Customer Reviews

Color Me Butterfly: A True Story of Courage, Hope and Transformation

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

APOOO Rating: 4


Color Me Butterfly by L. Y. Marlow covers four generations of abuse, hurt, and pain. It displays the strength of women when they have nowhere else to turn. These women pressed through decades of domestic violence. We first see Eloise, from a small town in North Carolina, as she meets a wonderful man, (so she thought) Isaac, who moves her to Philadelphia. She later tries to understand how she found herself in Philadelphia, with five children and Isaac never home. His abuse grew drastically and he began to do unthinkable things to her and the children. But Eloise stayed...for the children.

Her daughter, Mattie, grew to resent her father. She vowed to get out of the house as soon as possible and never let a man touch her the way her father did. She fell for Roy and was pregnant before she graduated high school. They were married only a few weeks, and Roy already showed that he was just like Isaac. Mattie tried to leave several times but decided to stay with him. Again, for their children.

Mattie's daughter, Lydia (author of the book), grew up knowing that the men in her life were abusive. Stuck in this generational curse, she found herself pregnant by a man so similar to the men that she wanted to stay away from. She named her daughter, Treasure, and did everything she could to make sure the generations of abuse stopped with her.

Marlow brings to light many stigmas in the African American community, such as, domestic violence, mental illness, and the issue of color. You find yourself hoping for better and wanting to see the women succeed. Each woman's story was so intense and you then realize that this is true. This is really someone's family history. Marlow does a great job with capturing the feelings of each character. In the end, you feel apart of their family. It is a great book club read.

Donnica Copeland
APOOO BookClub

After reading this book, I find myself in a perplexing struggle. While I truly applaud Ms. Marlow for sharing her family's story, one that most people never talk about, I find it very hard to understand the level of forgiveness throughout this story. I know to forgive is divine but as a human being I don't think that I could forgive the cruelty that was imposed by Issac on his entire family. He started this downward spiral and 4 generations suffered for it. I thought Rollie was right on in the way he felt towards his father - I applaud his honesty.

This book invoked many emotions in me, particularly anger, but this is how I know it was a good book; one that should be read. Despite the choices we make, good or bad, WOMEN are never given the deserved credit for being as strong and enduring as we truly are. The women in this story were strong and determined, each in their own right, regardless of whether or not you agreed with their decisions. For me, Mattie was the true heroine of the story.

Thank you for writing this book. My eyes and my heart have been opened even more.

This is an amazing book. I loved how it wound through 4 generations of a family. It was also great that there were some photos in the book, it was one more way you are able to get to know the family and their story. I couldn't put this book down and read it on my lunch hour and both my 10 min breaks at work. When I finished the book it was great to know Lydia and her daughter had found freedom!

I wish I was in a book club to discuss it with others! I can't wait to recommend this to customers and book clubs of our bookstore. Every woman should read this book!

From the outside looking in; and never having been in this situation, it was easy for me as I was reading to have opinions as to why the women in this family tolerated so much pain and suffering from the men in their lives. But as I reflected on the many years they endured the "suffering in silence; surviving in darkness", and how the impact the silence could have affected each generation it confirmed for me that people with faith do what helps the most; they pray.

This was a well written story and I commend Ms. Marlow and her family for sharing their story.

A very well written book. It manages to be both shocking and uplifting. I found the chronicles of the four generations of women to be disturbing but thought-provoking. A must read for young women trying to find their way. The reveal of the butterfly is a strong metaphor encouraging continued growth along life's journey. Well done!

Color Me Butterfly by L. Y. Marlow is a brave account of facing the grim past and trying to build a new future. The author traces the women in her family struggling with abuse. She, her mother and her grandmother suffered through abusive relationships, at times feeling they had no choice. Marlow, however, determined she would change her life, striving for a brighter future for her daughter, Treasure. From the rural lands of South Carolina to the city streets of Philadelphia, the women face abuse and tragedy with courage, determination, and strength. Marlow's account gives the reader a reason to believe one can do something about a bad situation if a goal is set, a direction is deliberate, and with an ambition of perseverance. The book ends with the hope of a limitless future for Marlow and her daughter. It was engaging and inspiring. It is a definite buy for my shelves.

Connie Rice
Library Media Specialist

"Color Me Butterfly" is a poignant journey through four generations of a family marred by unimaginable domestic abuse -- seen through the eyes of the women enduring the abuse. Readers will follow a sad, yet interesting journey through the book as they learn more about each heroine - Eloise, Mattie, Lydia (the wonderful author of the book), and Lydia's daughter, Treasure.

L.Y. Marlow, the author of the book, shares her family story with each reader -she opens her heart and emotionally tells a story that many African Americans do not typically discuss - abuse, health and mental issues. As we learn more about the author and her family - we learn more about ourselves. A butterfly begins as a caterpillar - as the caterpillar grows and finds out more about life, it eventually turns into a beautiful butterfly, comes full circle, and flies away. Each caterpillar and butterfly is a representation of life, love and relationships. What a wonderful book! Many readers will read this book and cry, laugh and triumph as they follow the author through her family's poignant and heart-wrenching journey!

BAB Review: 5 Beignets
Reviewed by Sonya
Books and Beignets (BAB) Book Club

I heard about this book on the Wendy Williams's radio show. I decided to pick it up, and once I did I never put it down. This book is a true story about four generation of African American females who struggled and fought, which eventually lead to their triumph. It is a must read. You can even let your mother, aunts, daughters, nieces, sisters, and friends read it after you. This is truly a good book.



P.S. - I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

COLOR ME BUTTERFLY is a well written, painful, and thought provoking book that spans the lives of four mothers and daughters. It is interesting to see how each deals with the common thread of abuse that is woven throughout their lives.

Our book club read and discussed this book, and it resulted in much heartfelt dialogue. I would highly recommend this book for book clubs, and I feel that it is a must read for all women.

Thanks to L.Y. Marlow for allowing us a glimpse of her families trials and triumphs. I believe this book can help bring more awareness to the domestic violence problem that we have in this country against women and children.

As a person who loves genealogy, I found Color Me Butterfly to be a wonderful depiction of 4 generations of women who refused to let their spirits be beat down as a result of domestic violence. This is one of the best books that I have ever read and I think that this book should be added to high school curriculums in order to prevent young men and women from incitging / experiencing some of the horrific events in this book. This book brought me to tears and made me smile at the same time.

L.Y. is a talented writer who hopefully will go on to write more books.