Courtney

Prior to reading this book, I had no knowledge of the tragic murders in West Memphis. I was drawn into this incredibly well-written book, by Damien Echol's natural ability to tell a story. I was drawn to the person he was and the person he grew to be during his years in prison. Since reading this book I have watched all of the HBO documentaries that portray how easy it is for justice to be miscarried, when media, fear, and ignorance are in the mix. What I found most fascinating and refreshing about this book is the fact that Damien Echols did not allow himself to be swallowed by fear and self-pity at the prospect of being executed for a crime he did not commit. He wrote a book that told a story about life on death row-the lessons that he learned as he came of age behind bars.

Sugarbabe is an intriguing story about a professional woman who goes broke and makes a concious decision to be a high end prostitute. Listening was something like watching a train wreck-I winced the whole way through but couldn't stop listening. The author accidentally discovers that she makes a great mistress and decides she may as well capitalize on her talents. The only thing that makes the book worthwhile is the the fascinating and diverse cast of characters that she takes on as her "customers". Listening felt like indulging a guilty pleasure and ultimately left me unsatisfied-junk food in a book. This book will not make you a better person for reading it. I did appreciate that the narrator was American even though the author was Australian, as those narrations can be more difficult to listen to (unless you are Australian). I wasn't so thrilled with her pornographic descriptions of her sexual adventures which were gratuitous in some cases and robbed the story of any integrity it could have had. I also found the narration to be too syrupy-which fits well with the name of the book, but does not make it easy to listen to.
Overall, I would say this is a good listen if you happen to be interested in the idea of being a high paid prostitute or if you have absolutely nothing else to do. Otherwise, it is just extra, empty calories.

This book makes up for every dud I have listened to on audible. The author is unflinching, unyielding in her description of the insanity and chaos she grew up in, yet she doesn't ask for the reader's sympathy or pity. The love-hate-fear triad she feels for her drug-addicted mother is what makes the story so compelling. As in real life, this book is all shades of gray. A mother who neglects her child, shares drugs with her child, turns a blind eye to sexual abuse, but at the same time is determined to secure the best education for her. A mother who seems to care only about getting high and being in love, yet turns a small, failing business into a million dollar enterprise. And then loses it all to drugs.
The author does an incredible job at portraying a relationship fraught with ambivalence and fear. She has an overwhelming love for her mother, yet prays for her death so as to release her from the bondage of codependency and pain. The redemption comes when the author's instinct for self-preservation appears and she begins the journey to find her authentic self.