Blackbird : A Childhood Lost And Found

Rating:
Summary: Had me standing and cheering for her at the end!
Review: After seeing Jennifer Lauck on Oprah I began my search for this book. Once in hand, I read it in a period of 14 hours almost right through since I was unable to put it down, and unable to stop my tears. How desperately I wanted to take this poor child in my arms and hold her forever. It brought great comfort to remember her on Oprah...that she has survived, but even so I had to keep flipping to the back cover to see her smiling face to assure myself that her suffering is over now. I became so angry at society - I am sure there were many opportunities for adults to notice this child and her situation, but no one helped. This book reminded me of my own childhood pain, and helps me to perfect some of my parenting skills, and I truly hope that this book will serve the ultimate purpose and awaken us to the plight of children. Jennifer's story is heartbreaking, but she is not alone in a world that still largely minimizes children. Thank you dear sweet Jennifer for telling your story, and I truly hope that your words reverberate throughout the world as they allow insight into lonliness, grief, rejection and abandonment as seen through the eyes of a child. I tremendously look forward to the sequel.

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: Tragic, yet Inspirational
Review: BLACKBIRD is one heck of sucess story, or should I say that Jennifer Lauck is one heck of a sucess story! I know that the sequel is on the way, therefore the sucess story is still in process,from what I have read, with a few bumps along the way. Jennifer's childhood was a fairytale gone wrong-starting with the tragic fact that she watched her beautiful mother wither away until her death. Left with her father and older brother, her life slowly but surely goes nowhere but downhill. The annual Disney World birthday trips dissolve, a permanent house is not to be found, (nor city for that matter) and her father eventually re-marries a controlling woman named Deb. Eventually, Jenny learns that she is adopted, is molested, constantly picked on, and to top it all off, witnesses that heart attack that causes the death of her father. Left in the custody of Deb, Jenny eventually gets thrown out, and lives in some sort of housing project, where she also works in the kitchen for money until she one day is randomly spotted on the street by an aunt and uncle that she hasn't seen in years. The book ends with the reunion of Jenny and her Grandpa (who she and her brother BJ will be living with) It seems as if she may finally have her happy ending, or does she?

Rating:
Summary: A sad and moving true story
Review: Blackbird is the true story of the author Jennifer Lauck from
tha age of 5 until she was 12. A rather grim portrait of Jennifer as a child, whose mother was chronically ill for most of her young years, and then dies when Jennifer is only 6 As if life hasn't already thrown her a curve ball her father quickly remarries and Jennifer's step-mother,a rather cruel woman at best, brings her own children to the Lauck family. And sure enough her step-mothers children amuse themsleves by tormenting Jennifer knowing that their mother will always side with them. When her father suddenly dies, the author is left with her brother, step-mother,step sisters and step-brother. Now she is at this woman's mercy and Jennifer's childhood spins totally out of control as her step-mother is quite nasty to Jennifer and her brother, then doesn't care properly for Jennifer or her brother and finally sends her away from her brother and step-family to live and work alone in communal home situation when shes not even 12.

I really can't say that I enjoyed this book. To do so would make me feel as though I enjoyed sombody else's misery. What I can say is that on several levels I appreciated the writing and gut wrenching emotions which found their way into the pages of this book. I also think there are many questions the book raises not the least is why Jennifer and her brother didn't go to the authorites when left with their step-mother or her mother and father's family now say that thes allegations were untrue. But then one has to wonder why the author would choose to write a book as non-fiction rather than fiction unless her story was true. And for those who wept at the book White Oleander for the young character, Astrid, Jennifer's story will reduce you to the same tears, only more if you believe what she writes is true. As a mother and daughter my heart broke over the childhood Jennifer missed out on. The ordeal she went through kept me up late at night questioning why none of her family members bothered to take either of these children in when they were first orphaned. And the revelation about Jennifer's true parentage had me wondering if life could have been any harder for her than the one she lived as a child in these circumstances.

This was truly a a difficult book to to read but also proved to me how some people survive against all odds. The end of the book finds Jennifer on the way to her grandparents home and one can only hope that life will be better for her in the future. What happens as Jennifer continues to grow up is chronicled in the sequel to this book Still Waters which I read shortly after Blackbird. Suffice it to say I found Ms. Lauck to be one strong child and whose life I won't soon forget.

Rating:
Summary: A Amazing story with a twist
Review: Blackbird, written by Jenifer Lauck, is a very good book. It tells about her life and all the tough times she had. If you as a reader like to read stories with lots of twists, this would be the book for you. A significant event in Jenifer's life is that her mother is sick all the time, and she has to go to a "special place." Kids are not allowed there. so Jenifer does not see her mother much until she dies. Nine months later her dad has a heart attack and dies, and she is left with her step-mom. Her step-mom makes Jenifer do everything on her own, but there's a twist. I think this book is interesting because it has a lot of twists, and it is easy to follow. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read.

Rating:
Summary: READS LIKE A NOVEL - BUT IT'S TRUE!
Review: I saw Ms. Lauck on Oprah and was inspired by her true story - I went out the next day & purchased her book & read it in less than one week (for me that's fast!!!!). The story is told by Jennifer, but through her eyes as a child. It reads like a novel - you often forget you are reading the true story of the author's childhood. It is both heartbreaking & inspiritional - I anxiously await Jennifer's sequel to see how she overcame this childhood and how she survived her teenage years (the most difficult of all for an adolescent) and went on to become a successful, loving wife, mother & author. Thank you so much - I can't tell you last time I enjoyed a book as much!!!!!