Girl Hidden: A Memoir

De: Jesse Rene Gibbs

Narrado por: Lessa Lamb

Echoing among the Blue Ridge Mountains were the cries of newborn babies that disappeared into the night. The screams of children nearly drowned out by the sound of crickets. A girl, hidden and waiting to be found, terrified, and confused. The fireflies sparkling in the woods, bringing light to darkled places.

The bulk of Jesse’s memories were of growing up in the farm country of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. The farm folks stayed pretty much outside of town, except for visits to the feed store causing random tractors to travel down Main Street. A large family struggles to survive the chaotic nature of the family head: their mother, a blend of rage, disappointment, and religious command. Her husband follows sheepishly behind, a monster of his own kind. There were beatings and abuses, manipulation and terror carried out in spaces breathtaking in their beauty.

And then there’s young Jesse: unwanted from conception but kept as a pawn for her mother’s bidding. Her life is a tale of growing up with no one to count on but herself.

A story of southern hills, a mother’s neglect, fireflies, kidnapping, birth, death, and the taste of sweet mulberries ripened by the sun. Jesse is a girl, hidden, who becomes a woman, discovered.

©2021 Jesse René Gibbs (P)2022 Jesse René Gibbs

very good

I do prefer first hand accounting of people's stories but it was very good. they go back and forth in the beginning with the past and present so it's a bit confusing but the person Jesse is remarkable and a survivor. the mom is crazy. the dad could of made it better why didn't he? I was really angry with him. poor girl.

Omg

It was absolutely beautiful and amazing written as a survivor of child abuse myself it spoke to me and helped me learn that my experience can’t stop me from being amazing ❤️

It felt like a lot of snippets without the right type of continuity... terrible narration

I hate to be judgmental when it's somebody sharing a personal memoir like this. I suppose they have to tell it however they have to tell it. And it wasn't poorly written. but I felt like the continuity was weird and it just was like a lot of quirky little stories pushed together. you got an idea of the controlling nature of Dolores but not the full picture.
But it would have been better as well with a different narrator. The narrator would have been okay had she just read the book. but she tried to put all this inflection and emotion and drama into it and she just did not pull it off. the wrong inflections at every point. These ridiculous poised pauses and overacting.... I spent a good chunk of the story rolling my eyes at the narrator.

Excellent read

What a story of survival and resilience… not only of Jessie but of the bond that hold families together. inspired.

Memorable

I think that anyone who had a narcissist parent can relate. This book brought back memories of my parent and my childhood. My heart goes out to all the abused children being robbed of there childhood.

A beautiful story of survival and love

I was very touched by the story. It was both hard to hear and filled with hope. In response to the previous review… I came up dirt poor in the south at the same time and will add that the author survived much more than I could imagine. Thank you for sharing your powerful story.

Keeps you intrigued!!!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I found every minute so fascinating. I cried. I laughed. I was in shock. I got angry. So many emotions.

Heartbreaking and Inspirational All At Once

This book was so touching and relatable for me. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a book to give a glimpse into the world of familial abuse. It is both truthful and at times unbelievable to think about the events described. I know the feeling of sexual, physical and emotional abuse, so I am intimately aware that these things happen, unfortunately far too often. The strength and bravery the author had in order to make this book possible must have taken a very long time to gather. My heart is there with Jesse, and I am so thankful for this book. ❤️

A triump

This memoir celebrates the triumph of the human spirit and love. Highly recommended for those of us who can’t get enough of well-written memoirs by women.

Honest

Heartfelt. Your story hit me so hard, the honesty, the rawness, the pain in your words. I cried, I got mad enough to punch something, scared, sick, smiled, cheered, giggled & cried tears of happiness.