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Defying the odds - author Suzanne Burke

6/23/2017

18 Comments

 
by Gwendolyn M Plano
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          ​Since I was a child, I’ve been haunted by the big questions of life that usually begin with WHY? I couldn’t understand suffering, for example. It seemed to befall friends and family indiscriminately and leave a terrifying wake. I’d cry before crucifixes and look to the heavens for answers. But, mostly, I found only more tears.

Reading Suzanne Burke’s book, Empty Chairs, brought me back to my youthful pleas. And, yes, I cried again – deep, wrenching tears.

I don’t know if any book has touched me as deeply as this book. It isn’t perfectly written, but the story is masterfully told. What do I mean? There are typos, there are misspellings, but the writing is so powerful that it takes the reader into the soul of a little child who is horribly mistreated.

Australian author Suzanne Burke writes about her experience of unspeakable abuse from very early childhood until she finally escapes to the streets at age eleven. From the perspective of a toddler and through years of horror, the reader experiences the pain and the confusion that accompanies unspeakable violation. Terror becomes real.

Why read this book? It is a testimony to the human spirit – to that which can destroy and to that which can defy such debasement and emerge whole and loving.

I am reminded of the words of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.” Empty Chairs is about such a journey, and Suzanne Burke is one of those “beautiful people.” 

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18 Comments
Davy D link
6/23/2017 07:08:32

Thank you for reviewing this book Gwen. I will put it on my Summer reading list. Any book about the power of human spirit is worth a read at the moment.

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Gwen Plano
6/23/2017 20:14:00

Thank you, Davy. You won't be disappointed. :) She is also a poet... here's an example: https://sooozburkeauthor.wordpress.com/2017/06/17/glimpses-across-the-barricades-poetry-memoir-the-tears-we-just-cant-cry/

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Davy D link
6/26/2017 05:35:17

Thanks for that Gwen. I will take have a look.

Suzanne Burke link
6/23/2017 18:42:35

I am in tears here, Gwen. I thank you for your kindness, and will always be grateful to have the honor of calling you my dear friend. 🌹

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Gwen Plano
6/23/2017 20:16:32

You are my dear friend...and my sister. I honor your journey and treasure who you have become. ♥

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D.L. Finn
6/24/2017 01:41:48

What a beautiful review, Gwen. This book has been on the edge of my reading list...I will move it up.

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Gwen Plano
6/25/2017 04:29:08

Thank you, D.L., for you comments. I suspect you will experience this book much like I did. ♥

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Jan Sikes link
6/24/2017 07:37:23

This book is sitting on my Kindle and now I KNOW I have to move it up the TBR list. Thank you for a heartfelt review, Gwen! And, I'll get my tissues ready.

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Gwen Plano
6/25/2017 04:31:59

Thank you, Jan. You'll need the tissues ♥ and quiet time to process the story...

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John Fioravanti
6/24/2017 07:50:43

I concur, Gwen - It moves me to tears every time I think about it and I'm overcome with awe that this young girl not only survived unspeakable abuse, but overcame the emotional devastation to raise a daughter and now a grandson. Thanks for this awesome review!

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Gwen Plano
6/25/2017 04:35:32

Thank you, John. Like you, I'm moved to tears every time I think about Suzanne Burke's journey. Amazing...

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Jill Weatherholt link
6/24/2017 08:51:22

Great review, Gwen. I'll certainly add this to my reading list.

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Gwen Plano
6/25/2017 04:36:43

Thank you, Jill. It's an astounding read...

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Judy wuertz
6/24/2017 13:35:59

Thanks for letting us know about this book. I am getting it on my kindle now.

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Gwen Plano
6/25/2017 04:38:33

I think you will be amazed by the book, Judy. Have a wonderful day! ♥

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JohnHowell link
6/24/2017 16:56:45

Such a nice post about such a lovely person. Best to both of you Soooz and Gwen.

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Gwen Plano
6/25/2017 04:39:21

Thank you, John. All the best to you as well. :)

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Mae Clair link
6/25/2017 18:02:22

I've shied away from this book and focused on Soooz's fiction because I fear reading it. After this amazing and heartfelt review I think I must reconsider. Soooz is such a strong and beautiful lady, it is hard for me to imagine such darkness in her past. Thank you, Gwen, for shining a light on a book that I need to add to my TBR.

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Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ―Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning


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