Review of When The Pain Remains

[Damian Keyes]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "When The Pain Remains" by Mary Clara Buchanan.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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"When The Pain Remains" is a book by author Mary Clara Buchanan. This autobiography documents Mary’s and her family's life as they depart from Alabama to Upstate New York in 1959. As the book title denotes, the author's life was filled with pain that she endured, and she details all of that in this book.

Mary opens the book with the pivotal reason why she wrote this book: her mother was dying of cancer. She takes the reader through different decades of her family life, coming from a small town in Alabama, living in a small wooden house with no electricity and barely running water to city life in New York. Through all the poverty, culture shocks, firsthand abuse, and abandonment.

I enjoy books that are not only entertaining but informative as well. I never knew what a bean bus was until I read this book. Also, how migrants would travel up North during different seasons to make money to send back home. Learning these two things and so much more kept my thirst for knowledge wanting more.

Family is an important part of this novel, and it shows in the writing. Mary is the oldest child, so she always helped and looked out for her mom and siblings. The fact that she started working at 11 years old to provide for her family is evident of that. Mary’s confidence and strength at a young age are what I loved the most about this book. You’ll have to get the book to find out other acts of courageousness and strength that she’s displayed in her life.

It’s my pleasure to give "When The Pain Remains" 4 out of 5 stars. I had to deduct a star because I encountered too many distracting errors. Other than that, the story kept me enthralled and emotional at the same time. If anyone is looking for an inspirational real-life story of resilience through the struggle, they should go out and get this book.

Warning: Rape and physical assault are mentioned in this story, so if these may be triggering to anyone, you may want to skip this book.

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When The Pain Remains
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[Yasmine Zaki Muhieddine]

I like a good story about strength and resilience. I hope Mary succeeded in making a better life for herself. The title suggests that she didn't get over the pain. Thank you for your insightful review, I am adding this book to my shelves.