The Crying Tree

Debut author Naseem Rakha has penned a touching albeit sad story of a family riven by grief. Her characters are hobbled, not crippled physically but emotionally, sickened by hatred, isolated by an inability to communicate, and driven to find reason for the inexplicable. Our story opens in 2004 when Tad Mason , Superintendent of the Oregon State Penitentiary, receives notice that after 19 years an execution date has been... Read Full Review

I'll keep my review brief: It's rare for me to find a book by a new author with characters so real they seem to be whispering their story in my ear. This is one of those books, and one I will not soon forget. Back of book summery: "Irene and Nate Stanley are living a quiet and contented life with their two children, Bliss and Shep, on their family farm in southern Illinois when Nate suddenly announces he's been offered... Read Full Review

Your son is shot and killed. The killer is on death row. How do you feel? The Crying Tree is a story of love, grief, hate and forgiveness. It is a novel with intensity and an exceptional plot line. Crying Tree effectively teaches sacred tenets and values because it relates spiritual growth to life's troubles. Naseem Rakha's book is about the Stanley family: Nate, Irene, Stephen Joseph (called Shep), and Barbara... Read Full Review

Several years ago I had a conversation with a woman whose sister had been murdered. She told me that her mother was so depressed and angry about her daughater's murder that she felt that she not only lost her sister but also her mother. Is there a way to heal after such a horrible event? Naseem tells the story of a mother whose child is murdered. She absolutely gets the mother's feelings accurately. You find yourself... Read Full Review

I heard Oprah say that one of her criteria for judging a book is whether or not it made you look at the world differently. (not an exact quote). Wow, this book certainly met that criteria for me. Family secrets, unbearable pain, forgiveness, self-reflection--it's all here. The last 3/4 of the book read easier for me than the 1/4. I think that is mostly because i was learning about the characters and issues. I flew through... Read Full Review