children tighter after reading Dempsey's story of a neglectful childhood with a cruel mother. I became so absorbed in his story that I would have crawled right into the book if I could have; I just wanted to hold that little boy and tell him that I loved him.

Dempsey's sense of humor really pushed me through the tough chapters. I'm sure that same sense of humor is what got him through those tough years. I would recommend this book to others because it really is a testament to where you can go in life if you put your mind to it and put a little laughter into things. Dempsey has a good family life and a successful career. Things could very easily have turned out much differently for him. It's great that he can share his story with others. Betty's Child is very inspirational and a book I will keep on my shelf to read again and share with others.

Paperback: 438 pages

Publisher: Dream of Things  (March 26, 2013)

ASIN: B00BOL69ZO

Twitter hashtag: #BCDempsey

Betty’s Child is available at Amazon. 

Awesome Memoir - Replacement Child by Judy Mandel

Book Cover - Replacement Child

Book Review - Replacement Child 

Judy Mandel

Review by Crystal Casavant-Otto
Book by Judy Mandel
Link to Amazon: click here

Within the first few pages of Judy L. Mandel’s memoir, I scribbled the following notes in my journal:

·        Amazing depth, pulled me in right away!

·        Great self-awareness in seeking her own seeds of truth.

Whether you enjoy reading historical fiction, memoir, non-fiction, relationship, or self-help books, you’ll enjoy Replacement Child as Mandel guides you through the development of her family. The story unfolds like a play and Mandel herself admits “I was not a lead actor in this play”.

Replacement Child   jumps back and forth between Mandel’s current life and the tragic plane crash that happened years before she was born. This was a little hard to follow at first, but allows readers to understand how the past and the present are delicately woven together forming the reality of each character.  The events were depicted so honestly that I often found myself crying during the trials and cheering during the triumphs of many characters.

Replacement Child   may involve the plane crash that took the life of Mandel’s sister, but the story began much earlier than that. Mandel does a fantastic job digging into her parent’s courtship and the early years of their relationship to inspect their emotions and thoughts. She took the time to carefully examine and then develop each character without casting blame or judgment. The care and dedication to this work can only be described as a labor of love and a journey of self-discovery.

Mandel’s parents had a loving marriage, a modest home, two lovely daughters, and then tragedy strikes as an airplane crashed in their kitchen and her mother must choose which child to save first. Neither child was spared; one child perished and the other child was burned so badly she nearly died. Mandel’s parents hadn’t been able to salvage much of their home, and they were willing to do anything to salvage what they could of their relationship. This is where Mandel comes in, during Act II as she calls it, as the replacement child.

I love the honesty Mandel shows when she admits that telling the story of an entire family is really a high wire act. I’m a big fan of this book and appreciate the care Mandel took with collecting historical information to ensure as much accuracy as possible. Judy L. Mandel has done a great job with her memoir, Replacement Child   and I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others. As a mother, I would also recommend having a box of tissues handy.