Saturday, December 17, 2011

Book Review: Raising Abel

 Raising Abel by Carolyn Nash is a memoir. It’s not her life story from birth to now. It’s more of a telling of a certain time in her life. Raising Abel covers the period of Nash’s life from when she adopted Abel until he is grown.

This book scared me. Made me laugh. Made me want to cry. Amazed me by Nash’s honesty and no holds barred way of telling her story. I may read it again, only this time, I’ll read more slowly instead of rushing to find out what happened next.

You get an idea of the story to come when you read the opening paragraph in the Prologue:
Abel came into the kitchen while I was scrambling some eggs. “I’m going to kill you with a big knife,” he said shyly.
Nash is brave. Her story is told without sugar coating – for her or for Abel. And anyone who believes a woman who adopts a child cannot feel the same depth of love for that child as a woman who gave birth to a child should read this book.

Amazon

Kindle

Raising Abel is the most honest memoir I’ve read. I most definitely give Raising Abel a rating of Hel-of-a-Story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FTC Disclaimer: The author made this book available for me to download. Although I thought that was very nice of her, it did not influence my review. I was influenced by Carolyn Nash’s perseverance, her commitment to loving Abel, and her honesty not just about Abel but about herself. By the end, I wanted her to write the next story of her and Abel. I want to know where their lives go from here. I also want my family not to search the house for Christmas presents while I’m at Barnes & Noble wrapping gifts to raise funds for the Bess Whitehead Scott Scholarship Fund. To anyone not in my family, but looking for places to hide gifts, I recommend the freezer, the attic, the dirty clothes hamper, and the cleaning supply cabinet.

11 comments:

  1. Wow. What a hook! I have no idea what I'd do.

    Great hiding places, btw :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds like a powerful story. I'm glad you clarified a memoir which often gets confused with an autobiography. I hope you found a great hiding place, but not too good because sometimes I haven't found gifts that I've hidden until Easter.
    Ann

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'd be a little scared if my child told me that.
    Perfect ten on the disclaimer. Hope they don't hide electronics in the fridge though.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ohhhh. I never thought of the freezer. I'm and adoptive mom. I get it. Now I should probably get this book too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. No electronics in the fridge, but they fit nicely in the back of the laundry room cabinets.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Intriguing! It makes you wonder why some people take certain decision in life and how one choice affects his or her life forever.

    My Darcy Vibrates…

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! I have to know more about her story now too!

    Dirty laundry is an excellent place to stash stuff. NOBODY would dare look there. If they did, then they'd be stuck with washing clothes.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yep! You can also hide presents in the basket of clothes waiting to be ironed.

    ReplyDelete
  9. wow, sounds like a worthy read and such a unique story! Thank you for sharing it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wanting to know what happens next is the highest praise you can give a book ... as far as I'm concerned. Finding places to hide presents is not something I have to worry about ... a side benefit of being poor.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, this seems like an incredible book. Thanks for the recommendation.

    Sarah Allen
    (my creative writing blog)

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...