I thought this book was well written. That poor child was so abused. I thought the Author did a great job portraying their story. Could not put the book down.

Read this book in about an hour. Tells the true story of a young girls survival against her father. She tries to tell people but no one would listen. The book ends kinda up in the air -finding out there is a book 2. For a fast easy short story--and price is right.. I recommend this book.

Maybe it's because I work in mental health, but I found much of the information in here to be fairly basic and well known. I was hoping for more in depth analysis--what are the long-term effects of drug use on cognition and processing? We know that drug use modifies brain chemistry--the changes that manifest themselves in the genes, are they passed down to the drug addict's offspring? What if the addict stops using--do the genes return to normal? Some of this was addressed in the book. We see a lot of adolescents who have smoked salvia or methamphetamines where I work--do the changes in their personalities and processing last a lifetime, if the person never does the drug again? How maleable is the brain? What about alcoholics? If they sober up and stay that way, can the brain recover? And how does this manifest itself in their day to day lives? I had a lot of questions (clearly) and wasn't satisfied with the depth of the answers the book provided. The author is obviously very knowledgable--I think this book was written specifically for the lay person. Also, his use of exclamation points kind of drove me nuts, but that may just be me.

When I began reading Empty Chairs by Stacey Danson I was completely unprepared for what I would find. If it were a novel, I would have put it down. The matter-of-fact narration depicting extreme sexual exploitation of a small child by her mother turned my stomach. But Empty Chairs isn't a novel. It is Stacy Danson's life story. I read on through tears; my heart filled with horror, sympathy, and anger. But I read on.

In her superbly written auto-biography, the author unfolds a vision of hell that few can imagine, but is the life of far too many innocent children in our society. Stacy was beaten brutally and repeatedly. She was forced to service a stream of men who paid her mother - not occasionally, but every day. When her mother wasn't pleased with her performance Stacy was locked away in a dark closet where claustrophobia threatened her sanity. Stacy was only three.

Her earliest memories are of abuse. Stacy was only five when her mother sold her virginity to the highest bidder and she was brutally raped. The daily torment continued until Stacy, in an amazing act of defiance, at last said no and ran away. She had only been allowed to attend three years of school, between six and nine years old, and at eleven was alone on the harsh streets of Kings Cross in Sydney, Australia. But Stacy survived.

In her short time attending school she learned to read. Her love of reading, and her hunger for knowledge, has continued for over forty years, as is apparent in her masterful writing. Horrific details of her life are delivered in almost emotionless, matter-of-fact clarity, and her dark humor is equally dead-pan. Yes, I laughed at times, in a very somber way. But without that detachment and humor the story would be too tragic to read....

I am friends with the author on facebook, as I am with many fellow writers. We rarely interact, but I saw a post that her blog was nearing two-hundred followers and she was giving away copies of Empty Chairs once she reached two-hundred. I went to her blog and followed it. I was number two-hundred. She emailed the book and told me it was her auto-biography and might be hard to read. I never imagined. It was the hardest thing I have ever read. I can not possibly understand how hard it was to write.

Though I think this book should be read by every adult on the planet, I must warn you it is a glimpse into hell. Stacy carries the emotional and physical scars, some severe, to this day, but I am amazed she even survived. It is far more unfathomable that she grew into such a strong and beautiful human being, and equally wonderful writer. I am quite honored now to be on her friends list. But as she says, she didn't just survive, she choose to live, and she choose to speak out and shine a light into the dark corners of our world that most of us chose to ignore.

The book begins with the author discovering a diagnosis of Tourette's Syndome, a mystery illness he had since childhood, thanks to a South Park episode. In much the same vein - quirky and tragic hilarity - the book then follows his childhood and adolescence, covering a range of problems, illnesses and addictions in a very light and humorous manner.

This author has clearly led an entertaining - albeit problematic - life, and it makes for an enthralling read. I've read a number of memoirs and often find that subjects such as mental illness and addiction are covered with a depressing and tragic narration, leading to a monotonous and melancholic read, but in this book, there is an intriguing and hilarious edge to the narration that makes for a very enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it highly.

Very good book. Very sad. Made even sadder still by the fact that there are children in this world actually living this way. It's a crime that our country can let these things go on. Furthering my belief that people should have a license to reproduce. Make them go through extensive training, to learn how to properly take care of a child's needs.
In conclusion, I think this book will help me to be a better mother. To take a step back and put myself in my child's shoes. Every child is innocent...we need to abolish the horrible people who take advantage of these innocent victims.

This book is hard to follow. The author is sitting on death row writing down his ramblings from his demented mind. All this book is is him complaining about how unfair he being treated in prision. I wish I had not bought this book.

I finished this disturbing book yesterday and spent today thinking about it. Two points I'll make up front:

1) I wasn't there, so I see no reason to disbelieve the writer unless some other information comes out.
2) Whether or not the story is true or false, here's a truth: There are people in this world that consider those that cannot help themselves (children, vulnerable adults, animals) a burden and do not care for them as they would someone they love. I've seen and experienced enough in my lifetime to know bad things happen, and the lack of love brings forth such events.

The story is about Lily, who lived with a mother and stepfather in London, and after an assault by a family member, was sent with her brother and sister to live with their father in Ireland. It didn't get much better there, as the father was often away, and the kids suffered neglect. When the community found out, they were taken in by a group of nuns and endured more hardship. When Lily grew up, she finally got away and met a man that loved her and continued to attempt to put her childhood behind her by giving her own kids the love she wasn't given.

Overall this was a compelling read that may turn away the skeptics and bring believers to tears. I liked the story, but sometimes, the truth is too hard for people to bear; so I recommend this story with a warning it's not for the faint of heart. Overall, well done, four stars!

I read this is one night... being an insomniac that isnt as amazing as it sounds... I found this to be exactly what I needed in my life right now... Sad to say that most of it was because I identified so much with almost all of it... What I found the most engaging were the sections that talked about how she processes thoughts and feelings, and explaining how she was able to make it through each event, file it away and face the next challenge... I LOVED this book, You have no idea how much.... You will be a better person for having read it :)

This was a really good story. I loved the ending - it was not what I expected. Definitely worth 99 cents! Hope to see more in the future from this author.