Book Review: I Will Not Be Silent by April J. Maley

Summary:

This is a story of a nine-year-old girl whose life was altered forever by her father and his choices. That girl is me. I lived through years of physical, mental, and emotional abuse: alcoholism; rejection; murder; illness; and insanity. I have battled my own inner demons as a result of that fateful day. It is my greatest wish to create a broader awareness and preventative action for child abuse and domestic violence, and provide hope for those who find themselves trapped in those situations. The cycle can be broken.

Review:

This nonfiction book reads like a haunting journal entry.  Maley writes straight from her heart in a way that captivates the reader.  She opens herself up and holds nothing back.  I sat down to start this book and didn't get up until I finished it an hour and a half later.  This is the kind of book that changes people's prejudices, beliefs, thoughts and even their lives.

Maley drew me in from the very first sentence.  She writes to her readers and I felt like I was having a conversation with a dear friend instead of reading a stranger's horrifying life story.  The things that April Maley has gone through will break your heart.  Her story is very powerful---I cried three times reading this and when I finished, I was so affected that I thanked God for my own happy childhood.  I finished this book with a resolve to do something to help victims of child abuse and domestic violence. 

I also really liked the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.  They were pertinent and added a lot to the story.

I loved reading about Maley's faith in God and salvation experience.  I loved that she prayed to God before she ever went to church or learned anything God.  It was such a compelling testimony to God's love and her faith. 

Just One Gripe:

This is inconsequential, but the pages are aligned in a way that you have to shift the book's position in order to read the words on the inside curve of the book.  Most books have a larger inside margin than this one does.  The constant shifting slowed me down a little. 

The Best Thing About This Book:

I used to think that "getting over" something meant you didn't still have bad days or lingering questions or negative feelings about the event.  I know now that that is not the case. 

I like how Maley has been sober for over four years and has healed so much from her childhood but admits that sometimes she struggles every day with letting things go.  Below is an excerpt from page 103. 

"Am I still angry at them?  You bet I am.  I have had to find a way both to be angry yet maintain a sense of distance from that anger at the same time.  I realized years later that harboring that anger and unforgiveness would eventually destroy me.  I was using it as a crutch for anything that went wrong in my life.  I had to let it go, and still have to work on letting it go...sometimes daily!"

Appropriate for a younger audience:

No

I'm suspending my usual scoring based on characters, plot, setting/imagery, originality and ending due to the fact that this is a nonfiction book.

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an impartial review.