Customer Reviews

Cry Out!

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Every so often I read a book that really clicks with me, and I can feel and live through the story with the author. This was one such book.

In the early 1950s, Child welfare removes young "Peter" from his family and places him in foster care with his younger brother. Told from the confused perspective of a little boy, this book shocked and astounded me from the first page, made all the more astounding by the fact that someone actually lived that life. From then on, things only get worse for young Peter. He is mistreated and scorned, but this is only the beginning. At the age of eleven he is adopted by two of the most vicious foster parents I have ever read about. Like Dave Pelzers' "A child called IT" the injustices suffered by Peter are almost to horrible to read about. But, like Pelzer and so many others, Quinn eventually discovers that he is stronger than he previously thought, and that life is still beautiful, and that hope is never misplaced.

READ THIS BOOK!

Some years ago while looking through a magazine (I think it was the NEW YORKER) I saw a very small advertisment for this book & instantly knew I had to have it. Abused as a child by several family members & even a few people outside the family I grew up wondering if I was the only one. I really needed this book & since finding it I keep looking for memoirs by other fellow sufferers. It is very important to me to know there are others out there. Since I am too close to the material to give a balanced opinion let me just say I very much understand why the author wrote in the third person & he absolutely captures, for me, how alone the experience made me feel. This is not a club of which I wish to be a member but it is very comforting to know I am not the only one.

This book is not an easy read. In fact the physical emotional and mental pain is so intensely conveyed through Peter, the hero and survivor of this horrific story, that you may need to occasionally put the book down. However, you will eventually want to finish this book and read the sequel, Renegade Saint, by the same author.

This book takes place in the early 50's. Things are a lot different then, as opposed to now as far as foster children and adoption. This story is about "Peter" , who's mom gets sick and dad goes away. He gets shuffled around to foster homes, and then stays with one for awhile. He doesn't like it there, but tries to make the best of it by building a relationship with the family dog. The book is good if you're a Christian, but there's only a few parts where they actually mention church in it. It is a great book, and was an easy read for me. I finished the book in a few days. It seemed the boy went through a hard time in his life but made it through. He only got beat with the belt when necessary as opposed to other books I've read on this subject where the person gets beat for no reason at all. It's a great book, pick up a copy and happy reading!!!

Any reading on child abuse should be accompanied with a reading of real life accounts in order that its horror may be experienced at a personal level. Quinn's two books about his life (Cry Out! and Renegade Saint) demonstrate just that. His descriptions of his own life will turn your stomach. The actions are offensive and profane. You will enter into Quinn's insecurities, anger, homicidal rage, feelings of helplessness, and longings for love. You will trace his life through parental divorce, the maze of foster homes, and an abusive adoptive home. You will travel with him through his experiences in a motorcycle gang and the calling of god as He draws Peter slowly, but consistently, toward Himself and His love. They are books that one can hardly put down. They are books that will help you be a counselor to the abused, one that comes along side with the person in their struggle to survive. You won't want to miss reading them.