Books4Tomorrow: REVIEW: "DON'T CRY, DADDY'S HERE"

“DON’T CRY, DADDY’S HERE”

by Brinda Carey

REVIEWED BY: Books4Tomorrow

OVERVIEW

This book will not be easy to read. It is not a cozy, friendly little book meant to cheer you up and brighten your day. It is, however, a starkly true story of what happened to a little girl born in Texas in 1960.Brinda Carey's first 22 years were an unimaginable hell - unimaginable, that is, to those of you who haven't had your own version of that hell. Sexual abuse and manipulation by a monstrous father and a descent into the emotional wasteland of promiscuity are just two of the hallmarks of that inferno. Can anyone ever recover from unrelenting sexual and emotional abuse at the hands of her parents? Brinda Carey did. Her message of hope and renewal is for every abuse survivor living alone with her pain - and it's for everyone who wishes to know about the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love and forgiveness.

REVIEW

I’ll admit that I read this book by recommendation from a friend and out of morbid curiosity. Incest – a word I hate. No matter what images the word conjures in my mind, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what a sexually abused child must’ve suffered – and by the hands of her father no less. Having lived a sheltered life, such a thing for me is hard to imagine, but the truth is that it does happen and in “Don’t Cry, Daddy’s Here” Brinda doesn’t only share her experience of what she suffered at the hands of her father, but takes the reader back with her in time to her childhood years where it all started and then tells it like it is. No sugarcoating. No excuses. Nothing. Just an earnest, straightforward, no-holds-barred, retelling of the shocking events in her life - but with the voice of a survivor.

For me Brinda’s story is a heartbreaking one, but also one that inspires. While reading this, I didn’t feel like a reader, but rather a companion on the author’s emotional journey down memory lane, and then her amazing journey to acceptance, forgiveness and moving on. It will make you cry, it will break your heart, make you feel angry, and unleash a volley of emotions at the thought that a father could do such despicable things to his daughter, without an ounce of remorse. I admire the author’s courage to open her heart on paper and share with the world her lost childhood, and I applaud her for her strength, perseverance and honesty.

This is not only a book for victims of incest or sexual abuse, but also for those of us who need an eye-opener to the fact that some parents and trusted family members can betray a child’s trust and take away their innocence in the cruelest of ways. A lot of helpful information, photos, contact details and inspiring quotes are included in this book. I want to thank the author for allowing me an intimate look into the life of a child being violated by a loved parent, and the opportunity to have read a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.