Customer Reviews

Hard to Place: A Crime of Alcohol

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Katherine Norgard's latest book aptly shows the serious health problem and consequences of fetal alcohol syndrome that tragically affects victims and families alike. This book also illustrates in a vivid and compelling way the harrowing experience of a mother managing her life with a son convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

Ms. Norgard's adopted son John is a prime example of the results that a family endures because of a mother drinking during pregnancy. Causing a child to suffer from FAS is nothing short of child abuse and the effects of this indulgence usually last a lifetime. Had John's biological mother abstained from drinking alcohol during her pregancy, the outcomes depicted in Norgard's story would no doubt have been different. Those individuals of childbearing age who do read this persuasive story will know that there clearly is not a safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy or even by those contemplating pregnancy. It is certainly a must read.

Hard to Place: A Crime of Alcohol is the story of Kathy Norgard's effort to save her adopted son John from the death penalty. In the process, she solves the mystery of John's behavioral problems. A charming child with a talent for sports and music, John had always had difficulty telling the truth. There is an explanation and this is discovered by Norgard through an investigation of his birth history following his sentence to death for two murders. This book will appeal to people interested in our justice system and the death penalty but it has a wider appeal on the issues of foster care, adoption and fetal alcohol syndrome. What impresses me the most is Norgard's ability to draw support from family, friends and her faith to get through one of the most devastating challenges any parent could imagine.

Hard to Place: A Crime of Alchohol unfolds as the reader is emotionally drawn into the life and family of Katherine Norgard as she desperately trys to save her adopted son, John,from a death sentence. This is a story that never should have happened. Adoptions, raising another person's child should always have happy endings but in this story "happy" is reduced to an irrelevant term. The reader is carried from chapter to chapter as Norgard gives a first hand account of raising a difficult child that turns into a murderer, discovering that this cute bi-racial child is a victim of disease called fetal alchohol syndrome, damaging John's ability to process and learn from past mistakes. This is must read story of endurance that demonstrates that the human spirit can overcome many daunting obstacles by never giving up. It is a story that will change how you see violent crime and it will awaken you the many injustices of our civil society.

Katherine Norgard's "Hard to Place" is a factual account written by a mother whose adopted son committed two horrendous murders and was sentenced to death. Norgard's story is one of trying to raise a troubled boy, learning eventually of his Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (from a biological mother who drank during pregnancy), learning of his crime, and embarking on an emotional roller-coaster ride through the Arizona system of justice as she tries to save him from Death Row.

Norgard writes from the heart--expressing anguish, grief, fear, and love in a compelling read. I literally could not put it down. This is a book for everyone, but it is a must for mental health professionals, legal professionals, & all those interested in the entire US justice system.

I was captivated by this riveting story and my heart aches for John, his family, and others impacted by his behavior. The author's love and devotion to her son and her relentless search for answers has made the world is a better place for her son and other innocent victims affected by this condition while still in the womb. Her on-going efforts to increase an awareness of the extensive and devastating effects of drinking during pregnancy will help prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future. The book was very well written and full of heartfelt emotion and love for the author's adopted son, her family, and other victims and inmates.

I could also relate to the personal growth the author gained via her travel to Nepal with her daughter and her consequent discovery of the Dalai Lama's message. Since 1984 I've traveled to Nepal 4 times and have made and kept close to some Sherpa friends. I was deeply touched by the Sherpa / Nepalese culture too... I went to Nepal to see and trek in the world's highest mountains which are indeed impressive, but Nepal's greatest treasure is her people... everyone seemed content with so little. My trekking experiences there and the Sherpas in particular made me realize material things aren't what matter in life. Like the author, I found the Dalai Lama's message of compassion and peace and love to be life changing and very powerful... and one that arrived just when it was needed in my life too.

Excellent!

There was a period of time in the United States when adopting a hard-to-place child was the most natural and positive action we could think to take. We felt helpless to change the turmoil of our world (Viet Nam war, protests and repression) but opening our hearts and our families to a homeless and abused child was something real that we could do. This was in the early 1970's. In our case, we believed that a ten year old boy was still little and that with lots of love he could overcome the early trauma of violence, alcohol and being orphaned. How naieve and almost quaint it sounds now but, like Norgard, that is what we believed, and nobody suggested anything different. The strength of this book is its unblinking honesty. What we have learned as adoptive parents is that there are times when love is not enough; that damage done to our children before we met them (even damage before their birth as is the case with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) are wounds that the children carry and act upon for the rest of their lives. Norgard's book is a remarkable telling of how difficult it is for a damaged child to function in our society, and the terrible price that society pays when damaged children are born. It is also a remarkable story of one family's ability to continue to love the grown-up child who has caused them such pain, and to continue loving each other.

Katherine Norgard writes about a sorrow beyond dreams. The tragedy begins on page 23 when her adopted son John steals twenty dollars from her purse. After lying that he didn't take it, he reluctantly admits he did. Through his tears, the youngster cries, "I don't know why I take things. I'll never do it again." With these words I began to sob. I knew John couldn't help doing the things he did, and he would never be able to understand why he did the things he did. I already knew John's wretched fate and the tragic fate of the members of his family and community. It is astounding to me his family survived his crimes of alcohol; or, more profoundly, his biologic mother's crimes of alcohol. This is a boy who was hard to place because he pushed away. He could never find a place where he felt psychologically securely attached. He did not know the experience of a sense of emotional connection to people -- a place where he deeply felt inside, "I belong here." The book informs us about the devastating effects of fetal alcohol syndrom (FAS) not only on innocent children, but on everyone in a child's life. I was captivated by the courage, devotion, and abiding love pervading this story. I hope the book will be widely read because it is a vital contribution to all of us. Not only is it a cautionary tale about the effects of alcohol on a fetus, it is an uplifting and inspiring tale of the bonds of love and attachment in the face of disorganized and derailed detachment. Thank you Kathy for bearing your soul, your suffering and your fortitutde. I appreciate being a witness to your astonishing triumph, and I hope there will be many more who will bear witness to your passion.

The devotion which this family gives to each other, and to their very troubled son/brother/stepson brought tears to my eyes. In a time of what seems like throw away children, the Norgard family stands out as a shining beacon for the only kind of family values that really matter. They live their beliefs with every action and serve as an inspiration for anyone who thinks it impossible to take another step. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for ways to live with integrity.

This book is not just another shocking account of the arbitrariness of capital punishment (not many families of condemned inmates have the financial and intellectual resources to embark on such a venture to save someone from being executed that the Norgard's have). It is an excellent example of some of the many consequences of having the death penalty on the lawbooks. Besides the pain it causes to the family of the condemned it describes how one death sentence touches the lives of many people. Equally importantly, it describes the causes, symptoms and consequences of several types of brain damage, most notably foetal alcohol syndrome, a problem largely ignored in Europe, and certainly hardly ever mentioned here in Denmark.

This real life account of Dr Norgard's personal experiences of life, death and capital punishment through the actions of her son, is an absolutely riveting journey through the horrors of the aftermath of fetal alcohol syndrome. An easy to read but tough book, it reveals the intricacies most of us will hopefully never face; when someone we love commits a horrifying crime. Kathy leads us through an examination of not only her son's past but her own reality, and fights for her son's life as a mother truly would. Well written and sure to spark intense dialogue on "right" and "wrong", and whether the lines are blurry after all. A superb choice for college class work.