Another Chance to Get It Right

By: Andrew Vachss

Narrated by: Joe R. Lansdale

Length: 1 hr and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

The acclaimed and ground breaking collection of short stories, poetry, and allegory by Andrew Vachss, one of the most powerful voices in the field of child protection. This work is an illumination of the realities of child abuse, juvenile violence...and tribute to the power of imagination. 

People Magazine says, "Another Chance is Dr. Seuss dressed up as a Scorsese movie, another on-target hit by an author who has made children his primary concern."

Another Chance to Get it Right offers a unique look at the potential of parenting, as much inspirational as it is instructional, both a blessing and a warning for us all.

©2016 Andrew Vachss (P)2020 Mark Alan Miller

An Important Book

The book opens with a dedication:

“This is for all those Children of The Secret who refused to imitate their oppressors.
Pain-forged in the cruelest crucible
Reborn as the finest of our species
Protecting as they were never protected
Transcenders
who give us all
Another Chance to Get It Right”

As a fellow Child of the Secret, this really resonated with me.
The book is beautiful, lyrical, and full of heart.
It contains several short stories about children in various kinds of peril and how the danger in their world shapes who they become later.
It’s heavy subject matter that could easily be mismanaged, but it is performed with tenderness and wisdom by narrator Joe Lansdale.
I would recommend this book for anyone who has a child. Its honesty and it’s message are striking, and moved me to tears on more than one occasion.

A very profound book full of truth.

This was a very deep read (listen) to me. The book was filled with a lot of stories about childhood experiences. Some were bright and cheerful, while others had tragic endings. All the same, this book speaks volumes about the experiences many children from different backgrounds face. I feel that the book did an excellent job of presenting all these childhood experiences through each story told. Themes such as poverty, child abuse, school education and child play were covered. The metaphors and comparisons used throughout the book were great ways to explain each of the stories told.

I can see why this is a "children's book for adults." In a way, this book is a form of reflection about people's past childhood experiences and how such experiences have shaped these people into what they are now. Obviously, adult themes are often recurring in each childhood story, but are essential to the overall goal of the book.

All-in-all, while this was a very deep and emotional reading, I did enjoy the book as a whole and I really appreciate the effort that the author took to capture all these glimpses of childhood and put them into this single collection.

Very Short and Very Sweet

The stories provided in this book all end with the theme of having another chance to get things right, unsurprisingly. Each story varied greatly from the others having either heartwarming or somewhat bittersweet endings to them. The author managed to make them all thought provoking to some extent, even making some endings more vague than others. I personally enjoyed this book due to the balance of being entertaining and meaningful without overstaying its welcome. It quickly sought out to get its message across, then left just as quickly when that message was received.

Thought provoking piece

Thoroughly enjoyable through serious subject matter. Great work in advocating for the respect and acknowledgment that children deserve but rarely get as individuals. While the title "Another Chance To Get It Right" seems to be an optimistic call, my pessimistic nature interprets it as "How Many Chances Do We have left?" Even so, I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in gaining a deeper perspective on the hardships of growing up in less than ideal conditions.

An Astounding Book Every Parent Should Read

A collection of stories that just tugs on your heartstrings.

Like it says on the cover its a children's book for adults, and by that it really means adult stories about children going through dark and stressful times and learning about the realities of our world sooner than they hoped.

Andrew Vachss teaches in every story a lesson for every parent about the importance of raising a child right and to preserve their childhood innocence until they are ready. And even if you don't have kids, the deep and powerful voice of Joe R. Lansdale compels you to keep on listening and learning about what it means to be a child in an adult world. It is an experience you will never forget.

Excellent Audiobook

Great narration and story. Powerful voice and impactful storyteller. Also, it's not very long and chapters are fairly short as well. Recommended for all to listen to at least once.

A Stunning Look at the Importance of Childhood

This book is an emotional look at how important childhood is for all of us, and how we adults have a duty to our children to lead them towards a better life. Vachss does a beautiful job of teaching this lesson with Another Chance, conveying it piece by piece with its set of short stories. This story is a powerful experience that every adult needs to have.

The Child Advocacy Book We Need

After navigating through the aphorism-filled chapters towards the beginning, the reader is whisked through a multitude of child-related narratives that likely happen somewhere around the world everyday. Some stories warm your heart, others ache it. Not unlike a flower, as a child's honesty, soul, and innocence comes naturally to them, adults can just as easily take that away.

Another Chance prompts us to realize that we possess a sense of responsibility and self-efficacy in understanding that we are the paint to the child's blank canvas. We can raise them to reach their true potential or fulfill their dreams, giving them the chances that we as adults may have not had. Definitely an engaging listen with important lessons and implications. Worth checking out even if you don't/won't have children of your own!

Worth the time

For me this one gets a stellar rating for chapters 6-9. Each of those were fantastic really. The rest of the chapters are also very good and well performed by Mr. Lansdale.