Bertha Speaks Out

Bertha and Tillie

by Fran Lewis

About the book ... Growing up was difficult for me being overweight, too quiet and really afraid to speak out in order to defend myself. In this book Bertha learns that she needs to let her voice be heard and no longer allows herself to be the scapegoat. Not everyone is beautiful, looks like a model or even dances like the pros, but everyone in the world every child and adult is good at something. Find out what your strengths are and build on them and success will be yours. Bertha also learns in this book how to deal with a family member's disease and how she and her sister Tillie work together to help the other members of her family when grandma gets Alzheimer's. I hope that you enjoy reading about Bertha and Tillie and learn that there is a little bit of her in everyone. Love Bertha, Tillie and Fran Lewis

102 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Biography: Fran Lewis

Born in the South Bronx, I grew up with people from many ethnic backgrounds. I learned to play and work with children in my school that came from other countries and different places.
I was always over weight as a child and got picked on a lot by the other children in my class and even my teachers. I found it hard to do many of the sporting activities that my sister and cousins could do. I learned at an early age that kids can be mean and I promised myself that I would never retaliate or do mean things to other kids in return.


When I decided to write my short stories I realized that I had a lot to say about my youth and in both of my books I tell about a ten year old girl named Bertha who learns to deal with real life issues kids face today at home and in school. I write reviews for other sites and I wrote three children’s books and currently writing one on Alzheimer’s Disease.

As an educator I the New York City Public Schools for over 36 years, I realized just how unique and precious our children are. I was the reading and writing staff developer in my school and the dean. I loved the children and had the respect of my fellow teachers and parents.

Teaching children to read was really very rewarding and introducing them to writing and creating their own stories was exciting for the students. I am a member of WhosWho of America’s Executives and Professionals as well as a member of WhosWho of America’s Teachers. I am the author of three children’s books and my fourth entitled Memories Are Precious: Alzheimer’s Journey: Ruth’s Story will be out next month. I am currently writing my fourth Bertha Book and a second on cognitive ways to keep your brain alert. The tentative title is Sharp as a Tack or Scrambled Eggs: Which Describes Your Brain. This book will deal with how we should help those who are seniors keep their minds and bodies active as well as ways to help delay dementia and Alzheimer’s.


I review books for Manic Readers, I justfinished.com and BookPleasures.com. I review books for authors upon request and would love to get paid for doing my reviews. There are publicists that send me books to review and that get paid for my reviews. I wrote five books that are self-published and I am going to complete one book children’s book and one based on a true story.

I host two radio shows on Red River Radio. The first is a book discussion where I interview or ask authors questions about their writing and books along with a book club panel to ask additional questions. I am going to host a show for children’s and Ya authors starting in August. I have been interviewed many times. I will be interviewed on D’s Roundtable on August 19th at and page Page Readers on Sept. 27th at three. My book discussion show is the third Wed. of every month at one eastern and my children’s author’s show will be four times a year. I am also going to interview Dr. Kenneth Weene on Sept. 21st at four. I had to reschedule the interview due to personal reasons. We will discuss the inside scoop about insane asylums and his career working in one plus his book Memoirs from an Asylum.

I hope this gives you a picture of what I do. Fran

I am a reading and writing staff developer and I worked with children with reading and writing disabilities.
https://profiles.google.com/gabina49

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read for kids of all ages. It is current in what it relates to children and what they deal with growing up. It is my second book. Bertha learns many different lessons in this book. She learns how to handle mean kids in school and a situation that causes her to reflect on how her mom treated her while growing up. Her mom was tough her on when it came to her weight and school. She demanded that Bertha always get perfect scores on her projects and tests. If she did not get a perfect score on her tests her mom insisted that she write over the entire test not only to learn from her mistakes but to see what a perfect paper would look like. This caused her to get stressed out and get migraines before and after these tests. She was even sent to weightloss bootcamp to try and curb her appetite for fattening foods and snacks. The book also deals with a situation where her family members come together as one when a member of the family gets sick. It is insightful, funny and true to life. Everyone, adults and children should go on Barnes and Noble.com and get this book.

[Martha Cheves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bertha Speaks Out – Fran Lewis, Author
In Fran Lewis’ first book My Name is Bertha you meet Bertha who is an overweight young lady that is teased, laughed at and hurt by both her peers and some of the adults in her life.
In Bertha Speaks Out, she learns to take up for herself by speaking out and expressing her feelings. When a child is not “perfect” other children as well as adults can be cruel. As adults we sometimes ignore the hurt that our own children may inflict upon a child that is not “perfect”. If a child has a handicap, kids may mock them. If they have a speech problem, they may mimic them. If they are overweight, they may call them names and exclude them. All of these actions damage the child that is not “perfect” as well as the child doing the hurting. We as parents need to teach them that this is wrong and how their actions hurt.
Bertha Speaks Out is a very enjoyable book to read. Bertha finds herself in positions that will make you laugh and cry. You will feel her pain but also feel her pride when she stands up for what is right. It’s a must read for children as well as adults.
Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bertha is really great. She hates dancing and she hates having to lose weight. In this book she does not dance but she attempts to lose weight at weight loss boot camp. But, she does not leave without her stash of candy and her sense of humor. She also learns how to work together with her family when her grandmother gets Alzheimers. This story and the book is dedicated to her mom, Ruth who does have the disease. We can only hope that someday there is a cure.