Review: JUST READ IT!!!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 29, 2014
Have you ever had an “Aha” moment?  Where you have come across something that touched you so deeply that you knew that you HAD to make changes in your life, right that very second.  Well Broken People had that effect on me.  I was apprehensive to read this book because I consider myself broken in many ways and previous books from Scott Hildreth were raw, deep and thought provoking.  Book Hangover was a term that was used on more than one occasion.  So I was not sure what I would encounter with this story.  What I quickly learned through the story of “Fat Kid”, a man who dedicates his life to helping people, was that Broken People held all the trademark’s of a Scott Hildreth book, but at the same time it was almost an instruction manual to being a better person.  I am no way prefect but I have always considered myself a good mother, but this book made me realize that we have to do more than love and provide for our children we have to respect them.This quote was my first Aha moment… “It is, and will always remain disturbing to me, to think that a once a month hug, accompanied with such a statement, could save a life or lives. What a small price to pay. I do wonder, if parents know in advance where the minds of their children will lie, what they would be willing to do to prevent the suicide of their child.  No amount of money, in my opinion, can buy the comfort felt from a hug, and the reassuring words, I am so proud of you!"I am not sure I can put into words the effect that these words have had on my life.  I now stop and pause when dealing with my children.  I weigh my words with their feelings in mind with a clarity that was not there before.  Broken People helped me understand that I not only need to raise my children but that I should appreciate them as individuals.Another important character in the book was Michelle a 17-year-old senior in High School that has become a confidant to Fat Kid.  This character was amazing and I my opinion wise beyond her years.  My second Aha moment came from Michelle.  “My family dreamed of living in the United States, working hard, raising a family and being successful.  The problem, in my opinion, was the last portion of the dream.  Being successful and raising a family.  I would prefer successfully raising a family.”  This taught me that eating dinner together is more important than one more after school activity, that vacations can happen at home, and that keeping up with the Jones means that the Jones are having a say in the raising of my children.There are several more moments in this story that have touched me and made me look at people, places and things with a new perspective.  To say that you should read this book is not a strong enough statement.  I feel that everyone MUST read this book.  I know that this book will be part of my library for the rest of my life.  Broken People is the type of book that will teach you something different each time you read it.  Do not make the mistake that I did, read this book today.