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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read This---It's invaluable if you are abused., May 27, 2002
This review is from: All But My Soul : Abuse Beyond Control (Paperback)
I'm absolutely flabbergasted by this book--not by the actions of her wretched ex-husband Les, but by the continual abuse of the LEGAL system funded by his mindless, destructive pathology. I, too, was married to an abusive physician, more emotional than physical. A rude, ranting power-monger. When I finally gathered the strength to make a move (and it took YEARS), the legal system was there for me. Aside from the longevity of the proceedings (2 1/2 years SO FAR) my children and I have been protected by the judges. My attorney and his staff have never wavered in their support and have been a source of strength for me. Having an attorney you can trust, along with the support of family and countless friends gets you through even the most frightening days. If you are in an abusive situation, Dr. King's book may scare you from taking action against your abuser. Don't let it. Read her book, educate yourself, and get ready for battle. You cannot be weak. I hope that her situation is not the norm and if you are considering a divorce, then be ready for a long and bloody dog-fight. These men don't give up--and worse, they deny any wrong-doing or responsibility and place all the blame on anyone who happens to be walking by. Unreal. Because they are charming and appear piteous, people actually believe them. The attitude of unethical attorneys is just as much or more loathsome: "Hey, if those kids get hungry enough, she'll settle", and they will use and do anything to win. These people will not stand up for the simplest of human decencies like children not huddling together in fear listening to their father shriek in fury at their mother. They will, in fact, take those children and put their very lives and emotional well-being at risk if it will line their pockets with silver. My daughter used to grab her little sister, put cotton in her ears, lock the bedroom door and crawl under the bedcovers with her during his irrational meltdowns. Read this book, read other books, get on the internet and research laws for your state and state Supreme Court rulings, find a loyal, GOOD attorney who is appalled at misogynous behavior, get dormant and grow strong roots. Keep your mouth shut and don't tell anyone your business. Lose as much emotion as you can. Think like they think and try to stay one step ahead. Once you make a decision, you cannot feel sorry for them or guilty and go back into that life. Maintain your dignity, don't grovel, try not to show fear, and stay on the right side of right. Forget future planning and live for today and take care of those children. If you don't protect them, you can't expect anyone else to. My turning point was when my daughter turned and looked at me after yet another mealtime rampage and quietly said: "Mom, I can't live like this anymore. You have got to do something." Her eyes were just dull. Be smart, educate yourself and remember you know more about your case than anyone in that courtroom. And hope that the legal system is ethical and doesn't prey on your children. Where are the Congressmen? the Senators? Greenpeace? Jesse Jackson? Where's the Village Hillary wrote about? Is the spotted owl more important than Dr. King's three sons? At this very moment, while you are reading this, one of her children is being punched, kicked, screamed at, humiliated. How Judge Timothy Evans sleeps at night is beyond me. Surely those children's cries haunt him every moment. All of that pain---for lousy money and political gain. What an unforgivable American tragedy.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Important Info for the Abused & Those who can Invoke Change, April 11, 2004
This review is from: All But My Soul : Abuse Beyond Control (Paperback)
Having spent most of my adult life in one abusive situation after another I couldn't imagine that there was anything that could shock me or make me feel more drawn to take action. Although I already knew the ending before I began reading I couldn't put the book down I was so drawn into the passion and authenticity of Dr Kings' writing about the continual cycles of abuse that she and her children had endured. At some points I got so wrapped up in what happened to Dr. King and her children that I felt as though I became a part of the story and wanted to help her and her children in any way I could. Although I have always known from my own experience that lawyers, doctors, and the courts could all be bought off I couldn't imagine that anyone could turn their heads for politics and money while ignoring such outrageous abuse and devastation. Additionally, the numbers of people who turned their back on this situation is far beyond any reasonable persons' imagination. I find it amazing that she was able to survive the torture of her relationship only to be continually tortured even more by those who were supposed to be there to help and protect her and her children. Finally after surviving such horrific abuse to be able to pour her energy into writing such detail about `what really happens in the abuse cycle' must have been painful as she relived every event of the previous few years in order to make a difference. I applaud Dr. King for her courage and I pray that when her children are old enough to read this book and understand the real dynamics of the abuse cycle perpetrated on their mother and themselves that they will be able to draw from her strength and courage to forgive their abuser and stop the abuse cycle from continuing into the next generation of Blumenthal's. Dr. King has obviously put her heart and soul into this book with the clear intention of making a difference in someone else's life, I can't imagine anyone coming away from reading this book without being changed in some positive way. Thank you Dr. King for you commitment to making a difference and for your courage in coming forward to help others who are trapped in this same cycle of abuse. This book has changed my life forever.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A MUST read for EVERY Woman!, July 10, 2001
This review is from: All But My Soul : Abuse Beyond Control (Paperback)
***But be warned*** If you are a survivor of abuse, this will bring back memories. In this day and age, it is almost unthinkable that any court in this land would give an abusive parent custody of the children after a divorce. Almost .... This is but ONE of many, many stories of how abused women not only endure the torment of abuse at the hands of the one they vowed to love and honor, til death do they part, but then get abused and tormented by the family courts in America. Good, caring, loving mothers are having their babies ripped from their arms and handed over to the very person who caused them so much pain, terror and fear in their marriage. Why and how does this happen so often? "All But My Soul" is the story of Dr. Jeanne King. She left her marriage and escaped the horror of abuse taking her sons with her. But somehow, justice went awry. Those sons are now living with Dr. King's abuser ... her ex-husband. She now has little to no contact with them. Dr. King shares with us the horror of abuse, not only at the hands of her spouse, but also from the American judicial system. It is compelling, emotionally revealing and above all, an eye-opener for everyone. At times, it is heart-rending, reducing the most stoic of readers to tears. For every woman that has ever lived the terror of domestic violence, for every mother that has lost her children to her abuser, for every heart that has the slightest bit of compassion, Dr. King's story will touch the deepest parts of the soul. For anyone caught in a similar situation, this story will give encouragement to break free, to fight back and above all, never give up hope ... or the soul.
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