Rating: 
Summary: Every woman should read this book
Review: Connie May Fowler brings the places of her stories to life with such detail that one can almost smell the air in these Florida towns. Although her character's lives are sometimes unsettling, her honesty and skillful dialogue help us feel their pain with the deepest compassion. Every one of Fowler's novels has been a treasure. When Katie Awakes is a brave and powerful story. As other readers have said, this memoir brings better understanding to the question, Why do women stay in abusive relationships? But I think the book is much more. Fowler's account of her own abuse, and the abuse of generations of women and children before her, really takes us inside the female psyche, shedding light on what women believe about themselves, how we punish ourselves and suffer shame and guilt for the most (seemingly) illogical reasons. Not all women know abuse at the hand of a parent or a partner, but most women suffer from birth the covert abuser, a society that still tries with all its might to stifle our independence and crush our self esteem. The story is tragic but the will to emerge is what makes this book so compelling. Every woman should read When Katie Awakes.
Rating:
Summary: Every woman should read this book
Review: Connie May Fowler brings the places of her stories to life with such detail that one can almost smell the air in these Florida towns. Although her character's lives are sometimes unsettling, her honesty and skillful dialogue help us feel their pain with the deepest compassion. Every one of Fowler's novels has been a treasure. When Katie Awakes is a brave and powerful story. As other readers have said, this memoir brings better understanding to the question, Why do women stay in abusive relationships? But I think the book is much more. Fowler's account of her own abuse, and the abuse of generations of women and children before her, really takes us inside the female psyche, shedding light on what women believe about themselves, how we punish ourselves and suffer shame and guilt for the most (seemingly) illogical reasons. Not all women know abuse at the hand of a parent or a partner, but most women suffer from birth the covert abuser, a society that still tries with all its might to stifle our independence and crush our self esteem. The story is tragic but the will to emerge is what makes this book so compelling. Every woman should read When Katie Awakes.
Rating:
Summary: EYE OPENER
Review: Connie May Fowler is a very gifted writer. I read every book she has written so far. I could never understand why women stayed in abusive relationships, but after reading "When katie Wakes" I have a better understanding. Many heartaches in this story, but also you see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think her dog really helped to save her. I was happy to know that she pulled herself out the misery she was in and found the good soul that she really is. Good luck to you Connie!
Rating:
Summary: An insightful journey into the mind of a battered woman.
Review: Connie May Fowler's, "When Katie Wakes" is masterful glimpse into the soul of a battered women. I could not put this book down once I started and I finished it in an afternoon. A heartfelt account of one women's journey from both inner and outer torments to wakefulness and a sort of freedom, I would recommend this book to anyone. Fowler's easy writing style opens the door for us to descend easily into the hell that is home to the battered woman. Often wondering exactly what is was that kept a woman from mentally walking away from her abuser when she could physically do so, Fowler's insight has put the answer into perspective and I will never have to ask that question again.
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Summary: Thisis an AMAZING book!
Review: Fowler writes truthfully and beautifully about true life for battered women. It takes courage to bare one's soul and she does it remarkably well in a book that should appeal to the mass media. People who are always asking "why does she stay?" would do well to read this book and get some education.
As a survivor who finally left after almost 12 years, (taking my six children with me)her thoughts were exactly like mine! I caught my breath reading them!
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Summary: Hard To Believe There Are People Like This In The World
Review: I must say the writing is well done and with an intelligence that makes it difficult to believe the author could be writing about herself. Apparently this is the 5th book she has written which takes a lot of work, know how, and perserverance. She was literally frightened of her own shadow and would allow...and even requested battering to prove how non-deserving she was as a human being...plus trying to commit suicide a few times. The title is apt as her dog Katie is what holds her life together and apparently "the only one who understands her"....until she meets the right man.The story is distressing and points out what a little...strike that...what a lot of cosmetic surgery can do to enhance a personality. You should never be bored reading this book as I read this story out loud to my wife (who is very difficult to please as to books) and she was as pleased about the story as I.
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Summary: A most fulfilling memoir.
Review: I read this book immediately after reading Fowler's "Before Women Had Wings". "When Katie Wakes" flowed quite smoothly from "Wings" and clarified some of the author's real-life struggles that were revealed in "Wings". A terrific, yet heartbreaking story she tells in "When Katie Wakes". I couldn't put this book down. A disturbing story though, in that it took me until the end of the book to realize why Fowler couldn't find the inner strength to leave such an abusive, dangerous and destructive lover. A must-read for those who enjoy a revealing and instructive story on the agonies of an abusive childhood and the devastation it can wreak.
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Summary: A most fulfilling memoir.
Review: In the past Connie May Fowler has shared her beautiful words with us through her incredible novels, but this time she shares her heart and soul as she writes about her years of physical and emotional abuse. What courage it took for her to write this, letting everyone not only understand but feel the pain she lived. It amazed me that she was able to write about the terror and the sordidness of her life without leaving out the details and without turning it into a slimy expose of her experiences. Don't misunderstand, she is very open, not sugar-coating these experiences, but her way of expressing them is remarkable. Katie, her faithful dog, gets us through her story just as she got Connie through those years or abuse. We always know that no matter how horrible it gets, Katie will be there for her. Connie May Fowler's story will inspire you. This is wonderful work!
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Summary: An answer to WHY
Review: Quite often, the question is asked WHY does a woman stay in an abusive relationship, and the misguided answer is that she likes being abused and deserves it. In this memoir, Connie Fowler answers the question that I've often wondered myself. She shows in a very clear, understandable, and engaging way the recipe for a battered woman--low self esteem and self loathing. She tells how she identifies with an abused and unwanted female dog, Katie, and how they help each other through tough times. Her story is written in a way that it seems she's speaking directly to the reader, so that I cried and rejoiced along with her. Her abuser is portrayed in a way that is not sympathetic to him and shows without sugar-coating his unforgivable abusiveness, but manages at the same time not to go overboard and make him seem like an unbelievable monster. Despite his terrible acts, he still comes off as human and believable. Reading it, I could feel Connie's pain, insecurity, and fear, and read quickly, eager to see her find her sense of self and escape the terror and misery she was living in. This is a well-written story with a meaningful message.
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Summary: AN AWAKENING FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE
Review: READING THIS BOOK WAS EMOTIONALLY DRAINING. THE ABUSE CONNIE WENT THROUGH BOTH FROM HER PARENTS & THEN HER OLDER LOVER WAS UNBELIEVABLE. KATIE(CONNIE'S LOVABLE DOG) GOT HER THROUGH SOME DIFFICULT TIMES. KATIE WAS LOYAL TO CONNIE UNTIL THE END. CONNIE WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN BECAUSE SHE HAD KATIE TO FALL BACK ON. THANK GOD A GOOD MAN LIKE MIKA CAME ALONG. THIS IS A MUST READ FOR ABUSE VICTIMS. GOD BLESS KATIE FOR THE SUPPORT SHE GAVE CONNIE & GOD BLESS CONNIE FOR SEEING A BETTER LIGHT & GETTING OUT OF HER HORRIBLE SITUATION.
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