Review of No One Wants To Read That You're Happy
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John Rehg
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Review of No One Wants To Read That You're Happy
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "No One Wants To Read That You're Happy" by Donald D'Haene.]
No One Wants to Read That You’re Happy is the second memoir from the author, a sequel to the first one. I haven’t read the first one but judge that the two can stand alone. They cover different times in the author’s life and enough information is given in this memoir to understand what transpired in the first one.
The timeline starts nineteen years after the author’s father is jailed for gross indecency against three of his children. The topics of faith, religion, sexual identity, the justice system, death, family, and relationships are covered in sharp detail. The author deals with his trauma through two personalities, one feeling and one thinking, and this adds a light touch to an account filled with frustration and angst.
The memoir is superbly crafted, using multiple sources to construct the author’s story. The main thread follows the author through twenty-two years, employing a mix of his adventures and sessions with his therapist.
Although the story moves forward in time, it makes frequent use of flashbacks to explain or support the author’s current behavior. These flashbacks include diary entries by multiple family members and communications via email and letter. His youngest brother and his mother play prominent roles in the narrative.
The back-and-forth nature of the narrative is easy to follow, and the flashback material lays the foundation for the twenty-two years covered in the story. Memories from childhood, as well as letters from their father, drive home the horror that the children experienced, both as children and later as adults. These memories provide the basis for interpreting the different responses of family members.
The parts of the story detailing the abuse were difficult to read. If you have strong opinions against the gay lifestyle or for religious organizations, you may find some sections upsetting as well.
But if you continue through, you’ll be rewarded with deep insight into the human condition and how people face the challenges in their lives. One line stood out, something to ponder when faced with your own difficult situation: Nothing I was experiencing made me special.
There were a few minor grammatical errors, but nothing that distracts from the story. It’s easy to overlook them because the included material, letters, chats, and diary entries, are unedited and not counted as errors. The author’s mother was not a native English speaker, so her contributions are kept in her accented English and not cleaned up for grammar and spelling.
The gift of this story is that it includes not just the author’s story, but also much of his youngest brother’s. It includes some of the challenges his older brother and sister faced and how they handled them, though not in as much detail. In the end, it presents an argument for hope, for taking what life throws at you and making something positive out of it.
This memoir is a moving chronicle of how love conquers despair. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it.
******
No One Wants To Read That You're Happy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
No One Wants to Read That You’re Happy is the second memoir from the author, a sequel to the first one. I haven’t read the first one but judge that the two can stand alone. They cover different times in the author’s life and enough information is given in this memoir to understand what transpired in the first one.
The timeline starts nineteen years after the author’s father is jailed for gross indecency against three of his children. The topics of faith, religion, sexual identity, the justice system, death, family, and relationships are covered in sharp detail. The author deals with his trauma through two personalities, one feeling and one thinking, and this adds a light touch to an account filled with frustration and angst.
The memoir is superbly crafted, using multiple sources to construct the author’s story. The main thread follows the author through twenty-two years, employing a mix of his adventures and sessions with his therapist.
Although the story moves forward in time, it makes frequent use of flashbacks to explain or support the author’s current behavior. These flashbacks include diary entries by multiple family members and communications via email and letter. His youngest brother and his mother play prominent roles in the narrative.
The back-and-forth nature of the narrative is easy to follow, and the flashback material lays the foundation for the twenty-two years covered in the story. Memories from childhood, as well as letters from their father, drive home the horror that the children experienced, both as children and later as adults. These memories provide the basis for interpreting the different responses of family members.
The parts of the story detailing the abuse were difficult to read. If you have strong opinions against the gay lifestyle or for religious organizations, you may find some sections upsetting as well.
But if you continue through, you’ll be rewarded with deep insight into the human condition and how people face the challenges in their lives. One line stood out, something to ponder when faced with your own difficult situation: Nothing I was experiencing made me special.
There were a few minor grammatical errors, but nothing that distracts from the story. It’s easy to overlook them because the included material, letters, chats, and diary entries, are unedited and not counted as errors. The author’s mother was not a native English speaker, so her contributions are kept in her accented English and not cleaned up for grammar and spelling.
The gift of this story is that it includes not just the author’s story, but also much of his youngest brother’s. It includes some of the challenges his older brother and sister faced and how they handled them, though not in as much detail. In the end, it presents an argument for hope, for taking what life throws at you and making something positive out of it.
This memoir is a moving chronicle of how love conquers despair. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it.
******
No One Wants To Read That You're Happy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Mayor of PØmpington: Contesting Aliens by Dr. HB Paksoy
