Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.
TWITTER, ETC:If you are on Twitter, please tweet a link to your post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I also recently signed up for Google+ and have a button over there in the right-hand column to join my circles or whatever it is. I don't really understand yet how that one works.
MR. LINKY: Please leave a link to your post below. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.
MY BOOK BEGINNING
The sad exposition of the struggle for justice against the Roman Catholic Church in Delaware begins with the funeral of Douglas McClure, who was the nicest person I have ever known.
-- When Priests Become Predators: Profiles of Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors by Thomas S. Neuberger.
This isn't light reading, but it is an honest and sadly fascinating study of the effects of childhood sexual abuse as well as the history of abuse within the Catholic Church. Neuberger used sworn testimony from jury trials and court documents to tell the stories of several abuse survivors.
I work with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. So often, the most important step in their healing is just to be able to tell their story. Neuberger's book recognizes the power of coming forward and letting go of the shame so many victims have carried since they were kids.
