jaemie’s Reviews > Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island > Status Update

i hope nick rots

i had to do a speech for school recently and my lines that defined the speech were: “your beginnings don’t limit your purpose. and where i started doesn’t define where i’m going,” - and this memoir really paves the way for kids to see that. watching her be a powerful speaker for disabled veterans and how she relates to the idea of needing to be self sufficient. how her experiences drive her purpose.

i stood up and cheered for frank. love him. showcasing that he respects the sisters enough to let them have time to catch up, taking care of the food too, and then taking care of the baby; a real stand up guy.

i love this tender moment, how domestic it is but also how nostalgic. having people together under the same roof after all being separated for years is so so special. andddd the fact there’s food! something the girls had to grow up primarily without. knowing that rosie will cut her sisters off really makes this moment even more special.

i love that she trusted professor brownstein enough to talk to him, despite her past experiences trusting in others for help. it’s reflective of tara’s time at byu (in educated) and her opportunity to open up with her professor and then onto a counselor. i love that regina has fond memories of her elementary teachers.

educators should always be seen as more, as confidants and some of your biggest supporters.

out of idaho.

this is my pledge that i hate the state of idaho. it is wicked and cursed. frightening to think of norm and rosie’s abusive childhood doing outside labor in 1980-1984+ that in only two years Tara Westover will be born in 86 to grow up in the same state also in an abusive labor intensive childhood.

i also love that both regina and tara are told Education is escape from their current situations

ms harvey the social worker better be goad she lives on long island in 1980 otherwise she’d be missing all her necessary facial features: eyes, nose, and teeth.
i think what’s upsetting is that she should be doing her best to help but she’s not. i’m more mad at her than at Cookie because Cookie doesn’t know better, harvey does.

useless little piece of government employee

to all the good foster families out there: we need more of you all.

im thankful that there are some who exist.

this book definitely softens your heart to all the kids who have struggled, are struggling, and will struggle with so much abuse and instability they don’t deserve

even after almost 50 years, the foster care system is still unbelievably broken. it seems almost beyond repair.

my heart goes out to all the single mothers who do it “right” —and my definition of “right” is very low here in context considering how “bad” Cookie (and all the abusive foster parents) did it.