fatesfolly | Blackbird and Still Waters, both by Jennifer Lauck

Admittedly, I stumbled on this gem by accident.

I was finishing up my membership to simplyaudiobooks.com and the last book they sent to me came about 2 weeks ago. I had a dental appointment and hated to go without something to drown the noises so I popped in the first disc of Blackbird... what a story!

I finished it in record time, making up excuses to be in the car so I could listen more. I promptly ordered the sequel, Still Waters. It came Monday and I finished it last night surrounded by dozens of wet kleenexes.

The books are a powerful memoir of this girl's childhood, written very simply and effectively. She goes through hell in the first book and survives and you think things will get better in the second book, but the hell continues.

It's like this card a friend sent me last week. It's one of those artsy quotable cards with this quote by Winston Churchill on the cover: "If you're going through hell, keep going."

The strength she has, the clear logic she keeps, the depth of loneliness she climbs out of to embrace her life now. WOW.

I cannot recommend these books enough!!