Book Talk: A Review to Read
Seeking a Mother's Touch by: Lindsay Champion
...A bit of research will uncover that Lauck's adopted brother and stepmother spoke out against Lauck and her first book, Blackbird, suggesting that the memoir was fabricated. In the 2001 Salon article "Family Feud," the evil stepmother, who is known as "Deb" in both books, e--mails the website: "I want a sort of mental taser [sic] or aqueous foam to immobilize the bitch, hoping to sober [Lauck] up and make her think twice before going after other people with her dolorous tales of misery." It's certainly possible that Lauck could have misremembered details or used poetic license to make her tale seem more "dolorous" than it really was, but Deb's statement is at odds with Lauck's language. In Found, Lauck's bare-bones account of her childhood is haunting and understated. It's not the work of a person who is trying to get attention, but a woman who is trying to work with the life she's been given.
In Found, Lauck handles the media attention with poise and grace—she doesn't mention it. She calmly explains her estrangement from Deb and her adopted brother, but she doesn't point fingers or fuel the he-said-she-said fire. Instead, the author bravely focuses on her own feelings and emotions, rising far above the name-calling. Had Found contained a rebuttal against the slanderous Salon.com article, it would have taken away from the tenderhearted story that Lauck so gracefully tells. She takes the high road, and touched readers will thank her for it...
...to read more go to this link and I'd love your comments on this review.
