The Book Mistresses
September 2013 - Book # 111
Etched in Sand
Chosen by Kim
Excerpt from cover:
"Regina Calcaterra's emotionally powerful memoir reveals how she endured a series of foster homesand intermittent homelessness in the shadow of the Hamptons, and how she rose above her past while fighting to keep her brother and three sisiters together.
Beautifully written and heartbreakingly honest, Etched in Sand is an unforgettable reminder that regardless of social status, the American dream is still within reach for those who have desire and the determination to succeed."
The Book Mistresses' Review
This made for a great book club discussion! Regina Calcaterra, writes her memoir of growing up in a abusive home along with her four siblings in the Hamptons and Manhattan. Remarkably, every father (5 ia all) detaches themselves from their child. Calccaterra is able give insight to the dilemmas that were placed in front of her as a child that continued to into her adulthood. The primal need to save herself, yet the desire to protect her siblings. As a young girl, Regina is extremely close to her all her siblings as they depend on eachother for survival , comfort and love. Though as time separates them, she can only remain close to her older sisters when her mother, "Cookie" who is every antonym known to the meaning of sweet, takes her younger brother and sister far away from any contact with Regina. Throughout the novel, she describes her relationship with social workers and their need to record and infiltrate their lives, Regina gives her own account the actions of social workers from the point of view as a child, a teenager and an adult. (Hopefully, many social workers will read this this memoir.) Despite the odds stacked against anyone who would have such an upbringing, Regina triumphs her past. In our discussion, we examined the subject of parental fostering from the standpoint of those in this novel that fostered from the heart (remembering the "happy house") and those whose hearts may have been involved in fostering but were ruled by their intellect first followed by their heart. We also sifted through the ways inwhich individuals in the book were able to help or inspire Regina and her older sisters, such as friends, teachers and even a landloard. It was refreshing to see a life that so extremely lacked nurturing, furthermore filled with abuse become a positive success, functioning in relationships and in community! This is the type of book that pulls at our emotions (our group tends to be a emotional, always jumping in emotionally first and then backing into the intellectual aspect - which we don't take lightly either! ) Calcaterra did an amazing job of character development of herself, her siblings her horrendous mother. Her writing style was fluent, not overly discriptive but to the point, revealing her physical and emotional struggle. In summary, bravo Regina Calcaterra! Bravo!