True Story

[close] "His name was Carlos. Carlos Louis Salazar. And when his mother had troubles, I more or less stole him. Or that’s what I always said. He was the son I wanted, and I did get him for a while. "So begins A THOUSAND VOICES. At its deepest level, it is a love story about language. It traces the grand adventure, the whimsy, the confusion and sorrow of one boy’s third of a century, recounted by the woman who teaches him and takes him in. Tender without being sentimental, it is a book that changes people’s lives.
The story unfolds against the rich imagery of Utah’s high deserts and snow-swept mountains, the alpine forests of Idaho, and the wide boulevards of Montreal in the last decades of the last century. Jeri meets Carlos in Utah when he is ten and she is twenty-four. They interest each other. He is wildhearted and free-spirited, traits she applauds in herself and has only slightly subdued. He is a hellion; so was she. There are differences as well, and they point to the underlying themes of the book. He doesn’t know language; she teaches it. He was born deaf; she could always hear. He lives in a low-lying part of town she has never ventured into; she is up in the foothills, across several economic strata. Where his opportunities are circumscribed by ethnic background as well as economic disadvantage, hers are wide
Their acquaintance becomes an indispensable connection for both of them. She helps him learn to talk. In turn, she finds Carlos has much to teach her, and their communication is marked by a nuance, grace, and richness beyond words. The book closes on a note of compassion and acceptance as Jeri stands by Carlos as friend and guardian when the struggle for his life overtakes everything.
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[close] Jonathan, Sam, Schulz, and Eric usually spend their summers skateboarding at the park and dreaming about the time when they’ll finally move out of the suburbs. But in the summer of 1994 the four teenagers find a small fortune hidden inside an abandoned house, and that changes everything. The money was a dream come true, but it couldn’t last. Stress, drugs, and dwindling funds raise the stakes and also raise some serious questions about the future. Eighteen years later, Jonathan returns to that life-changing summer to tally up the cost of that discovery and explain how one broken dream led to a totally renewed sense of purpose.

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[close] ***Autographed for Winners***
Seven Tears in inspired by actual events. A quick read but a real page turner.

I was a drama queen, they said.
I was six years old when I lost my innocence. Keeping quiet about it was more out of fear of his wrath. When
it was finally revealed, I was a drama queen, they said. At age thirteen, they didn’t believe me after the gang rape but found it justified to send me away to have the baby. I was a drama queen, they said. I was emotionally and mentally scarred with no one to guide me. Living in a family of dirty little secrets, I began acting out in a big way.

For seven years I fought neglect, abuse, and even death. And then one day it happened. I found hope for my life
through God’s blessings. [close]