Review of Heather
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Review of Heather
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Heather" by Steven A. Yagyagan.]
In his book Heather: Tuu Maia Lou Lima (Give Me Your Hand), Steven A. Yagyagan puts the traumatic life story of a Samoan-Scottish woman into writing. Throughout her life, Heather has been subjected to multiple forms of abuse. The majority of these abusive acts came at the hands of family members; people who should have loved her unconditionally. Born in 1959 in American Samoa, Heather was the result of a one-time affair between the 15-year-old Manaia, and a Scottish professor. To make matters worse, the professor, Jon Mitchell, was the husband of Manaia’s cousin. Tasi, Manaia’s father, and matai of their Samoan family, decided for the newborn to stay with Jon and his wife until Manaia turned 18. In the two years that followed, Heather became the victim of her stepmother's wrath. Verbal attacks, burns, and denial of food were just a few of the terrible acts baby Heather was subjected to. A horrible event transpired during a visit by related teenage boys with a sickening interest in Heather. There was a glimmer of hope when Heather was finally allowed to live with Manaia, who had moved to Hawaii and married the Filipino Tony. Tony and his son Rudy eventually became important figures for little Heather. Sadly, fate was not on Heather's side; Manaia, too, started to abuse her daughter. How will these never-ending traumatic experiences affect Heather's childhood, adolescence, and eventual adulthood?
Heather's story touched me deeply. Knowing that the author describes events that happened in real life made reading this book even more heartbreaking. In the course of her childhood, Heather had to suffer atrocities that no human being should ever have to experience. These terrible acts of abuse are often described in considerable detail, allowing the reader to empathize with Heather even more. Steven A. Yagyagan creates authenticity by using linguistic expressions typical for Samoa and Hawaii and incorporating traditions of Samoan culture into the plot. An aspect worth mentioning is that Yagyagan also included some beautiful moments between Heather and her siblings. I was very grateful for these wholesome moments in between, as the book addresses extremely heavy and dark topics.
Sadly, the book contains several errors and many irregularities regarding the formatting, which gave me the feeling of reading an unedited version of this book. Additionally, the differing layouts between paragraphs and some missing quotation marks often distracted me while reading. These types of errors and inconsistencies could easily have been avoided by more thorough editing.
Due to the numerous grammatical and structural issues, I cannot rate the book any higher than 2 out of 5 stars. Flaws aside, Heather: Tuu Maia Lou Lima (Give Me Your Hand) is a book worth reading. Stories like Heather's deserve to be written down and read by as many people as possible to raise more awareness of child abuse and domestic violence. Lastly, I want to note that this book is suited for adults only, and even then, it might contain content that may be triggering to some readers. In addition to emotional and physical abuse of children, the book deals with on-page descriptions of suicidal ideation, suicide, and sexual assault of a child. So even though it is important to bring more awareness to child abuse, please also consider these content warnings and be mindful of your mental health before you decide to read this book.
******
Heather
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
In his book Heather: Tuu Maia Lou Lima (Give Me Your Hand), Steven A. Yagyagan puts the traumatic life story of a Samoan-Scottish woman into writing. Throughout her life, Heather has been subjected to multiple forms of abuse. The majority of these abusive acts came at the hands of family members; people who should have loved her unconditionally. Born in 1959 in American Samoa, Heather was the result of a one-time affair between the 15-year-old Manaia, and a Scottish professor. To make matters worse, the professor, Jon Mitchell, was the husband of Manaia’s cousin. Tasi, Manaia’s father, and matai of their Samoan family, decided for the newborn to stay with Jon and his wife until Manaia turned 18. In the two years that followed, Heather became the victim of her stepmother's wrath. Verbal attacks, burns, and denial of food were just a few of the terrible acts baby Heather was subjected to. A horrible event transpired during a visit by related teenage boys with a sickening interest in Heather. There was a glimmer of hope when Heather was finally allowed to live with Manaia, who had moved to Hawaii and married the Filipino Tony. Tony and his son Rudy eventually became important figures for little Heather. Sadly, fate was not on Heather's side; Manaia, too, started to abuse her daughter. How will these never-ending traumatic experiences affect Heather's childhood, adolescence, and eventual adulthood?
Heather's story touched me deeply. Knowing that the author describes events that happened in real life made reading this book even more heartbreaking. In the course of her childhood, Heather had to suffer atrocities that no human being should ever have to experience. These terrible acts of abuse are often described in considerable detail, allowing the reader to empathize with Heather even more. Steven A. Yagyagan creates authenticity by using linguistic expressions typical for Samoa and Hawaii and incorporating traditions of Samoan culture into the plot. An aspect worth mentioning is that Yagyagan also included some beautiful moments between Heather and her siblings. I was very grateful for these wholesome moments in between, as the book addresses extremely heavy and dark topics.
Sadly, the book contains several errors and many irregularities regarding the formatting, which gave me the feeling of reading an unedited version of this book. Additionally, the differing layouts between paragraphs and some missing quotation marks often distracted me while reading. These types of errors and inconsistencies could easily have been avoided by more thorough editing.
Due to the numerous grammatical and structural issues, I cannot rate the book any higher than 2 out of 5 stars. Flaws aside, Heather: Tuu Maia Lou Lima (Give Me Your Hand) is a book worth reading. Stories like Heather's deserve to be written down and read by as many people as possible to raise more awareness of child abuse and domestic violence. Lastly, I want to note that this book is suited for adults only, and even then, it might contain content that may be triggering to some readers. In addition to emotional and physical abuse of children, the book deals with on-page descriptions of suicidal ideation, suicide, and sexual assault of a child. So even though it is important to bring more awareness to child abuse, please also consider these content warnings and be mindful of your mental health before you decide to read this book.
******
Heather
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Todos Santos Baja California Sur by Andrea R. Huff
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Williams Jaden
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"Tuu Maia Lou Lima" by Steven A. Yagyagan offers a poignant and heart-wrenching portrayal of Heather's life, a Samoan-Scottish woman who endures years of abuse from both her stepmother and her mother. Despite the overwhelming adversity, Heather's story is one of resilience, survival, and unyielding strength. Her journey from hardship to empowerment highlights the emotional depth of human endurance in the face of tragic circumstances.
Latest Review: McDowell by William H. Coles
