What do you think?
Rate this book
Intrusive Memory
What happens to a horrifically abused child who winds up in a mental hospital, living life on the wrong side of the law, and who subsequently finds himself violently institutionalized? In my case, he overcomes the odds to graduate at the top of his class in medical school! I initially wrote this memoir as a form of self-counseling when I was working through post-traumatic stress disorder and trying to put my childhood-from-hell behind me once and for all. I was encouraged to publish "Intrusive Memory" by the handful of people that I worked up the nerve to share it with, and now I'm sharing it with you! Dr. Leonardo Noto (nom de plume) Practicing Physician, Author of Four Works, and Owner of "The Health and Medical Blog with a Personality."
- GenresNonfictionMemoir
220 pages, Paperback
First published July 20, 2012
2 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Leonardo Antony Noto
5 books31 followers I am a practicing physician who enjoys writing in my spare time. I also enjoy practicing Brazilian jiu jitsu, boxing, speaking Italian, and spending time with my very spoiled dog.
Best Wishes,
Dr. Leonardo Antony Noto
Best Wishes,
Dr. Leonardo Antony Noto
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 11, 2012
I have to say this in not a book I would generally read. However, after reading it, I'm glad I took a chance on this book.
This book is about Leo and his abusive childhood with his mom. His mom who knew every trick in the book on how to NOT get caught abusing her children. The father seemed ambivalent to the entire thing. The dad had moved on with his life. Leo and his brother's were left with their mom to fend for themselves. He spent his childhood in and out of metal hospitals and boarding/military schools. Leo could have easily become a thug on the street and probably be in jail by now, however he made the choice to become a better person.
This book is about Leo and his abusive childhood with his mom. His mom who knew every trick in the book on how to NOT get caught abusing her children. The father seemed ambivalent to the entire thing. The dad had moved on with his life. Leo and his brother's were left with their mom to fend for themselves. He spent his childhood in and out of metal hospitals and boarding/military schools. Leo could have easily become a thug on the street and probably be in jail by now, however he made the choice to become a better person.
January 15, 2013
This author put his difficult life on these pages and I have to admit, I'm having a very hard time reviewing this book. I've read a few memoirs before, one of a fictional character, Inigo Balboa in Alatriste series. Though writing guidelines may differ for memoirs and certain things are all right to use in abundance, such as parentheses, clichés, comparatives, still I have never come across this in any I've read before, and some are published years ago.
While writing is a solitary job, no one writes a book all alone. Critique partners, beta readers, writing buddies, editors, creative writing workshop instructors -- they all breed life into the story and make the characters jump off the pages. To find them, there are many writing associations, groups, online or at the local libraries.
So I'd like to start with good. The book is written as a form of therapy for the author and as a message to his younger brothers, to get them to come out of their denial and with terms that "what's done cannot be undone" kind of things.
Now, I also see another message here. A motivational one: "I've been put through a quite a ringer and came out clean, you can too."
However, this is all and I whish I could praise the book. I can't help but wonder if it would pack a better emotional punch if it was written as a fictional story based on the events. Instead of author going into lengthy medical textbook definitions of conditions and disorders, such as Borderline personality and IBS or even some other ones, let us "see" them. A reader don't need a full list of side effects prescribed drug could or could not cause. We have Wikipedia and TV infomercials to find that out. No doubt a mother such as this would evoke some terrifying emotions, but feelings are merely mentioned. What the author failed to do is to get us, the readers, in the backseat of that Grand Marquise to shudder in fear when he, as a boy, caught a murdering glimpse in his mother's eyes flashing from the rear-view mirror. I'm a romance writer and in romance emotions are really played upon, exaggerated even. And a life story such as this should be infused with emotions, the reason you want the reader to weep over the pages. There are countless people who overcame the abuse and neglect. The secret is how will you make your book stand out in the sea of books?
Another thing I noticed is the mentioned abuse and neglect seemed to jar. His father is described as "utterly neglectful" yet, what am I reading? He goes out of his way to fly and get him from mother's clutches, gives him money, buys him Super Nintendo, takes him snorkeling in Caribbean... am I reading something wrong?
Mother is described as abusive yet, she keeps all her kids doctors appointments, provides a roof over their heads, buys them presents - this could be due to the guilty factor but it wasn't mentioned so I'm left to assume. Yes, from the description I would say she's a poorly educated, overly melodramatic, loud and compulsive liar and complainer and manipulator. Not someone I'd make friends with.
Anyhow, lastly, though the book is written well, there are some minor editing errors (many off of), the telling and awkward sentence structure--many run on sentences with misplaced or missing commas--makes if hard to plow through. And I'm a fast reader. Normally 220 pages would take me a couple of days or less, if the book captured me, unfortunately not the case here.
While writing is a solitary job, no one writes a book all alone. Critique partners, beta readers, writing buddies, editors, creative writing workshop instructors -- they all breed life into the story and make the characters jump off the pages. To find them, there are many writing associations, groups, online or at the local libraries.
So I'd like to start with good. The book is written as a form of therapy for the author and as a message to his younger brothers, to get them to come out of their denial and with terms that "what's done cannot be undone" kind of things.
Now, I also see another message here. A motivational one: "I've been put through a quite a ringer and came out clean, you can too."
However, this is all and I whish I could praise the book. I can't help but wonder if it would pack a better emotional punch if it was written as a fictional story based on the events. Instead of author going into lengthy medical textbook definitions of conditions and disorders, such as Borderline personality and IBS or even some other ones, let us "see" them. A reader don't need a full list of side effects prescribed drug could or could not cause. We have Wikipedia and TV infomercials to find that out. No doubt a mother such as this would evoke some terrifying emotions, but feelings are merely mentioned. What the author failed to do is to get us, the readers, in the backseat of that Grand Marquise to shudder in fear when he, as a boy, caught a murdering glimpse in his mother's eyes flashing from the rear-view mirror. I'm a romance writer and in romance emotions are really played upon, exaggerated even. And a life story such as this should be infused with emotions, the reason you want the reader to weep over the pages. There are countless people who overcame the abuse and neglect. The secret is how will you make your book stand out in the sea of books?
Another thing I noticed is the mentioned abuse and neglect seemed to jar. His father is described as "utterly neglectful" yet, what am I reading? He goes out of his way to fly and get him from mother's clutches, gives him money, buys him Super Nintendo, takes him snorkeling in Caribbean... am I reading something wrong?
Mother is described as abusive yet, she keeps all her kids doctors appointments, provides a roof over their heads, buys them presents - this could be due to the guilty factor but it wasn't mentioned so I'm left to assume. Yes, from the description I would say she's a poorly educated, overly melodramatic, loud and compulsive liar and complainer and manipulator. Not someone I'd make friends with.
Anyhow, lastly, though the book is written well, there are some minor editing errors (many off of), the telling and awkward sentence structure--many run on sentences with misplaced or missing commas--makes if hard to plow through. And I'm a fast reader. Normally 220 pages would take me a couple of days or less, if the book captured me, unfortunately not the case here.
January 8, 2013
Rating: 3 1/2 Stars
Normally the word ‘autobiography’ would automatically make me turn away, but this one read a lot more like a fast-moving story with edge. The writing is not as good at it could be, but the story is interesting and emotional so that drew me in right away. The plot covers parental abuse, bullying, the ensuing mental problems, alcohol abuse, academic difficulties, and eventually, emotional acceptance and academic and professional success. Throughout the story I could see the characters slow transformation from child-hood to adulthood, and it was fascinating to hear his thoughts and truly understand the factors that molded this person at each stage.
There were many emotional moments in this story. But one section that had the most impact for me was when the narrator said he had tried to contact a friend about a gun which he intended to use on others at his school and then on himself. Fortunately his contact didn’t respond; however for the first time I think I understood, at least to some extent, what might motivate such actions. Prior, I had always believed mental instability was a factor, but that instability was beyond comprehension. Through this book I gained a lot of insight into a world I was otherwise unfamiliar with and I am very appreciative of that.
Because so much of the book is spent discussing the authors childhood and teen years, I think that this book would be appropriate and even recommended to older teen readers. It could very well make a difference towards a teenagers (or even an adults) attitude towards bullying and school (or work-place) gossip. I also recommend it for anyone, young or old, who is struggling with similar problems. I do however think the content is too mature for younger, well adjusted, readers.
The reason for the three and a half star rating is purely the weaknesses in writing style. However, as an author myself I’m probably more sensitive to the use of an unnecessary adverb and details like that than most readers would be. I also do wish that the reader had perhaps waited just a few years longer before writing the book because I would have liked to know more about what happened, both to the protagonist as well as to the rest of his family, after the last chapter. Yet, overall, I really enjoyed this book and I feel richer for the knowledge I gained reading this.
Notes: Don’t be turned off of the book by the cover or the authors note at the beginning as I first was. I felt neither was a reflection of how good this book really is. I am grateful to the author for providing me with a free copy of this book for my honest review.
Normally the word ‘autobiography’ would automatically make me turn away, but this one read a lot more like a fast-moving story with edge. The writing is not as good at it could be, but the story is interesting and emotional so that drew me in right away. The plot covers parental abuse, bullying, the ensuing mental problems, alcohol abuse, academic difficulties, and eventually, emotional acceptance and academic and professional success. Throughout the story I could see the characters slow transformation from child-hood to adulthood, and it was fascinating to hear his thoughts and truly understand the factors that molded this person at each stage.
There were many emotional moments in this story. But one section that had the most impact for me was when the narrator said he had tried to contact a friend about a gun which he intended to use on others at his school and then on himself. Fortunately his contact didn’t respond; however for the first time I think I understood, at least to some extent, what might motivate such actions. Prior, I had always believed mental instability was a factor, but that instability was beyond comprehension. Through this book I gained a lot of insight into a world I was otherwise unfamiliar with and I am very appreciative of that.
Because so much of the book is spent discussing the authors childhood and teen years, I think that this book would be appropriate and even recommended to older teen readers. It could very well make a difference towards a teenagers (or even an adults) attitude towards bullying and school (or work-place) gossip. I also recommend it for anyone, young or old, who is struggling with similar problems. I do however think the content is too mature for younger, well adjusted, readers.
The reason for the three and a half star rating is purely the weaknesses in writing style. However, as an author myself I’m probably more sensitive to the use of an unnecessary adverb and details like that than most readers would be. I also do wish that the reader had perhaps waited just a few years longer before writing the book because I would have liked to know more about what happened, both to the protagonist as well as to the rest of his family, after the last chapter. Yet, overall, I really enjoyed this book and I feel richer for the knowledge I gained reading this.
Notes: Don’t be turned off of the book by the cover or the authors note at the beginning as I first was. I felt neither was a reflection of how good this book really is. I am grateful to the author for providing me with a free copy of this book for my honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2014
I have to agree with other reviews that the writing is not the greatest. Although, I thought that added to the 'mood' of the book. To me, the 'voice' of the author came through strong and clear, and it felt almost like he was physically present, speaking his life's story to me personally. I could hear him plainly, and almost see his nervous tic, his knee bouncing up and down and catch the furtive glances he threw over his shoulder.
First and foremost when I read, I want a good, gripping story. There is no doubt that the story he tells is engrossing and almost unbelievable. Disturbing, harrowing, sad and inspirational are other words that come to mind to describe good portions of it. There was a vein of humor throughout, which I needed, and a matter-of-factness to the prose which made the unbelievable, believable.
There were a few places where details were unnecessary for me--for some reason I have no interest in making homemade injectable steroids, for example--but that is one of the reasons I love memoirs. You can learn so much stuff you didn't know you didn't know. Also, the places where the author gives extra detailed description let the reader catch a glimpse of those things that interest him now and give clues as to the man he has become. A character arc, if you will.
I loved the story and recommend the book. Don't let the writing style be a detriment. Use it to enhance the ambience. After all, if it were written in a way that would draw the reader in more emotionally, honestly, I don't think I could take it.
First and foremost when I read, I want a good, gripping story. There is no doubt that the story he tells is engrossing and almost unbelievable. Disturbing, harrowing, sad and inspirational are other words that come to mind to describe good portions of it. There was a vein of humor throughout, which I needed, and a matter-of-factness to the prose which made the unbelievable, believable.
There were a few places where details were unnecessary for me--for some reason I have no interest in making homemade injectable steroids, for example--but that is one of the reasons I love memoirs. You can learn so much stuff you didn't know you didn't know. Also, the places where the author gives extra detailed description let the reader catch a glimpse of those things that interest him now and give clues as to the man he has become. A character arc, if you will.
I loved the story and recommend the book. Don't let the writing style be a detriment. Use it to enhance the ambience. After all, if it were written in a way that would draw the reader in more emotionally, honestly, I don't think I could take it.
May 26, 2017
Overall a good book.
Its a true-story of the writer, a child-abuse case.
Being fan of inspirational stories, I liked this book.
Its a true-story of the writer, a child-abuse case.
Being fan of inspirational stories, I liked this book.
October 17, 2013
I purchased this book on Amazon after picking up a sample and getting sucked in by the story. Intrusive Memory is haunting, to say the least, and will make you thankful for what you have right in front of you. Enough cavorting around, on to the review.
From a reader's perspective:
I got sucked right into the world portrayed on the pages of this book. Being the child of an abusive mother is one thing; being the victim of such extreme abuse as outlined in this story is something else altogether. To give you an idea of how vested in this tale I became: I grew angry at the parents for not being there like they should've been, the administration for not stepping up and taking responsibility along with proactive measures, and the system in general. I wanted to step into the book and slap people for being callous, catty, and manipulative. I cared about what happened to Leo by the end. So, there's the good. For the bad, I have to say the asides where the author took page upon page to tell me about how this diagnosis is made or how that symptom is recognized were unnecessary and threw me right out of the story (Leo's progression). In my opinion, these things would've been better left for an afterword (author Robin Cook oftentimes does this). Then, if I wanted to read it, I could've; I wouldn't have had to slog through it to keep getting my meat and potatoes. They made what could've been a very satisfying meal into an endurance of stamina. But it pulled at my heartstrings and had a great level of tension throughout (a saving grace).
From an editor's perspective:
This book is in severe need of an editor. There were a number of instances of the wrong word being used. Sown (which means to plant something in soil) and sewn (which means to stitch one thing onto another) were confused often. Run-on sentences were everywhere, and I wished many times the author used commas more frequently (not something you hear me say often). Filler words ran amok and I highlighted half the book for spelling, grammar, punctuation, or other errors as I was reading. With a great editor, this could be a runaway best seller.
My Rating:
+ 1 Star for making me keep reading
+ 1 Star for making me angry at faceless characters on a page
+ 1 Star for giving me a character I could care about
- 1 Star for the amount of medical information in the story
- 1 Star for overall editing/writing quality
Overall, a solid 3 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy a book that makes you think, or even one that makes you appreciate your situation (I hope it's better than Leo's), this is a great choice.
From a reader's perspective:
I got sucked right into the world portrayed on the pages of this book. Being the child of an abusive mother is one thing; being the victim of such extreme abuse as outlined in this story is something else altogether. To give you an idea of how vested in this tale I became: I grew angry at the parents for not being there like they should've been, the administration for not stepping up and taking responsibility along with proactive measures, and the system in general. I wanted to step into the book and slap people for being callous, catty, and manipulative. I cared about what happened to Leo by the end. So, there's the good. For the bad, I have to say the asides where the author took page upon page to tell me about how this diagnosis is made or how that symptom is recognized were unnecessary and threw me right out of the story (Leo's progression). In my opinion, these things would've been better left for an afterword (author Robin Cook oftentimes does this). Then, if I wanted to read it, I could've; I wouldn't have had to slog through it to keep getting my meat and potatoes. They made what could've been a very satisfying meal into an endurance of stamina. But it pulled at my heartstrings and had a great level of tension throughout (a saving grace).
From an editor's perspective:
This book is in severe need of an editor. There were a number of instances of the wrong word being used. Sown (which means to plant something in soil) and sewn (which means to stitch one thing onto another) were confused often. Run-on sentences were everywhere, and I wished many times the author used commas more frequently (not something you hear me say often). Filler words ran amok and I highlighted half the book for spelling, grammar, punctuation, or other errors as I was reading. With a great editor, this could be a runaway best seller.
My Rating:
+ 1 Star for making me keep reading
+ 1 Star for making me angry at faceless characters on a page
+ 1 Star for giving me a character I could care about
- 1 Star for the amount of medical information in the story
- 1 Star for overall editing/writing quality
Overall, a solid 3 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy a book that makes you think, or even one that makes you appreciate your situation (I hope it's better than Leo's), this is a great choice.
August 1, 2014
I'm hoping that I read the whole book. I downloaded it for free and Adobe (as a pdf file) had 84 pages and this edition has 200 something pages. I feel like I read the whole story because there was a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning of the story hooks the reader in about the horrors of the author's life and you want to beat all the people that made his life miserable. Then you get into his college years and you're rooting for him because he's working this hard to better himself and still deal with what happened before and then, to be honest, I got lost in his medical school life. I admit towards the end it was rather informative because he was really through explaining medical things, but I felt like that whole segment took away from the beginning of his story life. To me, what I read when I downloaded was a finished story, but I still like somethings were missing. Like what happened to his brothers while he was away and they were briefly mentioned as matter of fact, not what happened to them or what about his mother. She was mentioned too, you know what, he did give her closer when he wrote she'll be alone because of her doing.. ok I'll accept that. But what happened to the other? Maybe I'm just being nosey because the author let me into his life but I read it and I'm interested. :o) Good story either way though.
I liked at the end how he recognized that writing his memoir was a self help. I hope he's better for it now.
I liked at the end how he recognized that writing his memoir was a self help. I hope he's better for it now.
January 7, 2015
Thought provoking book. Title "Intrusive Memories" would be more accurate.
I hope the author continues to improve as well as enjoying his work. I understand his feelings about his mother, and I would probably feel the same. I don't know how he worked out the issue with his father regarding fake abuse charges, but I have a great deal of respect for both for getting past it. I do hope that Leo maintains contact with his younger brothers so he can help guide them from his own experiences. It sounds like they need both Leos and their fathers help. I hope Leo's father reads this book and realizes that communication is VERY important. Good luck Leo. I have met women like your mother (we have one in our family) and I would never trust her with confidences or true friendship. I agree with your choice to be without a wife. I presented the "Tree of Life" theory to 80 men in a rehabilitation program class at a minimum security prison and most were enthralled, and some told me later of horrific things one of their parents did to them as children. A SHOCK. I firmly believe in the axiom "nature vs. nurture". Nurture, I believe, is definitely more important. Leo has succeeded despite his early childhood experiences, which is not the norm. So, I am incredibly proud of his courage to write this and to persevere despite the traumas he endured. Go Leo! This book deserved 5 stars, but it lacked good editing so I gave it 4****
I hope the author continues to improve as well as enjoying his work. I understand his feelings about his mother, and I would probably feel the same. I don't know how he worked out the issue with his father regarding fake abuse charges, but I have a great deal of respect for both for getting past it. I do hope that Leo maintains contact with his younger brothers so he can help guide them from his own experiences. It sounds like they need both Leos and their fathers help. I hope Leo's father reads this book and realizes that communication is VERY important. Good luck Leo. I have met women like your mother (we have one in our family) and I would never trust her with confidences or true friendship. I agree with your choice to be without a wife. I presented the "Tree of Life" theory to 80 men in a rehabilitation program class at a minimum security prison and most were enthralled, and some told me later of horrific things one of their parents did to them as children. A SHOCK. I firmly believe in the axiom "nature vs. nurture". Nurture, I believe, is definitely more important. Leo has succeeded despite his early childhood experiences, which is not the norm. So, I am incredibly proud of his courage to write this and to persevere despite the traumas he endured. Go Leo! This book deserved 5 stars, but it lacked good editing so I gave it 4****
March 10, 2015
I give this book 5 stars not because of the grammar or writing but because of the incredible story and courage of the author in laying out his life for all of us to see. I really recommend anyone who suffers from Mental illness to read this book. It almost seems like a journal in a way. It is horrifying and heartwarming at the same time. I am sad at the failure of psychiatry to treat PTSD and I have similar problems myself. No one takes them seriously as Leo said..if you seem functional then how can you be crippled by PTSD. So I hope some therapists and psychiatrists read this as well. Bravo for finding your calling amidst all that you have been through , it is truly inspiring. I was wondering what happened to his brothers, because in the story I felt sad that Leo left them behind.:( I am a mother and I am shocked by Leo's upbringing and hope that I can stop the cycle of abuse in my family too.
August 25, 2014
I thought this was more of a tool of "self help" for the author but a great, hopefully healing, way for Leo to write his memoir. I liked Leo and felt badly for the things he experienced and was exposed to as a child, even though we only got a brief look at his memories and his childhood, I could tell that he was disturbed by his thoughts and feelings as an adult. How would he have been different growing up in a loving home? We can never know. There was a lot of medical side notes which I attribute to the author being in the midst of med. school but there were also grammatical errors. I enjoyed the story but hurt for Leo and the feelings he will always have and I was so sorry for his brothers that the cycle repeated, hopeful that they found peace somehow. I wonder what Leo's relationship with his parents are today. I also wondered what his mother's upbringing was like.
April 22, 2015
This book was a good read, the only part of the book that I did not care for was when the author kept interrupting the story to explain what certain conditions mean. I ended up just scanning thru those parts. Leo's childhood was hell and its sad how his mom treated the boys and used them against their dad for punishment because he didn't want her no more. His mother should have been stopped. Maybe he will be able to help another child who is in trouble before they suffer as he did. I also wish the author would have explained more about what happened to both his younger brothers, like how are they doing today.
February 23, 2013
this book got to me...being bullied throughout school I felt for the author...people don't know what you live so in their ignorance they make up stories or make fun of to make you feel worse than you already do...in some sick weird way it makes them feel superior...I too had continual stomach issues in school but not to this extreme...still had to wait to go at home because bathrooms were just as bad as busy hallways sometimes worse.
The Author; even thru. all of this actually did something good with his life!
The Author; even thru. all of this actually did something good with his life!
June 30, 2014
First off, WTF!!!! I want to give props to the author for being brave enough to put his story on pages and I do hope that it served as a form of "self-healing". I could not believe what I was reading but it saddens me to think that everything that happened to Leo could be happening to other children right now. I enjoyed the entire story and I wish Leo the best.
February 26, 2013
I actually really enjoyed this book and really wasn't expecting to. It really helped me understand some things about mental illness. And the fact that he went on to go to medical school is just inspiring.
December 2, 2014
A poignant nonfiction story, full of survival and progression. it's a good story at times whiny but good.
October 12, 2014
Read my review here!
http://areadersrapture.blogspot.ca/20...
http://areadersrapture.blogspot.ca/20...
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews