8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Easy To Read, Hard to Fathom!, September 17, 2001
This review is from: Promise You Won't Tell Nobody (Paperback)
"I wanted to commit suicide."
"I had suffered four long, torturous years of my father's intimate abuse, but
it was all going to end tonight, Sunday, May 16th. I hadn't planned it that
way, but that's what was to happen. All the stuff would hit the fan."
Up until the time she was 12, Tasha's family appeared to be your typical,
blue-collar, loving middle class family with a stay-at-home mom, hardworking
father and playful siblings. Tasha thought she had the best mom on the
block, afterall, her mom was young enough to entertain Tasha and her older
sister, Tina and younger brother, Tyrone ...but she was also old enough not to
be thought of as a young slut with a houseful of kids. She was a housewife
and took good care of her children. Tasha wouldn't have traded her mom for
anything in the world. At least not at nine anyway..but when Tasha turned
twelve it was a whole 'nother story. Tasha's mom, Gina, seemed to go through
emotional changes after the birth of her fourth child, and Tasha's dad,
Tommy, started to view Tasha as his sex kitten. All of the kids would feel
the affect of the parental changes but Tasha would be most impacted as she
would be verbally, physically and sexually abused and too frightened to tell
anyone what was going on in her household.
Kimberly Matthews writes Tasha's story with deep compassion and clarity. When
we're initially introduced to Tasha she's just enjoying being a child,
unfortunately Tasha's childhood is stolen too quickly by adults who should
know better. Promise You Won't Tell Nobody drives home the sad realization
of the depth of abuse and the mentality that comes along with it. The
subject matter was so poignant and riveting that often I had to set the book
aside and regroup before I could read another page. As I read this
heart-wrenching and emotionally disturbing saga, I kept wondering what
happened to this family...I wanted to know what made the mom snap...was it
post-partum depression after the birth of the fourth child? And I wanted to
know why did the father choose to molest Tasha and not Tina...or why not
both...either way it was wrong but I wanted to better understand his motives.
I was angered by the mother's actions and kept wishing that this were a
fictional read but unfortunately I wouldn't receive that comfort because I
knew it was not.
First-time author, Kimberly T. Matthews, treads in emotionally rich and
disturbing territory in the autobiography titled Promise You Won't Tell
Nobody. Promise You Won't Tell Nobody is a short book, yet it's a powerful story as the voice of Tasha leaps off the page and she makes us promise we won't tell anybody...although if someone would have told maybe Tasha's life would have turned out differently.
Reviewed by Yasmin
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
HARD TO BELIEVE!, November 28, 2000
This review is from: Promise You Won't Tell Nobody (Paperback)
It's hard to believe that a family can be so cruel to their children. I grew up in a loving household, and can't comprehend why anyone would want to hurt the person that they gave life. This book made me cry several times while reading; I had to set the book aside on several occassions and pick it up at a later time. The character's cry for help touches the reader in a way that you feel like a helpless victim siting on a couch while all this is going on to Tasha. The mother in my opinion was wrong (and she knew she was wrong). You never sit by and suspect that something is going on with your child (the person you gave life to) and do nothing about it. I'm not a vengful person, but the mother and father got away to easily as most abuse crime cases do. This book is one of the best books that I've read in a long time. This is a must read for anyone that suspects something is going on with someone they know or love, and for those that are going through this type of situation themselves. I recommend this book for all school age children. This is a book that should be required to read in school (and forget that "Tom Sawyer" mess, that's not educational materials. This book is educational!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I loved this book and I plan to read it again., October 29, 1999
This review is from: Promise You Won't Tell Nobody (Paperback)
I cried. I laughed. I got angry. I truly enjoyed this book. The author did a magnificent job of explaining what she was thinking and feeling. I was especially touched by the very personal way in which the story was told and the perspective of a young girl dealing with such an issue. If you liked this book, I recommend Tumblin Down, which recounts an adult dealing with the impact of a similar childhood trauma.
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