5 comments about The Years of Tears.

1. With all the recent church abuse cases you mostly can only guess what is was like for the children of abuse and left on their own, and with no parents to ease the pain years later. Now you can read a heart felt detailed account of two boys left alone to find their way through a church oprhanage. Great story about growing up alone and how they came through it all.



2. The Years of Tears describes the early life of two abandoned brothers trapped in a punitive, church run social welfare system. The cruelties inflicted on the two boys by those who use and abuse their power over them are vividly depicted. A few bright spots involve the unexpected kindness of strangers, but the overall picture is dark. The relationship between the brothers, particularly the protective and caring behavior of the older toward the younger,is inspiring. This story will surprise you, haunt you and involve you.



3. Once I started reading "Years of Tears", I did not put it down until I was at the last page! I wanted to know what would happen to Gabriel and Carlos next; would they receive any kind treatment after all the cruelties they endured? I always "knew" of orphanages, but I really didn't know the extent of the weak-minded authority figures that could be so cruel. The strength of the boys character, and their love for each other in the face of all they lived through is truly a miracle.



4. The biography of Carlos and Gabriel shows two boys who overcame all adversities to become the good souls they were obviously meant to be. The Years of Tears touched many of my own childhood memories to remind me that I am strong, and that I also developed alot of character from my experiences. Never is one horrible experience better or worse than another, so I am able to relate to both of these young men. Thank you, Edwin Abreu, for bringing back to me the realization that I can and will accomplish all that I set my mind to.



5. This is a truly inspiring story. I could not put it down. The story is exceptionally well written. The experiences of the main characters will make you cry, then smile, and then cry some more. It is very emotional, yet so easy to read. It is full of complexity; and you will be thinking about the story for many days afterwards. This is one of the best books I have ever read.

No comments about The Hawthorne Scent.

No comments about These Were My Days: A Up in Portland.

No comments about Hardpan.

No comments about Childhood Memories.

1 comments about West Sullivan Days.

1. For anyone who grew up in a small town, this book is wonderfully nostalgic. It is absolutely pure downeast flavor. Beautifully believable characters and wonderfully depicted Maine coastal scenes. This is a charming read!

No comments about My First Life: A Memoir.

4 comments about Onward, Crispy Shoulders!.

1. This book was recommended by our daughter, mother of a Downs son, who knows the author. I expected to read a knowledgable, thoughtfully written book -- what I hadn't expected was top-grade writing, humor and a wonderful witness to family acceptance and faith. A truly inspiring story.



2. Beside being a wonderful account of the life of Jim Haakenson and his family, this book sets the reader into the lives of homesteaders in Alaska and their unique lifestyle. It leaves one in awe of what these folks accomplished in their daily life as well as the raising of Jim into a very capable employee, and responsible adult who was well known and loved in the community.
   Jim is a rich character and fun to read about. This is a well written, very interesting book, and definitely encouraging to any family raising a child with these kind of challenges.



3. This is a truly inspring tale of a family that not only homesteaded in Alaska, but raised a child with Down's Syndrome with little help from anyone else. The Haakensons had 6 other children, but managed to raise them all, including Jim with Down's Syndrome, to be contributing citizens with strong Christian values. The book was written by their daughter, Mary, after Jim died in 2001. This is a book anyone should read, and especially anyone with a Down's child in their family.



4. I grew up next door to Jim and moved away many years ago but reading the book from thousands of miles away brought back a flood of memories of Jim and his family who were all so kind and patient. This book should give hope and encouragement to families with children of any physical or mental challenge. There are lessons to be learned about the amazing things that can be accomplished by extremely loving and talented people with disabilities. If you haven't read this book and are thinking about it, you won't be disappointed. Mary really brings Jim's life into a light that mostly only "locals" were able to appreciate. It is a testament to his parent's love as well. The definition of family can be found here.

1 comments about That Could Never Be: A Memoir.

1. The is a heart warming story of a person who started life in an orphanage in Ireland. Unlike Angela's ashes, this book has no ill feelings towards the events and people that caused the hardships. Only gratitude for those who helped ease the pain and assisted on the path to 'things that could never be'.
   I grew up in Ireland and feel this book more accurately reflects the atmosphere and spirit of those times.
   It is refreshing to share the life of someone whose life has been dedicated to the betterment of mankind without regards for personal benefit.
   If you want to read a book that will leave you feeling better than you did before - this is the book for you.

4 comments about Lost and Found: A Daughter's Tale of Violence and Redemption.

1. This is a book I couldn't put down. Babette Hughes' story is tragic and devastating, yet redemptive and triumphant. The dichotomy of her relationship with her mother is eloquently depicted; I could just hear and feel her saying, "yes, I love her--no, I don't." It must have taken great courage to overcome her fear and then lay it open for all of us to share. It is the kind of life that should make all of our marginally disfunctional lives seem perfect in comparison. I'm recommending this book for my book group and anyone else I know who reads.



2. 
   The reconstruction of an evidently miserable childhood and equally miserable marriage results in a rather tedious memoir, Lost and Found: A Daughter's Tale of Violence and Redemption.
   
   Adding to the current spate of dysfunctional family tell-alls, Ms. Hughes weaves the story of her life to date by alternating imagination enhanced childhood scenes with psychiatric sessions.
   
   We learn that her father, Lou Rosen, a bootlegger was murdered by the Cleveland Mafia when the author was two. Her mother told her that he had died of pneumonia, but to Ms. Hughes's child's mind he had simply disappeared.
   
   A young widow, 27-years-of-age, her mother "has been a bootlegger's wife long enough to understand the code": no one will harm her if she does not speak. She retreats behind a wall of silence, emerging only in fits and starts - fits of uninhibited vituperation and starts of moving from job to job and apartment to apartment.
   
   A negligent mother at best, she had been so misused by her own mother that she had spent 12 years of her young life in an orphanage. For Ms. Hughes and her older brother Kenny home becomes a series of rooms where they subsisted on Chinese take-out in cardboard boxes and feared that their mother would suffer another asthma attack.
   
   Ms. Hughes pretty much went wherever she pleased and to school whenever she pleased before dropping out of high school to model in local department stores. Eventually she visits the public library and consults old newspapers where she learns the truth about her father's death.
   
   Kenny does not return home after college but for Ms. Hughes there is only one escape from her mother's diatribes and unrelenting possession - marriage. At the age of 18 she weds Nate, "a well known prosperous businessman, a catch.......Nate was Prince Charming in a red convertible come to save me."
   
   Despite a lavish home, servants, travel, a 55 foot yacht, and all the accouterment of wealth that Nate showers upon her, this is still not a Cinderella story. Ms. Hughes has no kind words for her husband, instead finding him boorish and cruel.
   
   Finally, she is driven to despair and begins the lengthy ritual of analysis. She seems to have had a love-hate relationship with her psychiatrist, Dr. Herman, yet credits him with helping her find the courage to continue her education and divorce Nate.
   
   She buys her doctor a gift, writing, "I wanted to give Dr. Herman something for helping me stop the steam roller that my father had started, my mother had fueled, and Nate had damn near driven over me."
   
   There's that "me" again which is what Lost and Found is all about. What about the three children she had? They do not even emerge as stick figures in this biography. Do they feel as neglected as she once did or did she reverse the family pattern and nurture them with maternal affection? We hope so.
   
   There are few insights to be gleaned from Ms. Hughes's story. Indeed, many may sympathize with the troubles she endured simply because of the family into which she was born. While others may echo what that famed psychiatrist Lucy once said, "Get over it!"
   
   - Gail Cooke



3. Hughes has written a compelling book that explores how family history influences us throughout our lives. In her book she not only tells the particular story of her own family, she evokes a time & place in this country when the sons & daughters of immigrants tried to find their place in America. The book tells a colorful story of a small time crook & dandy - one of the foot soldiers in the Cleveland bootlegging rackets. His violent life & death continues to affect the wife & 2 small children he left behind throughout their lives. Hughes manages to convey a child's sense of bewilderment as she tries to piece together just who this father was & what his legacy to her will be.

   The book is also the story of Hughes relationship with her mother, a difficult & complex woman who emotionally victimizes her young daughter throughout her childhood. How she is able to break the bonds that tie her to her mother & learns to live a productive & happy life is the real story of this memoir.

   This is an interesting read for anyone who's taken the journey through their own family history. Although it's filled with the pain of a lonely & emotionally abandoned child, the woman Hughes becomes is able to triumph in the end.




4. A very delicate story that comes from deep within. Well thought out, and very well written. Babette shares her life, which was a secret for a long time, with the readers. Not many of us can reveal these secrets with the world. After reading this book I was inspired to write my own memoir titled "The Sitting Swing" which will be published fall 2005. Lost and Found is a definate read for anyone that loves memiors like I do.