Customer Reviews

The Measure of a Man

5 star:		(7)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am the son of the author. I lived through the horrific mess that my mother put us all through. Although some accounts of personal details could be somewhat embarrassing to me, my father was completely accurate in every detail. I believe he did a great job in telling our story and his added touchs of heartwarming stories and humor made it not only bearable to read about my own unpleasant experiences...but also made for an interesting and enjoyable read.

This book details the struggles of an ordinary guy, who encounters extraordinary life experiences. He details how our justice system sometimes dispenses anything but justice. It is the story of how one lying, scheming ex-wife, along with a blindly sympathetic judge, can ruin one's life, both emotionally and financially. It is a powerful story and I highly recommend it.

After I offered to read and review The Measure of a Man in exchange for a free copy from the author, Alan Karmin, I expected to be bored by it.

As a lawyer known for her stance on false allegations, I have been inundated with emails and phone calls from fathers who had fought or were fighting for their children in the halls of our so-called justice system. All the stories were similar: no matter what evidence Dad had, no matter what supporting witnesses he had, no matter what was fair, no matter how revengeful or out of control or just plain vindictive the mother of their children was, no matter how often Dad proved that she lied to the police, no matter how often she lied to the court, he lost. Mom got sole physical and, often, sole legal custody.

I assumed Karmin's story would be more of the same, for those stories accurately described the inevitable course of a domestic relations action in our neo-feminist society.

Much to my surprise, the book was a page-turner. I read it in two nonstop sessions, interrupted only for Day 3 of the Republican National Convention. I was determined to hear Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin's speech. After listening to the Democratic female pundits on the Larry King Show critiquing Palin's speech, I shut the TV off and began the second session. Although exhausted, I continued reading until I finished it at 5:15 a.m.

The book conveyed Karmin's emotion, thought, development, and action. It was like the Tom Mix serial "Miracle Rider" I used to see as a child for 10 cents at the Magnet theatre. Each Saturday, I learned that neither Tom Mix nor Tony his "wonder horse" was killed when they galloped off the top of the cliff to avoid being trampled by a stampede of buffalo or when they rode through a burning forest. At the top of each chapter, Tom Mix and his faithful horse appeared with renewed energy. A classic formula for novel-writing.

Karmin has talent. He knows how to "show and tell." I am surprised a mainstream publisher did not pick up his book for publication. Maybe he never tried to interest a mainstream publisher in his book. I don't know, but what we have here is a true memoir of the terrifying nightmare of trusting in a family-court judge to dispense justice instead of perverting it.

A five star read.

Alan Karmin tells his story with wit and wisdom. We follow Karmin's trials and tribulations through the family court system as he fights to save his children from a vindictive and abusive mother. Flashbacks to earlier parts of Karmin's life add humour and insight into the measure of this man.

The MEASURE OF A MAN< is just that, how to measure how much one man can endure to protect his dignity and his children from his former wife and a legal system gone bad. What an outrage!!
The story is revealed in very straightfoward language and candor about experiences that no one should have to endure. Karmin also has the ability to infuse humor in the midst of painful content,,, thereby lessening the anguish that one could feel for all the victims.

This book was a very well written account of the ordeal that a father had to go through to keep his children in his life. The book was mind blowing: to finally understand what Alan went through to keep his children. Alan deserves so much credit for not letting the court system get the best of him. All judges should read this book and keep it on their shelves to remind them, that NOT all men are scumbags and inconsiderate S O B's.
I hope that any man that ever gets put into this position of having to defend themselves for their children's sake, READ this Book, Take it to Heart, and Fight like HELL.

Be prepared to experience a deluge of emotions while reading this book, especially if you have endured your own bitter divorce with a former spouse who used the court system as the favored mode of harassment. The author's voice is so strong as he recounts his harrowing story, the reader feels as if he is sharing his tale exclusively with you; and the occasional moments of (sometimes caustic) humor lightens the mood of this very dark subject matter. At times painful, shocking, and nearly unbelievable that a system that was created to protect the innocent, especially the children, can actually be so broken that it often destroys more lives that it saves, Karmin shows remarkable strength and conviction throughout his ordeal. File this one under: How to Really Survive Divorce and The Family Court System.

After reading this book cover to cover and knowing both the author and his exwife, it saddens me to read all the untruths and part truths in his book. The police,judges,friends,his sister and brother that sided against him on the words of his wife is just ridiculas.They saw actions to make them side the way they did ,not mere words. It also saddens me to see his children dragged thru this once again, this time in words that can't be taken back> they are set in stone. I can see by the tone of hatred in this book and the poor me poor me tone that someone still just isnt over a marriage that ended years ago. The author needs to move on.