Though the Bud be Bruised

Though the Bud Be Bruised by Jo Wanmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Details: Issy needed to tell her mom something very important but with house guests how would her busy mother make the time? She can't, she wouldn't, and won't. When Zara reads her daughter's letter she is segregated. Why didn't she see this? Why didn't she know before? Why has she failed at the one thing she has wanted her whole life? Why did this happen to her daughter, to her family? When will it stop? Does God even care about what is happening? Why didn't. He protect her Issue? As bad becomes worse and worse becomes horrible and continues to spiral out of control this little family is tested up to the breaking point by God. Then they are pushed; broken and left to see if they will rely on this Being who claims He loves all mankind.
Betrayed by her parent's best friends can Issy over come her confusion, hurt, and learn to love her mother and father once again? Will she rely on the Lord to help her over come her nightmares? Can God really help her stop ODing?

My Review: I feel for Issy. What a sweet girl and then she's forced into a never ending nightmare. A nightmare that affects her whole life and even affects her family, friends, and her future. I have never gone through this trial but any one who has gone through a trial that has given them experiences with betrayals, chruch members not helping or being concerned, family being hurt, physical pain, emotional pain, and spiritual pain can feel for this family. This is a graphic book of pain. We do not get the full extent of Issy's torture, but the after math is very graphic, potently charged with emotions, heart wrenching, soul searching, life changing lessons, hope and a failure of hope and faith. With everything in between exposed and questioned.

Pros: amazing details, great characters, wonderful well planned and thoughtout plot, I love all the God questioning and friend betrayals because it makes their story more believable. I love that this is based on a true story.

Cons: there was a section of story where it was just dialogue but I couldn't figure out who was saying what.

MY RATING: thumbs up and thumbs down. It was one of the most intence books I'ge ever read. But it may be too intence for some people. I love it. Just giving the warning for the intensity, immense pain and close to the heart trials.

I have received a complimentary copy of this wonderful book from Bookcrash!
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Glass Castle Memoir

Details: Written by Jeannette Walls in 2005.  This is a memoir of Jeannette and her 3 siblings as they grew up in harsh unconventional ways.  Rex and Rose Mary Walls Jeannette's parents were poorer than poor, and lived on the go, in scary places, with little to no hygiene and with personal addictions that always came before the care of their children.  Rex is drunk addict to alcohol.  Rose Mary is a romantic artist addicted to sugar.  This book is being filmed as a movie.

Information:  This is not a happy story, this is not an uplifting story.  I read this as my book club's March book.   Within the first 10 pages there's so much language (swearing, vulgar, crude, and plain nasty language) that I had to skip a few pages until the language calmed down.  Not a great start to a story.  As I kept reading I kept hoping the story (life of Jeannette) would get better, happier, and safer.  But no such luck.  These Wall kids suffered more than most people even imagine could ever happen at all in the US.  Its so sad.  I cried a few times because its such a depressing story.  Throughout the whole book I hated Rex and Rose Mary!  What kind of parents would do such horrible things to their own children?  Then I became furious at all the adults at the schools these children went to for not investigating their story, even when they had the impression that something wasn't right.  I am so proud of and impressed with Jeannette and her siblings.  They are so strong, and true, as they were easily able to forgive and get over the horrible life they were born into.  I love that they've learned to work hard and have become successful!  Just seeing what they've gone through and how positive and strong they are is inspiring, but not enough for me to buy or reread this book ever again.  I don't know if I could handle the movie either.

Pros: The only thing that was positive about their story is that the kids were able to escape before more damage could have happened.  And in the end none of the Wall children hated, their parents.  They forgave their parents and even came to understand why their parent's lived the way they did.  I could never read this book again, because I don't like depressing, sad stories.  But if you can stomach this type of memoir than read it.  If you enjoy true stories, memoirs, and autobiographies this is perfect for you!  The plot is a swirling twist of the unexpected throughout the whole book.

Cons: I don't recommend this for the tender hearted, the weak stomached, the emotional woman, and its not recommended for anyone until the age of 16!  There is tons of really bad language, some worse than swear words.  There is sexual abuse, child abuse, child neglect, lying, stealing, smoking, drug use, sex, immoral behavior, alcohol, prostitution, child slavery (of Jeannette by her father), and graphic imagery of children getting badly hurt, and burned.

                                                                                My Rating

Here is an interview clip of Jeannette and her mother!  This is why I give this book a thumbs up.