Still Waters

I have "read" both Blackbird and Still Waters, but perhaps in a non-traditional way by listening as I endure my excrutiating drive to and from work throughout the week.Blackbird moved me in ways no book I have read has done. Is that because I was listening to the author's voice - the person to whom these atrocities had been inflicted on was actually telling me about them, or would my reaction have been the same, had I read the accounts in the traditional "reading" method. Personally, I think the audio rendition has had a more positive impact and let me explain. The book is written entirely from the perspective of the author's participation and some of the repetative phrases, such as "I say", when recounting conversation, I know would have driven me nuts if I were reading, but were totally natural in the "listening" version of reading. Does this make any sense?Bottom line, Blackbird and Still Waters are the best books I've had the pleasure of reading in a very long time! I was totally engrossed in the story, involved with Jennifer, Bryan and their challenges in life, and I wish Jennifer all the best in everything to come in her life. She presents a role model for anyone who's had difficulties in their life - inspiration to uncover what the truth is, even after years of living perceived truth.

Those who read Lauck's first memoir, Blackbird, will expect to find a continuation in Still Waters of the upbeat note on which that first book ended. They would be wrong. Life did NOT go well for Jennifer Lauck when she was picked up at the bus station by her grandfather and left eventually at the 'safe haven' of her aunt and uncle's home. Although by the conclusion of Still Waters, we are asked to believe Lauck, with the help of New Age spirituality, has at last made peace with her tragic past, one can't help believing that it wasn't the power of hope that carried her to a relatively triumphant adulthood: it was the power of rage.

This is a heartwrenching and beautiful memoir by Jennifer Lauck. This is a sequel to her bestseller "Black Bird". This book tells the true story of Jennifer Lauck, a young woman who has been through so much--and lives to tell about it. She is a phenomenal woman, and a talented writer. Jennifer tells her story in an open and honest way, focusing on her feelings and her growth during a tumultuos childhood. She is lost, and then found. She is loved, lost, abandoned, hated, moved from place to place, and abused--yet she still shines. This book will speak directly to your soul, leaving you reflecting and appreciating your own life, as well as falling in love with the author. I highly recommend this book!

I usually never read sequels, even in biographies. They never seem to measure up to the first book. But this is definitely not the case in "Still Waters". Jennifer Lauck picks up right where she left off in "Blackbird". From there, she and her brother are kept apart and sent from family member to family member. Mostly following her heart, Jennifer grows up and slowly gets passed her childhood. With a life story left unfinished in "Blackbird", Lauck once again has opened her heart and her history to share her story. What once left us in heartbreak now teaches us that following your heart and working through life, anyone can survive. If you read "Blackbird", you will not want to miss "Still Waters".