Review of Here There Be Monsters

[Shirley Ann Riddern Labzentis]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Here There Be Monsters" by David Leroy Harter Finch.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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This is a story of survival. Surviving against all odds against horrific abuse and neglect by your parents, his father, Dale and his stepmother, Lucille.

David Harter was one of four children. Lori, Lisa, Dale Jr., and David. Their little family seemed perfect, except that Dale wanted Barbara and him to become swingers. When Barbara refused, he had an affair with another woman, and a child was born out of the affair. Barbara got pregnant with David but died of complications from a car accident when she gave birth. Then Dale Jr., who had severely clubbed feet, was struck by a car while riding his bike and died.

Dale met Lucille at a Parents Without Partners dance. Lucille was a divorced single mother with twins Michael and Monique. They got married, but soon afterward, things began to change. They lived in a house on Myra Road, and when David was seven years old, they moved to a huge house called Kitt’s Tavern that needed major renovations. This move was all Lucille’s idea, but Dale went along with her plans to move up in the world.

Lucille started out treating Dale’s children differently. Lucille's children got new clothes and new shoes. They went to ballet classes and played Little League. Lori, Lisa, and David got hand-me-downs or clothes from the thrift store. David was made to wear a woman’s blouse and Capri pants to school. While Lucille’s children went to their various after-school activities, Dale’s children had to help with the house renovation. By the time David was ten, Lucille had made him sleep in the cold, dark cellar. David was afraid of the dark and was sure that monsters would come out every night and kill him. Little did he realize that the real monsters were upstairs in the house. After that, he was moved to sleeping in the outhouse on the floor. He was not allowed to bathe or wash his clothes, and he smelled horrific. Lisa was made to eat her vomit one day when she was sick.

Michael had started sexually abusing both Lisa and David, but David the most. This sexual abuse went on for many years. Lori, the oldest, couldn’t take any of it anymore and moved out when she was 17. Lucille would make Dale beat the children with paddles, straps, baseball bats, and anything he could find. When he came home from work, she would exaggerate stories of how horrible the children were that day, and he would immediately start beating them.

This abuse went on for years until the children each ran away from home. The unimaginable things that were allowed to happen in that house were all detailed in the book. You will have to find out what happened if the Harter children survived the ordeal and what emotional and physical toll it took on them.

Here There Be Monsters: A Terrifying True Story of Abuse, Endurance, and Hope in Small Town America by David Harter Finch was a deeply disturbing book about child abuse and the monsters that dealt out the abuse day in and day out. This book is not for sensitive people, but I think it is worth reading to help acknowledge that this goes on behind closed doors in many households. Appearances are not always what they seem, and you should act upon them if you have any suspicions. Children are unnecessarily mistreated and abused every day and need our help.

The book was well-written and professionally edited, and I found no errors. There was nothing that I disliked about the book. The author did a great job of coming forth and telling exactly what happened to him, and that had to have been very hard not only to bring up these bad memories but to tell what horrible things happened to him. I commend the author for this.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars for the reasons that I gave above. It is a hard book to read about the abuse, but a worthwhile one to know why adults have a hard time coping with life. You never know what they went through as a child. I recommend this to anyone who is not sensitive to the abuse of children and the heartless people out there in the world.

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Here There Be Monsters
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[Mark Lazarus]

This sounds like an incredibly difficult but important read. Stories like this shine a light on the unimaginable suffering some people endure and the resilience it takes to survive. While it’s definitely not something I’d approach lightly, I can see the value in reading it to better understand the lasting impact of childhood abuse and to become more aware of the signs of mistreatment. It’s probably not a book I’d pick up right now, but I respect the author’s bravery in sharing their story.

[Gerry Steen]

Oh gosh, the author, David, grew up in an extremely dysfunctional family. Kudos to him for having the strength and courage to write his story. It will be interesting to read how he coped with all of the abuse and came to write this book.

[Amy Luman]

This reminds me of “A Child called “It””. It really hurts my heart to hear of children treated like this. Like your said, you can never really tell what goes on behind closed doors. Thanks!

[Omneya Shakeep]

Wow, the book seems intense. I actually thought it was a children's book from the book cover and title. The author must have gone a long way in his healing journey to find the courage to write this book, which I deeply respect. Thanks for the amazing review and the recommendation!