Emma Jean Reborn

by Cupid R. Poe, Kathi Macias

Emma Jean Cooper, nicknamed "Emma Jean Two" by her father, was born in 1966, in the small town of Crooked River, Arkansas, where poverty and prejudice were rampant. Emma Jean grew up with plenty of both, to the extent that her father was active in the Ku Klux Klan and exposed his daughter at an early age to the group's clandestine activities. Her mother, who had been raised in a dysfunctional, abusive situation, was unable to cope with the death of her first daughter, also named Emma Jean, and so transferred that daughter's identity to Emma Jean Two, claiming she was the reincarnation of her dead sister. Emma Jean's childhood was so traumatic and she experienced such extreme parental abuse and rejection that she spent much of her time daydreaming of a better life somewhere-anywhere-away from her family. Ironically it is an African-American classmate named Sadie Garret, a preacher's daughter, who finally gives eighteen-year-old Emma Jean Cooper, daughter of an active Ku Klux Klan member, the courage she needs to escape her racist, abusive environment. Literally running for her life, Emma Jean hitchhikes to California in search of something better than the destructive existence she has so far endured. The experiences of the next few years are beyond anything Emma Jean could ever have imagined, and ultimately serve only to turn her back toward home to confront the evil she thought she had escaped.Back in Crooked River, Emma Jean takes refuge with her former classmate Sadie and, eventually, in an African-American church, where she begins to learn the secret to overcoming her past and establishing her own identity for a positive future.Though loosely based on a compilation of true accounts, Emma Jean Reborn is purely a work of fiction.

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 14, 2005

Reviews

[Nana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life from the very outset was atypical and perverse for Emma Jean Cooper. She was born into a family whose actions were as bizarre as they were abusive. Born into poverty in Crooked River, Arkansas, exposed to extreme racial prejudice and the Ku Klux Klan, Emma Jean had no opportunity for normalcy. Her father was a mean alcoholic, and her mother an insane and scornful victimizer. On her tenth birthday Emma Jean received a cookbook along with the responsibilities of all the cooking and household duties. Her mother beat her with a razor strap on a routine basis and her birthday was no exception. As if she hadn't suffered enough torment, that night her drunken father shot and killed her dog, the only source of love in her abusive existence. Later that night he visited her bedroom to subject her to the onset of a nightly ritual more painful than any other abuse she had suffered. Time was unkind to Emma Jean, and although she hardened herself to the atrocities she suffered, she vowed she would eventually escape, leaving her misery behind her. Marrying a victimizer added to her suffering, but encouragement from a young African-American acquaintance was pivotal in Emma Jeans life. Her friend Sadie explained to her that God had a good plan for her life. That was just the beginning of a quest for a better life.

Emma Jean Reborn is an unforgettable and heart wrenching story of a little girl exposed to the worst atrocities that life holds. Her life story is told with intensity and clarity, leaving the reader overcome with emotion and dismay. The authors have penned this story with an agonizing and realistic magnitude, exposing the existence of the most horrific circumstances that are encountered by countless children and adults. Components of hope, forgiveness, God's love and promises become the strength that propels Emma Jean through years of struggling toward freedom from the prison of her past. Kathi Macias and Dr. Poe have created a fictionalized rendition of a hopeless child, delivering her through her coming of age, and her quest for mercy and a humane existence with the strength of God's love at the core. A poignant story with undying hope through a merciful and loving God.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the Kathi Macias in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma Jean was born to an overly oppressive Mother and an abusive, alcoholic Father. She is taught from a young age to be quiet and endure the hardships until one day an unlikely person opens her eyes. She escapes and is introduced to God. She is told that He has a plan for her life and it is good. However, never having been taught how to form a normal healthy relationship, Emma Jean, despite having met guardian angels along her path, soon finds herself in another situation from which she must escape. She begins to question whether God is really leading her. Her beliefs are really tested when she feels God calling her back to the town where it all began. However, once there, she is embraced by a congregation of people with whom her Daddy would have beat her for talking to and a purpose for her life which she knows that God is leading her.

Kathi Macias writes books from the heart. She bases the books on research and her own relationship with God. Her books describe situations in a vivid and real depiction. I love her books!! I spend many nights staying up late just to finish. This is an author that you DO NOT want to miss.

[Diana Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma Jean Reborn
By: Dr. Cupid R. Poe and Kathi Macias

This story will have you in your seat not wanting to put it down. I sure give Emma Jean credit for still having a will to live after all she went through. Starting off with abuse from her father. There is so much bad in her life to make her feel not worthy of god’s love. Is God really listening to her? Kathi does wonderful with these stories. Each book just keeps getting better. I can see where Kathi puts her all in her books. Very inspirational. A story of forgiveness. I recommend this book and all of Kathi’s books. I know they make me think. 5 star!!!!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the honor of working with Dr. Poe for several months. What a truly compassionate & caring individual.