Rating: 
Summary: Amazing strength
Review: I was very impressed with Jennifer's strength to overcome all she had going against her.....Her early formative years proved to be her backbone for the rest of her childhood..At least she had a beginning in life where she knew she was loved and was a special gift...This book reads like a novel, and very much worth your time.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but limited by child's perspective
Review: Jennifer Lauck's "Blackbird" is a compelling and absorbing story of the author's childhood of losses, beginning with the death of her mother, her father's unexpected death when the author was nine and the difficult teenage years at the hands of a disturbed step-mother. There is little stability in young Jennifer's life, and it is perhaps telling that the happiest she ever seems to be is when she is left at a religious co-operative, far from any blood or legal relative. The passsages of Jennifer's life pass by quickly, largely due to the dialogue heavy narrative, and the reader is left with the heavy burden of realizing just how much she has been through.There are a couple of things that hamper the telling of this important story. One is the self-concious use of the child's voice as narrator. How much more compelling might this story have been if Ms Lauck had included her adult perspective on this series of events? Does Ms. Lauck, now a married mother herself, have any greater awareness of her step-mother now that she is a mother herself? Does Ms. Lauck, an adoptee, ever wonder why a dying woman was allowed to adopt an infant? Does she have adult anger towards her loving, but detached, father? (Perhaps these matters will be solved in the follow-up to this book, but that doesn't excuse the limitations of this book.) Another problem is the self-pity the author sometimes allows herself to wallow in. Ms. Lauck the person is certainly allowed to wallow in self-pity if she likes. My complaint about this has to do with her choices as a writer. There are any number of passages where the young girl dissolves in tears. The problem with this style choice is that we the reader are already well aware of the girl's circumstances. Being hit over the head with her misfortune makes us less sympathetic readers. A more spare, subtle style might have made this good read an excellent one. Fans of this book should also read Sarah Saffian's "Ithaka" which deals with similar themes from an adult perspective.
Rating:
Summary: tearjerker, but very good, fast read
Review: How can someone say this is self-serving? This is not a politician's book. It's a story I'm sure every reader can relate to on some level. I sure did. It brought back a lot of negative feelings I had for my parents, and other authority figures, who have no respect for the emotions and experiences of children. True, everyone has struggled through his/her own bad times. This is just one of those accounts, but very well-written and a very fast read. I couldn't stop.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, moving story
Review: I saw Jennifer Lauck on "Oprah" on Friday, and was so moved by her story and resilience that I bought the book on Saturday, and read the whole thing. It is an amazing story of hardship and survival, of added insults to injuries, and she not only lives to the tell the tale, but seems to have made peace with her difficult past. I had a difficult childhood myself, and her story rings absolutely true: she captures the loneliness and confusion perfectly. I can't wait to share the book with a friend.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely the best book I've read in many years!!
Review: What a beautiful story--it's so incredibly well written. Makes you want to find the author and give her a huge hug! We've all had difficult lives, and Jennifer reminds us all to look back and remember. I lost my mother, too, and I found myself trying to reconstruct my feelings. It's just tremendously powerful. Congratulations to a new voice on the memoir scene--can't wait to read the next from Jennifer.
Rating:
Summary: Life is a gift ~ use it wisely!
Review: Blackbird proves that no matter how much pain a child or young adult endures, if they're strong enough it is possible to grow up to lead a well balanced and productive life. All too often, with the help of psychologists and therapists, adults blame their lack of success in life on their parents. We are all so busy spending so much time blaming others, we fail to reach our potential. Jennifer Lauck, the author of Blackbird, suffered greatly and uses her childhood experiences to tell a spellbinding and heart-rending story of the loss of innocence and survival. It is amazing that a 6 year old child could not only survive the pain that was inflicted on her, but rise above it and tell her story to the entire world. The writing style is unique. Written in the perspective of 6 yr old Lauck, the story tells everything from the kitchen counter down. Some passages and thoughts are totally random and Lauck goes into great detail about the strangest subjects... just like the mind of a 6 yr old. I think this is one reasons I like the book so much. Lauck was able to capture and describe the way a child thinks and views the world in an incredible way. I look forward to reading the follow-up to Blackbird. I am concerned for lauck's brother B.J./Bryan. Lauck describes his deeply burried anger throughout the book, and I fear for his ability to cope with that anger later in life.
Rating: 
Summary: Self-Serving and Depressing
Review: A friend recommended this book, and I'm still trying to figure out why. The story is depressing and a real "downer" without the benefit of being even being interesting. Stories like this one about Jennifer and her brother are sadly not that uncommon in our society these days, so this book was no great revelation or emotional experience for me.
Rating:
Summary: Very harrowing, very well written
Review: I just finished this book 10 minutes ago...I read it very quickly because I had to find out what happened to Jennifer. This is a very well-written book. It is very harrowing and made me very mad that no adults came through to help Jennifer and her brother. I can only wonder how Jennifer made it through to where she is now. If I could do anything this minute it would be to call the author on the phone and find out what happened to her in the ensuing years. On the back fly leaf of the book it says that she is at work on a sequel, I will be anxiously awaiting her next book. I am awestruck by her ability to thrive under the circumstances she grew up in. This book will stay with me forever for many reasons. It is truely amazing. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: A Compelling Memoir
Review: As a writing mentor, I work with a number of people who want to write memoirs. Many of them have experienced traumatic childhoods. I routinely recommend that they read Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found, in order to learn how a master of memoir handles writing about abandonment, abuse, and mental illness without blame, self-pity, or sentimentality. Lauck uses her skills as a journalist to shape a compelling memoir of her childhood. Her courage and well-honed craft are outstanding. She not only has connected with readers, but has helped many of them along the path of healing.
Rating:
Summary: real page turner
Review: When I read Jennifer's books, it was a great lesson for me. I learned to be thankful for the way I was raised. (I wonder if my mom will ever read this review?) If you'd like a lesson in gratitude, perseverance, and inner strength despite the obstacles in life, this book is for you. I found it rather encouraging instead of depressing.
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