Columbine!

I recently read Columbine by Dave Cullen.  Cullen spent 10 years on Columbine with his book coming out in 2009.  I was surprised by how many myths and misconceptions were alive and well in the early days and even years afterwards.

Columbine was a tragedy that affected many.  One of the things that struck me from Cullen's book was that both Eric and Dylan came from good families with parents who cared, by all accounts.  Yet, the parents were vilified since both boys were dead and everyone needed someone to blame.

Columbine was emotional for me.  I was still in my 20's at the time, and it reminded of a close friend who died while I was in high school.

As I looked up more on the tragedy, I was encouraged by the stories of the survivors and the victim's families 10 years later.  Nothing can bring those loved ones back, but how the rest choose to move on is inspiring.

A Stolen Life! (Book Review)

I remember being captivated when I first heard about this story.  An 11 year old girl named Jaycee Dugard went missing in 1991, and was found 18 years later at the age of 29.  She had been kidnapped, raped and tortured for all that time by Phillip Garrido, who was also aided by his wife Nancy. Jaycee gave birth to 2 girls during her time of captivity.  Yet, her Mother never gave up hope, and neither did Jaycee.

It broke my heart to think that she had 18 years stolen away from her and suffered all of that abuse.  Yet, when you read Jaycee's book and see her talk in person, you are amazed at how she not only survived those years, but is now thriving.  In the past, when I have heard about stories similar to this, I was always sad because my belief was that they could never lead a normal life.  Jaycee Dugard proves that not to be true.

 A Stolen Life was painful to read at times because of the horrors that Jaycee lived through at such a young age. It also saddens me that she lost so much of her life. But I was amazed at how resilient she has become. Her strength is inspiring. 

She did a great job writing this book, and I found it to be a compelling story.  She is very brave, and says that she wrote it to so that victims would have a voice.  She also hopes that it will help reform the justice system which failed her so badly.  Phillip Garrido was a sex offender and a drug addict on parole, and yet somehow during all of his visits from parole officers, they never found Jaycee or her girls, who were located in his back yard.  Here is what the state of California did for her:

In July 2010, the State of California approved a $20 million settlement with Jaycee Dugard, to compensate her for "various lapses by the Corrections Department [which contributed to] Dugard's continued captivity, ongoing sexual assault and mental and/or physical abuse." 

Jaycee has started a wonderful foundation, The JAYC Foundation.  The foundation helps families like Jaycee's after they escape and reunite with their family members.

Jaycee Dugard was awarded a "Lifetime Leadership" honor at the third annual Diane von Furstenberg awards on March 9, 2012 for her courage and her JAYC Foundation which gives support to families dealing with abduction and other tragedies. The DVF awards honor women who are courageous and fight for justice. --Oprah and Jaycee Dugard honored at the DVF awards

I can't think of anyone who deserves that award more than Jaycee.  May God bless her and her family and her foundation!

The Good Wife?

 

My present circumstances have me in a place where it is therapeutic to read about how other women have survived troubled marriages that led to divorce.  I first read Christi Paul's book, Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt and then Dina Matos McGreevey's, Silent Partner.   I really liked both books and so I went in search of other books that were similar.

I found Jenny Sanford's book, Staying True.  The common thread between her book and the other two is that they all relied on their faith to get through.  It has been so encouraging to see that.

When I went looking for books, I came across some interesting articles about political wives whose husbands cheated on them.  It was interesting to see who stayed and who left.  It reminded me of one of my favorite shows right now, The Good Wife.

The two articles are,  5 wives who stayed-and 5 that didn't-after political sex scandals and The Two-Timed Wives Club: 14 Spouses of Cheating Politicians.

A Review of Silent Partner!

I was married to a man who had lied to himself for a good part of his life, who lied to others for the rest of it, and who lied to me in word and in deed, in mind and in body, in acts of commission and omission.--Dina Matos McGreevey

...over the last two years my faith has grown and my spiritual practices have deepened.  Otherwise, I could not have survived.  Faith, or at least my faith, is not passive.

I know that I'm a stronger person now than I've ever been or thought I could ever be.--Dina Matos McGreevey

In 2004, Dina Matos McGreevey's world fell apart.  Her husband, who was the Governor of New Jersey at that time, confessed to Dina and the world that he had been having an affair with a man.  Dina had noticed some of her husband's deceptions, but had no idea how many there were and that many of them started when they began dating and lasted throughout their marriage.

I saw and was drawn to Dina's story after seeing it on an episode of, "Who the Bleep Did I Marry?"  I found out that even though she did stand next to him during his public confession, she separated from him soon afterwards.   I was impressed with her strength of character that she displayed throughout it all.

Again, just like when I read Christi Paul's book, I could relate to some of the things that Dina shared in her book, Silent Partner.  It was therapeutic and encouraging to see how she coped and was able to successfully move on with her life.

A Review of Raging Heart!

Raging Heart by Sheila Weller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I will never forget where I was and what I was doing when I heard that O.J. Simpson had been found not guilty in his murder trial.  I was in shock, I had heard about all the evidence and couldn't fathom how he wasn't convicted.

So, when the books started pouring out I decided to read them to figure out what happened.  I read 2 of them soon after, and the other 3 right when O.J. attempted to publish his "confession, that wasn't really a confession." 

The 5 books I read on the O.J. Simpson case were: Evidence Dismissed: The Inside Story of the Police Investigation of O.J. Simpson, Without a Doubt, Murder In Brentwood, How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder: The Shocking Inside Story of Violence, Loyalty, Regret, and Remorse and If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.

Yet, in reading all these books on the case, I never really read a book that described O.J. and Nicole's lives before the murders.  Weller's book is wonderful in giving you a vivid and detailed account of their lives and their marriage.  It helped me to understand the dynamics a lot better and even helped me to learn even more about domestic violence. 

View all my reviews

Previously:
  Posts on or related to O.J. Simpson

Navy Seal Sniper Chris Kyle--American Hero!

As a testament to the gratitude of the American people, nearly 7,000 attended Chris Kyle's memorial service today.  Kyle is an American hero for all that he has done for our country as a Navy Seal sniper.  Taya Kyle, his beautiful wife, spoke about him at the service:

Slain ex-Navy SEAL Chris Kyle was a devoted husband, father and friend who will never be forgotten, his widow told mourners at his memorial service Monday.

Taya Kyle said she was broken but that the family will “put one foot in front of the other” to get through their grief. She told her two children that they will remember Chris Kyle’s silly side, Texas twang and prayers they prayed together.

“Chris, there isn’t enough time to tell you everything you mean to me and everything you taught me,” she said through tears.

Its sad that he died trying to help another soldier.  I think thats a testament to the kind of guy he was.


I first heard about Kyle when he was on O'Reilly's show for his book, American Sniper.  I fell in love with him when he had to punch Jesse Ventura for bad-mouthing the war, Bush and America.  Of course, what really broke the camel's back was Ventura saying that the Navy Seals deserved to lose a few guys, and this was all at an event connected with the funeral of some Navy Seals.  Classy!

I had wanted to buy Kyle's book before, but now I can't wait to buy it and read it.

May God bless and comfort Kyle's many family and friends!!

A Review of Argo!

I was skeptical about how Hollywood would portray the Iranian hostage situation, but I went to see Argo anyway and loved it.

I was in the 5th grade when Americans from the U.S. embassy in Iran were taken hostage.  I remember it well, because I had a phenomenal teacher that year who made sure we were informed about current events.

Argo tells the little known story of the 6 people who escaped from the Embassy and took refuge in the home of the Canadian Ambassador.  The story has been called the Canadian Caper and a TV movie was first done on it in 1981, entitled  Escape from Iran: The Canadian Caper.

The 6 men and women were in great danger because it was only a matter of time before the Iranian militants would discover that there were some people missing from the embassy.  A CIA agent then comes up with a plan to get them out of Iran.

I really liked the movie and am impressed with Ben Affleck's ability to direct.  The only part that I didn't like was at the end when Jimmy Carter started talking.  Also, it is rated R because there is a lot of language.

If you can handle the language, it is a great movie.

A review of "Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt"

I read somewhere that in order to be walked on, you have to be lying down.  Well, I wasn't going to lie down any longer.  I knew in that moment that I had to find the power God had given me.  And I had to learn not just to stand in it but to stand tall.--Christi Paul

Christi Paul is currently a TV anchor for HLN and TruTV.  I have always liked her, so I was thrilled when I found out that she is a Christian. 

I discovered Paul's book, Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt when I was looking at the Free Kindle daily deals.  The Free Kindle site lists different books that are free for that day only.  I am so glad I found it.


Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt: Christi Paul from Tyndale House Publishers on Vimeo.

The book shares Paul's personal story of surviving an abusive marriage.  Yet, she doesn't stop there.  She talks about how she got out and the process she went through.  Throughout the book she shares how her strong faith in God empowered her to make it through.  It is truly inspirational.

My story isn't as bad as hers, but it was amazing how therapeutic the book was for me.  I felt like I was getting free counseling as I read it.  I was able to process and journal a lot of the steps she shared about how to heal. 

I highly recommend this to everyone, but especially people who have dealt with verbal abuse.

Previous Reviews:
Frances Perkins
The Help
A Place of Yes!
John Adams
1776
My Grandfather's Son
Stephen Mansfield's Books
Stori Telling

  

A Good Day to Die Hard!

Amazingly, Bruce Willis returns yet again for an unprecedented 5th sequel in the Die Hard series, entitled A Good Day to Die Hard.

When the 4th movie came out in 2008, I did a post on how much I love Bruce Willis and the Die Hard series.  Willis is a conservative, so not only is he a great actor, but he also has brains too ;-).

I am looking forward to seeing A Good Day to Die Hard when it comes out on February 14th.

Previously:
Yipee-kai-aye!

2013 Book List--Part 1

I'm hoping to write reviews of 3 of the books below.  Condi's book was especially good.  Right now I am reading Rove's book and it is fascinating.  My respect for him is even greater now.


2013 Book List
1) Eleven On Top--Janet Evanovich
2) Love Isn't Supposed to Hurt--Christi Paul
3) The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression--Amity Shlaes
4) A Journey Through the Life of William Wilberforce: The Abolitionist Who Changed the Face of a Nation--Kevin Belmonte
5) Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family--Condoleezza Rice
6) Frances Perkins: First Woman Cabinet Member--Emily Keller


Previously:
2012 Book List
2011 Book List
2010 Book List
2008 Book List