10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was an interesting read. It was bought for by my husband because he liked the title and the first page. I started this read knowing nothing about this book.

Germany in the Hitler era, is a historical time I know a lot about but this tale is woven from fresh eyes in a blunt, in your face, gritty real way that I liked. Our main character is a little girl named Lisel and it’s essentially about the people who touched Lisel’s life during this time including neighbors, school yard bullies, orphans, bomb shelter gatherings… all walks of life, again it’s kept very real. Never have I read a book narrated by such a character yet it is appropriate and very clever.

However the first two thirds of the book I found to be a little dragging in pace but without them the last third would not crumble around you with such brutality and leave you thinking about these people long after you have read the book. For example, I have since read another book, but I still recall all the detail of all the characters in The Book Thief.

It was well written and worth reading.

11. Sickened – The True Story of A Lost Childhood by Julie Gregory is a memoir regarding her childhood. She grew up as a victim of Munchausen by proxy (MBP) and shares her story. It’s gruesome, brutal, but like all forms of family dynamics, sometimes very understandable (from her point!).

It is only a thin book, but in this thin book lays bare the soul of a girl who was nothing but spread thin as she tries to gain her mothers love, keep her family together, and be the perfect child. All the while she is being tortured physically, emotionally, and medically.

Although it may be only a thin book, the thin little girl who grew up into a messed up adult with many issues that took her into her thirties to figure out, has had the courage to lay her nightmares bare in this book and she refuses to let the patten repeat itself. For this reason alone she deserves applause.

This is child abuse at it’s subtlest form. Where no one can see the truth, and even if you can, no one wants to believe the truth because family “isn’t like that.” But the truth is written here and people should read it, understand it, and make sure it doesn’t happen to other children. Family can be like that. Family can be the cruelest people of all.

It took me less than a day to read but I will read it again because one reading is not enough to absorb her life. It also raised issues from my childhood that I had to or still have to deal with, and so I was a little distracted at times from her story. In my opinion Everyone should read this book. It’s amazing this woman is still alive.

XOX