Somebody's Someone

Got this book for my daughter, she totally loves it, thank you for your service

What does a child do when her both her mother and father do not want her? When their actions make it perfectly clear that they do not love her and do not care what happens to her? Regina Louise, in her moving, compelling memoir, Somebody's Someone, chronicles her life as a child searching for a place to belong. Though she grew tired, disenchanted and weary, she knew there had to be somebody, somewhere who wanted her.Regina Louise Ollison is an eleven year-old girl, born to a woman who had Regina's sister, Doretha, at age thirteen and then her, five years later. She is given away to Big Mama, Johnnie Jean Thornhill, as a baby because her mother is unable or unwilling to care for her and her father's whereabouts are unknown. In this household, every kind of dysfunction exists, not the least is physical abuse of which Regina is a recipient. When she is beaten within an inch of her life by Lula, Regina runs away and calls Odetta, a woman she remembers as her father's mother. Odetta comes to the rescue, and is eager to do right by her granddaughter but trouble always finds Regina and she runs back to Big Mama's house where she feels safe. Big Mama puts her on a bus to North Carolina with some vanilla wafers, a soda and twenty-five cents and tells her that someone may or may not meet her on the other end.Regina is overjoyed to be reunited with her mother, Ruby, even if she has to share her with two younger brothers and Mr. Benny. Yet though she has her mother, she still yearns for the demonstrative signs of affection that never seem to materialize. The next thing Regina knows, she is on a plane to her dad in Richmond, California. Her father is supposed to be a songwriter and artist who spends long periods in Los Angles away from his wife and two younger daughters in the Bay Area. Again, Regina is unwanted and unloved and through a series of events, ends up in a wayward home for girls. The County continually attempts to place her in a succession of foster homes to no avail. Regina, who grows up on 70s television with a vision of being part of a Brady Bunch family, is still looking for someone to love her. She finds it in one of the workers at the home, Miss Claire, who shows her unconditional love.This is such a compelling, heart wrenching story--- hard to read yet it begs to be. Descriptive and well-written, the sometimes illiterate, southern dialect might be a distraction for some readers. At times you want to wring Regina's neck, her behavior seemed to be the cause of many of her problems, yet it went so much deeper. The years of abuse, the abandonment by her parents (her father tells her he doesn't love her), and the lack of black role models all contribute to her problems. To see the confident Regina today, who is a successful hairstylist/businesswoman and writer, there is no evidence that she was once destined to fail. This story will grab you, shake you up and make you count your blessings for your childhood. This is truly a testament to human

I loved this book!! Regina Louise shares her story with honesty, grace and humility. Her struggles highlight the injustices of our "child welfare" system as well as the resiliency of children in the worst of circumstances. Regina is a survivor in every sense of the word and is an inspiration to all oppressed peoples. Thanks for writing this book.

This book is just beautiful. The author's voice is so real and so clear. The book gives a gritty view of the foster care system without ever slipping into self-pity. The author is a fighter and this comes through in the feisty, engaging story.

Regina wanted to be somebody, anybody, someone loved. SOMEBODY'S SOMEONE: A MEMOIR by Regina Louise is the story of Regina Ollison told through the voice of a young Regina, age ten through fifteen. We hear first hand the account of her life as a foster child in Texas, North Carolina and finally California. Regina deliberately and painstakingly lays before the reader a first hand account of her ordeal as an unwanted child and what an ordeal it was. So much so that no child should be subjected to life that Regina led. While reading, a few questions came to mind such as, why was this child literally abandoned to a family friend with a history of harboring children and allowing their mistreatment by others? Were her parents so selfish not to want this child but as the years went on, continued to have other children whom they treated like gold? Were Regina's behaviors so incorrigible that she could not be loved? Through it all, Regina possessed a spirit of wanting, forgiveness and determination that literally saved her from herself and others. At times her antics were humorous but for the most part, this is a sad account, told with a strong southern dialect, which forces the reader to savor the message that Regina was trying to get across to the adults in her life. Her voice resonates her need for a mother and a family regardless of color, which is something that no one inside of the system captured with exception of one woman.While reading I was hoping to get a glimpse at Regina today and where she stands. I went to her website and discovered that she is doing wonderful things for children "caught" in the system. She is artistically creative and continuously giving of herself through the arts. Anyone who reads SOMEBODY'S SOMEONE: A MEMOIR will be affected by the life of Regina Louise. I highly recommend this novel if you can stomach the pain that may come along with it....

WOW! what a heck of a read! I found Somebody's Someone to be a page-turner from beginning to end--I simply couldn't put it down. It is about time that someone tells this story about the foster care system in a young girl's voice. I've read Dave Pelzers stories and this book is just as triumphant! If this is the first in a two-part series, I can't wait to read the next installment.