First, a little about the book on the chopping block today:
Title: Intrusive Memory
Author: Leonardo Antony Noto
Genre: Autobiography/Child Abuse
Length: 222 printed pages
Link to Purchase: $2.99 Kindle $8.99 Paperback
Intrusive Memory is the true story of how I overcame a hellish childhood, pulled my life back together, and realized my dream of becoming a physician. This book is not for the fainthearted. It begins in the mental hospital where I spent much of my childhood after being removed from my home by Child Protective Services, then whirls the reader through a cascade of pathological environments including a violent military school and Mississippi jail. This is the story of how I fought against the odds and against my inner demons to survive, claw my way into medical school, and succeed by graduating in the top of my class!
**Will not appear in my final review:
You all know I'm a graphic designer. Because of that, I oftentimes take a moment to comment on a book cover. This one blew me away with it's arresting image and bold typeface. Very nicely done.**
Now, on to the good stuff!
I purchased this book on Amazon after picking up a sample and getting sucked in by the story. Intrusive Memory is haunting, to say the least, and will make you thankful for what you have right in front of you. Enough cavorting around, on to the review.
From a reader's perspective:
I got sucked right into the world portrayed on the pages of this book. Being the child of an abusive mother is one thing; being the victim of such extreme abuse as outlined in this story is something else altogether. To give you an idea of how vested in this tale I became: I grew angry at the parents for not being there like they should've been, the administration for not stepping up and taking responsibility along with proactive measures, and the system in general. I wanted to step into the book and slap people for being callous, catty, and manipulative. I cared about what happened to Leo by the end. So, there's the good. For the bad, I have to say the asides where the author took page upon page to tell me about how this diagnosis is made or how that symptom is recognized were unnecessary and threw me right out of the story (Leo's progression). In my opinion, these things would've been better left for an afterword (author Robin Cook oftentimes does this). Then, if I wanted to read it, I could've; I wouldn't have had to slog through it to keep getting my meat and potatoes. They made what could've been a very satisfying meal into an endurance of stamina. But it pulled at my heartstrings and had a great level of tension throughout (a saving grace).
From an editor's perspective:
This book is in severe need of an editor. There were a number of instances of the wrong word being used. Sown (which means to plant something in soil) and sewn (which means to stitch one thing onto another) were confused often. Run-on sentences were everywhere, and I wished many times the author used commas more frequently (not something you hear me say often). Filler words ran amok and I highlighted half the book for spelling, grammar, punctuation, or other errors as I was reading. With a great editor, this could be a runaway best seller.
My Rating:
1 Star for making me keep reading
1 Star for making me angry at faceless characters on a page
1 Star for giving me a character I could care about
- 1 Star for the amount of medical information in the story
- 1 Star for overall editing/writing quality
Overall, a solid 3 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy a book that makes you think, or even one that makes you appreciate your situation (I hope it's better than Leo's), this is a great choice.
I do hope you take the time to pick up a sample of this book. You may decide to keep reading, like I did, and enjoy yourself very much.
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
