Official Review: Who Hears Me When I Cry by Terrance Turner

[Cecilia_L]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Who Hears Me When I Cry" by Terrance Turner.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6 New King James Version).

Terrance Turner's memoir, Who Hears Me When I Cry, focuses on his Christian faith. He chronicles his journey growing up poor as one of eleven children, serving in the military, and as a franchise owner. With passion and heartfelt honesty, Turner details his inner struggles from questioning his existence to learning the difference between knowing about God to discovering how to trust him with his life.

Although his brief memoir is only 42 pages, Turner conveys the emotional turmoil that he experienced in a manner that will resonate with readers. He expresses the frustration of being passed over while those he trained received promotions, dealing with racism and repressed emotions, and wondering if God had forgotten him. Likewise, the book's title is a reference to Turner's doubts and questions that prompted him to seek God for answers.

The strength of the book and what I like most is Turner's passionate tone that is exemplified through reminiscing about his childhood and dog named Eric, describing his conflicting emotions about his time in the military, and expressing his beliefs. Turner recounts many experiences related to his faith, including prophetic words that he received as a child and has since seen fulfilled. However, it is not necessary to agree with all of Turner's beliefs to take away something from his story.

On the other hand, I dislike Turner's writing style; it is somewhat choppy and hard to follow. Also, portions of the story are repetitive. For instance, he describes his daughter's personality as "the comedian/singer in the family" twice in two pages. Unfortunately, the copious errors throughout the book are most distracting, especially in light of the book's brevity. The most common errors are faulty verb tense and the use of the wrong word such as "wrung" instead of "rung" and "worst" in place of "worse." The book needs a thorough round of editing.

For all of the above reasons, I rate Who Hears Me When I Cry 2 out of 4 stars. I recommend the book to Christians and readers of other faiths who enjoy memoirs about overcoming challenges. The book contains no profanity, but sensitive readers should note that it has references to suicidal thoughts.

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Who Hears Me When I Cry
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[Laura Lee]

The title was so evocative, I was curious about the book and why you gave it only 2 out of 4 stars, but I totally agree with your assessment. Hopefully, the author will take your words to heart and give it a thorough editing. It's always such a shame when a really good book/story hasn't been well-edited. Thanks for an excellent review!

[AntonelaMaria]

A memoir but only 42 pages long?! Hmmm... I am not sure about that. Too bad about the editing. Good review.

[Cecilia_L]

The title was so evocative, I was curious about the book and why you gave it only 2 out of 4 stars, but I totally agree with your assessment. Hopefully, the author will take your words to heart and give it a thorough editing. It's always such a shame when a really good book/story hasn't been well-edited. Thanks for an excellent review!

Thank you, Laura!

[Cecilia_L]

A memoir but only 42 pages long?! Hmmm... I am not sure about that. Too bad about the editing. Good review.

Thank you.

[Nelsy Mtsweni]

What an interesting and succinct review. I am interested in reading the book irrespective of the editing errors. I will just have to endure them like you did!
Thanks for an honest review.

[Cecilia_L]

What an interesting and succinct review. I am interested in reading the book irrespective of the editing errors. I will just have to endure them like you did!
Thanks for an honest review.

You're welcome. Thanks for commenting.