Review of She Speaks Her Silence

[markodim721]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "She Speaks Her Silence" by Carla J Frye.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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The book with the thought-provoking title She Speaks Her Silence by Carla J. Frye presents the author's memories, mainly of her traumatic childhood and growing up. Growing up as the younger daughter of a single mother, Carla faced the favoritism of her older sister and her rejection by her mother as a child, for no apparent reason. That is exactly the reason why Carla has longed all her life for someone who would accept her and love her unconditionally. Unfortunately, this noble feeling took young Carla astray several times and made her a victim.

Young African American was often the victim of the most brutal abuse, including sexual exploitation. However, the turbulent youth brought some beautiful moments, such as the birth of one's children, close relationships with extended family, and professional development. Also, Carla found solace in Christianity, and at the end of the book, there are prayers as well as passages from the Holy Scriptures in which the author found inspiration. The entire book was written exclusively from the author's perspective.

What I liked about She Speaks Her Silence is the fact that, despite the strong content, the author used a minimum of explicit expressions and profanity. I also think it is positive that Carla has always found the strength to move on and look to the future. In addition, I believe that the book represents some timeless values, such as the importance of family and the functional relationships within it. What was interesting to me was the fact that Carla, despite her bad experiences, never lost faith in humankind, nor did she lose sight of her ideals and what she had longed for all her life. Also, at the end of the book, the author gives readers a list of the most important emergency phone numbers in case of suicidal intentions, sexual assaults, drug and alcohol addictions, and child abuse. In addition, the author cited several books related to these areas.

Due to the repeated patterns of behavior of young Carla, a significant part of the book seems similar to an uninterrupted circle of violence, addiction, and abuse. Unpleasing events would usually be followed by a short period of stability and relative progress, but new trouble would be around the corner. In addition, there are frequent transitions from one period in the past to the present or even deeper into the past, which can often confuse the reader. The book also contains a number of typos, although they do not significantly affect the enjoyment of the book.

The decision on how to evaluate the book She Speaks Her Silence was quite complex because that is the very nature of the book. Although the book has a lot of good parts, it is often the case that the parts vary in quality. As a result of this, as well as the foregoing, I rate the book with two out of four stars.

I recommend the book to fans of memoir-type books, readers who are more interested in the causes and consequences of child abuse and addictions, as well as fans of books in which Christian themes are also represented. Due to the content that often contains elements of violence and abuse, I think that the book would not be a good choice for younger categories of readers as well as those readers who find such content disturbing. Due to the frequent references to the Holy Scriptures and Christianity, I am not sure whether the book would be interesting to readers of other religious affiliations.

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She Speaks Her Silence
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[Alexander C Schmoock]

Being the least preferred child in a family is one of the worst situations anyone can be in. I'm happy Carla found solace in Christianity at the end of the day. Great review.

[Rishi_reviews]

The plot of the book seems quite new to me and I'm curious to know what happened to Carla and how she cope up with everything. Thanks for the review.

[markodim721]

Being the least preferred child in a family is one of the worst situations anyone can be in. I'm happy Carla found solace in Christianity at the end of the day. Great review.

I agree. Such rejection during the formation of a personality can really leave far-reaching consequences for a child and later an adult. Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it.

[markodim721]

The plot of the book seems quite new to me and I'm curious to know what happened to Carla and how she cope up with everything. Thanks for the review.

The book is interesting and very realistic. The author wrote the most explicit parts of the story in very selected words. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

This seems like a tough book dealing with important issues. Thank you for this balanced review!

[markodim721]

This seems like a tough book dealing with important issues. Thank you for this balanced review!

Exactly. Thanks for stopping by and reading my review. I appreciate it.

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

Funny how siblings living in the same house can have different experiences and relationships with the same parents. My heart goes out to the author!

[Asma Aisha Ansari]

Kudos to Carla for always believing in humanity even after she endured so many hardships and exploitation.
Thanks for this moving and informative review.

[Kirsi Cultrera]

This sounds like one of those heart-wrenching destinies that nobody should ever have to face. I am happy that Carla finally found her peace in Christianity. It is also great that she managed to write her story without using too many profanities, that is a detail that is worth complimenting.

Thank you for the insightful and informative review!

[Ahñ Mèiã]

I just wanna say the cover is captivating and I like the tilte. Thank you for the review. Maybe I'll read it one day

[Katarina Radovcic]

Well, the title seems to explain the repetitive pattern of events. Once you get to the lowest parts of your life, it's hard to get back up and often there are these chains that pull you back that might take several tries to get away from. The author seems to have presented her story in a very raw way, without filters. She finally chose voice over silence, and the result was this book.
Thank you for pointing out all the elements of the book that need a cautious approach as well as for addressing the confusing narrative style.

[markodim721]

Funny how siblings living in the same house can have different experiences and relationships with the same parents. My heart goes out to the author!

Unfortunately, parents often favor one of the children for no good reason, and this can have consequences for all children. Thanks for the feedback and comment.

[markodim721]

Kudos to Carla for always believing in humanity even after she endured so many hardships and exploitation.
Thanks for this moving and informative review.

Carla really suffered a lot. I was also fascinated by her courage to talk about it all. Thanks for stopping by.

[markodim721]

This sounds like one of those heart-wrenching destinies that nobody should ever have to face. I am happy that Carla finally found her peace in Christianity. It is also great that she managed to write her story without using too many profanities, that is a detail that is worth complimenting.

Thank you for the insightful and informative review!

The fact that Carla went through many disturbing events and that she told about all this with the use of a minimum of profane words thrilled me. In my opinion, such a thing requires exceptional internal control and mastery. Thanks for stopping by.