by Orizon
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of “Victims Make the Best Birdhouses” by Larry L Franklin.]
Victims Make the Best Birdhouses by Larry L. Franklin is a gripping memoir that spins the detailed life story of the author. In a fluke conversation with his mother, Larry discovers he was a victim of physical and sexual abuse as a young child. This discovery typhoons the life he has come to know as he begins to dig up his repressed memories to make peace with the truth.
It was late 1992 when Larry drove to southern Illinois and learned a piece of information that would topple his world in a few days. His mother has opened a can of worms about the physical and sexual abuse meted on him by his older brother, Keith, and the lack of love from his father. Larry goes back deeply perturbed and emotionally drained, and soon the memories come calling. With the support of Olivia Jennings, his psychotherapist, and his wife Paula, Larry digs up the fragments of his past. He uncovers the unspeakable and unbelievable that his family had committed. After years of therapy and a close shave with prostate cancer, did Larry makes peace with his inner child and bloom with love and healing?
Victims Make the Best Birdhouses is a glimpse of the sordid abuse young children and adults go through that leaves them broken and quite erratic without reason. This book is very candid and leaves no stone unturned. The author bared out his experiences, thoughts, and emotions with candor. I can’t imagine how tough it was for him to get this story out and relive those memories.
I couldn’t hold the occasional gasp I let out while reading this book. The author didn’t just gloss over events; he went to their roots and bared them out. I loved how he connected some behaviors he exhibited at his adult age with the specific cause of the problem. It portrayed how important it is not to overlook any unusual characteristic displayed, as there is most likely a root cause. I was overcome with grief at Larry’s reality, and it’s a call to victims of mental, physical, and sexual abuse to seek help as best as possible.
I appreciated the author’s raw honesty about his emotions and complicated relationship with his mother. There are several things to understand and learn in this book. It is also professionally edited with only a minor error. Therefore, I rate Victims Make the Best Birdhouses 4 out of 4 stars.
I recommend this book to readers who want to understand abuse and its psychological effects. Also, there is hope and healing for victims of abuse who think they may be alone in their struggle. Please learn from the experience of the author.