Customer Reviews

The Butterfly Garden: Surviving Childhood on the Run with One of America's Most Wanted

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently read this book and met the man who wrote it. What a touching and phenom story. I had a hard time putting this down becuase it is not only written so well, but is captavating with how it travels. His honesty is so raw and naked that everyone can relate to some aspect of his story. His wife is also a huge part of this survival and is such an amazing woman. It's amazing what positivity came from Chip and this whole nightmarish experience. So many people could learn much from Chip and about themselves from this book. I felt many emotions thru this book. Chip is an amazing human!!! This is a must read for everyone, espcially for children everywhere.

I was in an Ohio bookstore when the author was signing this book. I had the privilege of speaking with him for a few moments and was so impressed with his story. For someone to live through such a horrible childhood, but work so hard to become an incredible man! It was such a touching story. Once I started to read the book, I could not put it down. He wrote in my book "Continue to Soar" and after reading this book that is exactly what you want to do. Soar through life, be happy and help others. This is a must read.

In September of 2004 Chip StClair called my office seeking help to keep his father, Michael Dean Grant, in jail.

This phone call was beyond belief because Chip's story is unbelievable.

We call children who have been abused "children of the secret" because they spend their lives keeping their terrible secret. Eighty five percent of children who are abused are abused by someone known to the family. Children love their parents and are confused even when those parents abuse them - the children somehow believe they caused their own abuse. Families do whatever it takes to preserve their "dirty little secret."

This cycle of abuse repeats itself. That is not to say that all abused children become abusers but the data are pretty clear that most abusers were abused themselves.

I was in tears on that September day listening to Chip tell his story and I was mostly moved by his determination that his life of abuse would count for something. Chip said that he found his heroes in art and literature and he was committed to overcoming his life of adversity by helping others so that he could become a real life hero like those mythological heroes that saved his life.

Over the next months, Chip and I and a young man, Sameer Mandke, who was volunteering at Justice for Children had many long conversations. Michael Dean Grant was to be released from prison on April 1, 2005. Sameer and Chip worked together to prevent that from happening and instead, on April 1, 2005, the Michigan Chapter of Justice for Children was born, with Chip StClair as our new regional director.

Chip StClair's story is an inspiration to me but more importantly, he is a hero to all of the children of the secret.

Jim Shields
Executive Director
Justice for Children
Houston, TX

The Butterfly Garden: A Memoir is the true-life story of author Chip St. Clair, who survived a bitterly abusive and life-threatening childhood overshadowed by the menace of a physically abusive father. Eventually he learned a shocking truth; the man he called "Dad" was an escaped child killer who had fled justice for over two decades, and one of America's Most Wanted. Forced to turn his father in rather than risk allowing him to harm any more children, Chip St. Clair subsequently dedicated himself to protecting children and keeping child predators behind bars. A grim true crime story that at its heart deals with roots, identity, and cultivating the will to make a better future no matter what horrors lie in the past.

I had the pleasure of meeting Chip & Lisa St. Clair a few years ago. We have since developed a lasting friendship that has taken us to countless fund raisers in hopes of raising awareness to the ugliness of child abuse. We continue to work together in an effort to help those who don't have a voice. Chip is my hero!

Mark S. Ford
President
Risk Security & Investigations
419 S. Main Street
Rochester, Michigan 48307
248-608-1712

I'm so glad I took the time to go through books and come across this one. An amazing true story about Chip St. Clair. This book is a real page turner that's full of surprises. Chip is a remarkable person! I highly recommend this book.

This book is an intimate chronicle of a man's journey through abuse as a victim and his metamorphasis into an amazing man who conquers his demons on by one with his partner Lisa by his side. It is a sad story with a satisfying ending. It is a quick and easy read, in that it is well written. Recommended!

June 2, 2008. I was supposed to meet Chip St. Clair in the HCI Booth last week at the Book Expo America just to say "Hi." When I got there, he was busy and I didn't want to interrupt. My regret is that I didn't get back to that booth and missed the opportunity to meet him in person.

I started to read The Butterfly Garden on the day after the Expo and couldn't put it down. Every time I did, I was compelled to pick it up and read more. There are other comments about the "meat" of the story, so I won't repeat those. I highly recommend this heartfelt story and can assure readers that once they open the book they won't put it down.

The story is one that tugs at your heartstrings and it makes one wonder how he came through everything. But his dedication to literature and his escape into poetry is reflected on every page. Chip takes the reader on a journey narrated in a voice that makes the horror beyond imagination that was his childhood, extending into his young adult years, a story written so beautifully that even the squeamish of heart can read and understand what went into making Chip the person he is.

This book is a must read and I have already recommended it to several people and will post it on my website.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
Silver Sisters Mysteries
[..]

THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN is a compelling, poignant memoir recalling the events and childhood that shaped Chip St. Clair into the adult he is today. My heart broke for the child he was and all he went through as an adult, in discovering his life was based on a world of lies. Yet through the difficult chapters (that often made me cry), this story is one of hope, of belief and of love. The love story between the author and his wife was the stuff romances are made of, and the author's ability to turn his history into a positive force is amazing.

From the moment I picked up this book to "skim" the first chapter, I was drawn into the story. The writing is fresh and immediate, and each page draws you further in. With such a difficult topic, you feel pain and sadness in every chapter...and yet, in the end, when you close the pages, the author has left you with a feeling of hope and the inspiration that no matter what the odds, people ARE in charge of their destiny.

Highly recommended.

Chip grew up being abused and not knowing his parents were on the run. Chip didn't find out until he was in college about the secrets his parents kept from him. He realized that they were both very dangerous people and he was fortunate to have survived into adulthood.

This book shows the great influence a woman can have on a man and the importance of a good woman in a man's life. Lisa helped Chip sort out his past and loved him for who he was, bringing out the best in him. Growing up, Chip found solace in poetry and art. Not until the end of the book does the reader find out the meaning of the title of the book. I agree with my husband when he says it's a real page turner and full of surprises!