Skip to main content

Book Review: Caged Eyes An Air Force Cadet's Story of Rape & Resilence By Lynn K. Hall



Caged Eyes An Air Force Cadet's Story of Rape & Resilience by Lynn K. Hall is one of those rare memoirs whose story stays with you long after reading. It was the book that poked my sleeping writing muse awake and had me vomiting (as they say and how it felt) more of my own memoir back out.

A lot can be said about Lynn K. Hall's new book. I find it hard to summarize without giving too much of it away. It's a brave, honest, open, unforgettable, evocative memoir that will have you feeling a roller coaster of emotions from anger, empathy, understanding, hopefulness, disbelief, determination, and awe.

I'm in awe of the way Lynn K. Hall was able to open up and reveal so much of her personal journey and traumas.

As a writer, I'm well aware that when you publish a memoir, you can inadvertently put yourself out there to be scrutinized and judged. Caged Eyes is a foremost example of fearless writing.

I had been reading a series of how-to books on screen writing, coding, and graphic design, but when I heard an interview with the author on Rising Up With Sonali  on 90.7 FM KPFK, I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about Hall's story.

It's a well written book. I would only lend to the most responsible of friends since I'd want it back as a reference to study and examine how it was crafted. I have since started writing more of my memoir pieces again, if only for my most trusted of friends and myself. I also started reading more memoirs and added some novels back to my reading list.

Lynn K. Hall's Caged Eyes An Air Force Cadet's Story of Rape & Resilience gets five stars in my book. It meets my five star requirement: a good book will take you on a journey but a great one, takes you on a journey and brings you back to yourself.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eat, Pray, Love

I finally finished Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It was a breathtakingly beautiful book. It reminded me of my own spiritual journey which I have been in for the last couple of years. Spiritual living is not a destination but a way of living. I recommend the book. I hope you are far along enough on your own spiritual journey to capture the depths of this book. I've heard the book gets mixed reviews. Some people just don't get it. Like Eckhart Tolle’s New Earth, you most likely have to have some higher-level of consciousness to grasp the message of the book, and it takes a while to get through the book because you want to stop and reflect. Elizabeth Gilbert takes you on a soul-searching journey with intimate details you would share only with a bestfriend.

Life Hack: DIY Bleacher Seat Cushion

One of the staples I keep in the truck of my car is my DIY bleacher seat cushion. Its a flat thin recyclable bag with a folded picnic blanket inside. This DIY is so simple, it seems too common sense to blog about. But I will since it phases me why anyone would buy one of those foam seat cushions I see on sale at sporting good stores and events. This one is on sale for $15! My DIY bleach seat cusion is way more functional than a manufactured bleacher seat cushion which has only one purpose. Having a blanket conviently stored inside makes it multifunctional.  You have a blanket on hand for those chilly early morning meets. And any time we are at outdoor events with my mom or inlaws, I'm prepared for the evening cold for them as well.  A shade for the afternoon sun. Fold it length wise for a multiple seat cushion, to reserve extra seat space, or to spread out your legs. (As a track mom of three sons, I can been on the bleachers for hours. I'm writing this bl

Detained In The Desert

I went to see Josefina Lopez’s  world premier play, “ Detained In The Desert ”. Josefina, known for her popular Real Women Have Curves, was vacationing in Arizona when SB 1070 was passed. She was unable to go to protest rallies held that night because of prior family commitments but Josefina had it in her heart to do something.  In the five years between 2003 and 2007, there was a 40 percent increase in crimes against Latinos. It’s no wonder considering the proliferation of “hate talk” that spews off the radio, TV, and internet and aims at infuriating the masses. In a climate saturated with negative propaganda, fear mongering, and increasing violence, what one would consider a random act of violence is in reality not so random after all. When we create a society that is so pitted against one another, our chance encounters become unavoidable collisions between unsuspecting individuals caught within the biome of the conflicted society in which we live. It’s like walking into a room with