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Saving Grace: The True Story of a Mother-to-Be, a Deranged Attacker, and an Unborn Child
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
16
Author:
Book Type: Paperback
16
Review Date: 11/16/2014
Helpful Score: 1
This book is one of the worst books ever... seriously, it's that bad.
Essentially, this book is the memoir of Sarah Brady, who was attacked by Katie Smith in Katie's attempt to surgically deliver and kidnap Sarah's unborn baby. A harrowing, horrifying experience, that Sarah fought through, and miraculously, survived. I read this book some time after seeing the case highlighted on an episode of Snapped on Oxygen.
While Sarah Brady's story is compelling, and this COULD HAVE BEEN an inspiring, meaningful book, unfortunately, it is terribly subpar. It is chock full of typos. There are elaborate explanations of things that did not need to be explained, and it lacks explanations of other things that should have been explained. There were several sections that seemed to say exactly the same thing as previous sections. The book was contradictory in places; Sarah's boyfriend was described as "humble" and "reluctant" to talk of his days as a high school football hero, then they proceed to quote him speaking "proudly" of his high school football days.
Plus, the adjectives used to describe Sarah and Katie relied heavily on opinions, rather than facts. They described Sarah as beautiful, and, seemingly, a perfect child, student, friend, etc. Katie was described at one point as ugly, and, if I remember correctly, they said something along the lines of Katie being "isolated" due to her ugliness, being overweight and wearing glasses. (Gah! Alienate your audience much?)
At any rate, the language of the book was clearly bent on portraying Sarah as "good" and Katie as "evil," and that bothered me. This was not fiction, not a Disney cartoon... this was the true story of two imperfect people. Though Sarah was totally innocent that fateful day, she is not infallibly "good." And, though, Katie plotted and attempted to execute a terribly evil plan, she was not "evil" incarnate. Personally, I think she was terribly mentally ill, and her lack of treatment, unfortunately, rippled into Sarah's and others' lives in a horrendous way.
Personally, I would have appreciated the book being written with more journalistic integrity, rather than being so opinionated, which only served to make Sarah, as a co-author, sound self-aggrandizing (which I doubt she is in reality).
Perhaps three authors was too many... Sarah, plus two journalists. Perhaps a rough draft was submitted and they published it without it going through it again. I don't know how or why such a poorly written, poorly edited, flat-out poorly executed attempt at writing a book ever made it to publication.
It's a real shame, though, because Sarah's story is worth considering, but deserving of a well-written book... not this sloppy mess. Perhaps someday, if she has the publication rights or can get them back, she can work with a REAL author, someone who knows how to frame a memoir, and write a book worth reading.
I hope so.
Essentially, this book is the memoir of Sarah Brady, who was attacked by Katie Smith in Katie's attempt to surgically deliver and kidnap Sarah's unborn baby. A harrowing, horrifying experience, that Sarah fought through, and miraculously, survived. I read this book some time after seeing the case highlighted on an episode of Snapped on Oxygen.
While Sarah Brady's story is compelling, and this COULD HAVE BEEN an inspiring, meaningful book, unfortunately, it is terribly subpar. It is chock full of typos. There are elaborate explanations of things that did not need to be explained, and it lacks explanations of other things that should have been explained. There were several sections that seemed to say exactly the same thing as previous sections. The book was contradictory in places; Sarah's boyfriend was described as "humble" and "reluctant" to talk of his days as a high school football hero, then they proceed to quote him speaking "proudly" of his high school football days.
Plus, the adjectives used to describe Sarah and Katie relied heavily on opinions, rather than facts. They described Sarah as beautiful, and, seemingly, a perfect child, student, friend, etc. Katie was described at one point as ugly, and, if I remember correctly, they said something along the lines of Katie being "isolated" due to her ugliness, being overweight and wearing glasses. (Gah! Alienate your audience much?)
At any rate, the language of the book was clearly bent on portraying Sarah as "good" and Katie as "evil," and that bothered me. This was not fiction, not a Disney cartoon... this was the true story of two imperfect people. Though Sarah was totally innocent that fateful day, she is not infallibly "good." And, though, Katie plotted and attempted to execute a terribly evil plan, she was not "evil" incarnate. Personally, I think she was terribly mentally ill, and her lack of treatment, unfortunately, rippled into Sarah's and others' lives in a horrendous way.
Personally, I would have appreciated the book being written with more journalistic integrity, rather than being so opinionated, which only served to make Sarah, as a co-author, sound self-aggrandizing (which I doubt she is in reality).
Perhaps three authors was too many... Sarah, plus two journalists. Perhaps a rough draft was submitted and they published it without it going through it again. I don't know how or why such a poorly written, poorly edited, flat-out poorly executed attempt at writing a book ever made it to publication.
It's a real shame, though, because Sarah's story is worth considering, but deserving of a well-written book... not this sloppy mess. Perhaps someday, if she has the publication rights or can get them back, she can work with a REAL author, someone who knows how to frame a memoir, and write a book worth reading.
I hope so.
Why I Jumped: My True Story of Postpartum Depression, Dramatic Rescue & Return to Hope
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
45
Author:
Book Type: Hardcover
45
Review Date: 11/16/2014
This was an absolutely encouraging and inspiring memoir of a woman who came back from the deepest depths of depression, and how her collective community, and her faith in Christ, supported her through it.
This is, by far, one of the best memoirs of depression I have read. Her story is understandable, and her message is clear. Kudos to Ms. Zahn for being so transparent, AND for picking an excellent author to work with in creating such an intimate book.
I highly recommend it!
This is, by far, one of the best memoirs of depression I have read. Her story is understandable, and her message is clear. Kudos to Ms. Zahn for being so transparent, AND for picking an excellent author to work with in creating such an intimate book.
I highly recommend it!
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