An unpolished memoir of recovery, but it’s one with an important message.
A tenacious former U.S. Army soldier shares her struggles with sexual assault and abuse inside and outside the armed forces.
This debut memoir starts as a story of care and conflict. Torres, the daughter of divorced Cuban immigrants, was brought up by her mother in a loving New Jersey household, in which she was taught to avoid confrontation. Nevertheless, when she faced bullying at the hands of her schoolmates, she refused to back down. Plagued by the pains of adolescence, from youthful heartbreak to an absentee father, Torres saw her senior prom as her exit into adulthood; that idea was destroyed, she says, when she was drugged and raped by her date, who robbed her of her virginity. Overwhelmed by anger and self-blame, she saw her life as ruined. Wanting to turn it into something good, she enlisted in the Army and was one of the first volunteers for Operation Desert Shield. But the real conflict Torres found, she says, was with her fellow soldiers. Sexual harassment ran rampant, and abuse and disinterest from her superiors were the norm. The book excels at presenting this frustrating atmosphere and the author’s ever-present dread of sexual victimization. Torres’ no-nonsense manner of grappling with it reveals anxieties that so many people experience daily, in and out of the armed forces. Her real-life experiences make her views on the subjects of sexual assault and harassment particularly stirring. She also tells of the ways she tried to protect herself and of the few male soldiers willing to stand up for her. Torres’ descriptions of interactions with her friends are exceptional, and her dialogue captures their crass fun and the loving care they had for each other. However, she only alludes to finding even the beginnings of peace in her life, a regrettable turn in a memoir that shares so much, as it seems to build to an end that readers never see. The text would also have benefited from a stronger edit to correct typos and formatting errors. The book ends abruptly, with barely a glimpse of Torres’ post-military life in law enforcement.
An unpolished memoir of recovery, but it’s one with an important message.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Dog Ear Publisher
Review Posted Online: Dec. 1, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorkerstaff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-53424-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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