Customer Reviews

Promise You Won't Tell Nobody

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"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

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!

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.

I was going to give this book 3 stars, but I added one more, because even though it was full of grammatical errors, and was written in an overly-simplistic manner, Tasha's story is all too real, and therefore needs to be read by everyone. Having experienced many of the situations Tasha and her siblings went through myself, I could relate to her story a little too well, and was just disgusted at the things BOTH of the parents did and said to their children. This book is very small, and can be read in one sitting, but it still has a strong impact. I'm sharing it with as many people as possible, because I have found in sharing my own history with other people I know, that there are a lot more Tashas around me than I ever realized. I applaud Ms. Matthews for sharing such a painful, personal story. It needs to be told. As long as victims of child abuse remain silent, healing can never begin.

I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED WHAT TASHA WENT THROUGH,BUT AFTER READING HER STORY, I FEEL HER PAIN. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO SUFFER THIS KIND OF ABUSE FROM ANYONE AT ANYTIME. HATS OFF TO YOU KIMBERLY. I MET YOU LAST YEAR IN WASHINGTON DC AT THE FOR SISTER'S ONLY AND BOUGHT YOUR BOOK. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHEN AND WHERE TO FIND YOUR NEXT BOOK "THE FRUIT OF MY WOMB". I KNOW IT WILL BE AS GOOD AS OR EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST.

I am so glad that I read this book. At first I found it very depressing but just to know that there are many "Tasha's" out there made me eager to finish the book. I can only symphathize. I have a young daughter and I soon as I read this book I made sure we talked about some of the issues in the book. I don't understand how a mother could turn her back on their child under those circumstances and refuse to believe what they are trying to tell them. Kim, I say even though this is a subject that most people don't want to discuss, you keep putting the stories out there because someone will gain awareness and be able to help someone who may be in that situation.

This story will grab you immeadiatly but not like you expect. The story is told by a child who was simply a child that was abused in a way no child should have to suffer but so sadly many do. All parents should especially those of us who've suffered this and similar abuse...we vow not to do it, but when you've been abused you still abuse on some level,we all must read and truly do some soul-searching, evaluate ourselves, watch the words that come out of our mouths. And for those who've suffered this nightmare in there life PLEASE TELL SOMEBODY! when you tell...someone will help you and the healing will begin. Kimberly Matthews thank you for your work. I pray for the silence to stop.

THE BOOK "PROMISE YOU WON'T TELL NOBODY "WAS AN EXCELLENT FAST READING BOOK, EXCEPT FOR THE ERRORS IN THE SPELLING, I READ IT IN A DAY , WHAT MAKE THE BOOK SO INTERESTING IS THAT THIS IS THE TYPE OF STUFF THAT IS GOING ON IN REAL LIFE AND WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF IT . I FEEL THAT YOUNG TEENAGE FEMALES SHOULD READ THIS BOOK AN IF THIS IS HAPPENING TO THEM THEY NEED TO TELL SOMEONE THAT WILL HELP THEM, IT WAS SAD WHAT HAPPENED TO THE YOUNG GIRL IN THE BOOK BUT I WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HER FAMILY LATER ON . I GUESS WE WILL KNOW IN THE SEQUEL. IF SOMEONE CHOOSE THIS BOOK I KNOW THEY WILL NOT PUT IT DOWN UNTIL THE LAST PAGE IS READ.

This book was spectacular. I encourage anyone that has gone through this experience, anyone who knows someone going through or had gone through this experience to read it. It is a true example of how GOD can pull you out of the darkest places. How GOD does have a plan, just because you go through bad experiences doesn't mean your life will not turn out to be a positive one. Kimberly Matthews put her heart and soul into thi wonderful and inspirational book. It is truly one from the heart. I look forward to reading more of Kimberly's books in the future.

This was such an eye opening book. The story of Tasha and her family is amazing. The abuse that the children suffered made my skin crawl. Children are such a blessing and for the people who are supposed to love them the most to treat them the way that they were treated was horrifying. I wish much success and blessings to the author. Peace!