Title: Whispers of Broken Trust: The Painful Truth of Child Abuse
Author: Tamara Rivera
Publisher: Mainspring Books
ISBN: 979-8891141315
Pages: 92
Genre: LGBTQ+ Biographies / Memoirs
Reviewer: Anthony Avina
Hollywood Book Reviews
The experiences a person has in childhood are very crucial to their lives, as they are the most formative years of their entire life. They help shape the kind of person the child will grow up to be, either because of, or in spite of those experiences, and the haunting realities of those who experience negative or debilitating things in childhood reflect the most cruel natures that can be found in humanity.
It is in those experiences in which author Tamara Rivera brings to life their memoir Whispers of Broken Trust: The Painful Truth of Child Abuse. The book delves into the hardships and struggles the author endured in their young life, from the bullying they experienced and the gender dysmorphia they endured, to the chilling and vile abuse at the hands of relatives and strangers throughout their childhood, and how they found ways of surviving that abuse and overcoming it later in life.
While the book itself is horrifying in its subject matter, the writing itself is relatable and engaging. The author writes in a very conversational tone and delves into the specifics of their experiences in their life. The reverence and love they share for their mother is equally mirrored by the anger and fear that drove most of their relationship with their father, a central focus of the book as he became a major part of the violence and cruelty that the author felt throughout their childhood. The detailed and honest writing the author poured into this short, yet powerful read allowed the reader to connect to the author’s story and feel the heaviness of the atmosphere of their life.
Balance was key to this memoir meets family dynamic and LGBTQ+ driven biography/nonfiction book. The balance came in the form of the author’s drive to help readers better understand the hidden and often voicelessness that can come from childhood abuse and those who suffer from it for years, bringing attention to a subject that needs global change, while also highlighting the personal struggles of those in the LGBTQ+ community. The truthful approach to this subject matter kept the reader engaged in the author’s story and created an emotional impact that drove these important themes and topics home.