Everyday I hear incredible stories in the news, some share good news, but more often than not they are stories of horrific events that are happening to people just like you and me. I often wonder what happens to these folks after the media moves on to other stories. Have they picked up the pieces of their lives or did the experience destroy them? “The Olive Picker: A Memoir” is story of courage, strength and triumph.

“The Olive Picker: A Memoir” is the biography of Kathryn Brettell. She shares her life story growing up living in a blended family with her mother, step-father, sister and her two half-sisters.

Kathi’s step-father loved his own children more than his step-children. He abused Kathi and molested her sister Debbie. The girls mother refused to acknowledge the abuse happening in her own home. The effects of Kathi’s abuse followed her through two marriages which ended in divorce and children. Her third marriage ended in a struggle to survive as she was being beaten severely. Kathi finds herself listening to that inner voice telling her what to do and how to survive the beating.

“The Olive Picker: A Memoir” story is of strength, survival and courage that Ms. Brettell showed as she moved beyond all the pain she had experienced. To anyone in an abusive relationship this would be a book to read in what looks like a hopeless situation to give you hope.

I cannot began to imagine the horror that Kathi went through each day. Her story shows us how she is a true a survivor and how she was able to take control of her life and live it to the fullest. This is a very heart wrenching memoir that must have taken a lot of courage to write.



Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of "The Olive Picker: A Memoir" in exchange for my review. All opinions are 100% my own.