Review: Memoir of Courage
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 28, 2013
An intense, and at times, highly emotional read, encompassing the frailties, strengths, fears and courage of the human condition,  the memoir "True Life Stories: My Past Shadows of Fear" also sheds light on the inadequacies of child protection worldwide.At a time when a very naive child from a small town is making the transition to adult, her father, for an inexplicable reason, pulls the rug out from under her. Withholding what savings she has squirreled away, he forces her from HIS home with only the clothes on her back. Her mother, seemingly a victim of the situation, offers what little, if ineffectual, support she can. And Lucy is cast adrift to not only survive on her own, but face multiple rejections from her father who appears to enjoy her torture. He denies her in a court hearing (which occurs only through her naivete, fears, and a misplaced sense of loyalty), and sees her locked up in the system of child care and protection.From the joys of childhood to bars on windows, a freedom-seeking, courageous very young woman escapes to live a life fraught with danger. Meeting saviors along the way, she survives by grace and by her own courage and ingenuity. Living a life of adventure and embracing the off-beat club life of the 60s and early 70s, she emerges in a loving relationship with Bob, her now husband and literal Prince Charming.Estranged from her family for 20 years, her determined brother Alf answers Lucy's prayers, finds her and reunites the family, sans their deceased father, to heal Lucy's deep injuries and underlying fears of further familial rejection.This memoir of a supremely courageous soul is highly recommended.