Never Stop Walking

By: Christina Rickardsson, Tara F. Chace - translator

Narrated by: Siiri Scott

Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

An extraordinary memoir of one woman’s fight to find her true self between the life into which she was born and the one she was given.

Christiana Mara Coelho was born into extreme poverty in Brazil. After spending the first seven years of her life with her loving mother in the forest caves outside São Paulo and then on the city streets, where they begged for food, she and her younger brother were suddenly put up for adoption. When one door closed on the only life Christiana had ever known and on the woman who protected her with all her heart, a new one opened.

As Christina Rickardsson, she’s raised by caring adoptive parents in Sweden, far from the despairing favelas of her childhood. Accomplished and outwardly “normal,” Christina is also filled with rage over what she’s lost and having to adapt to a new reality while struggling with the traumas of her youth. When her world falls apart again as an adult, Christina returns to Brazil to finally confront her past and unlock the truth of what really happened to Christiana Mara Coelho.

A memoir of two selves, Never Stop Walking is the moving story of the profound love between families and one woman’s journey from grief and loss to survival and self-discovery.

©2016 Christina Rickardsson. Translation © 2018 by Tara F. Chace. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

A Vent

The writing was poor(although it may have not translated well). So...it was a difficult read which took me days...which is abnormal for me. I persevered because I do know children who have been adopted from orphanages in foreign countries and have been diagnosed with RAD. I thought that Christina's perspective might help me to understand why some of these children rip off doors and seem to want to destroy the new and loving home they have been given. At least, the book, ponderous as it was, has helped me to do that in some small measure. A couple of sentences and her perspective at 32 instead of 8 helped me to have hope for those kids I have met in various places. How do you get over seeing your own father killed?? How do you get over the feeling that you have been ripped from the arms of someone who loves you! I am sad that Christina still seems to have very little tangible source of strength since she has relegated God to the "fairy tale" realm. It is also sad that she apparently didn't have an editor or perhaps the book may have been more tolerable. On.a positive note, I would like to introduce this book to some of the people at the church where I go who seem to think that people who are homeless have brought it on themselves...some of us even drive a Lexus!

Needs an editor!

The story is interesting and the performance is good but it covers the same ground many times. The author needs to write the same thing repeatedly to heal but the reader does not.

Slow and redundant

I gave this all the way until I only had 3 hrs left. Not only did I find the narrator to be overly dramatic and s-l-o-w, but the story was incredibly simplistic and took forever to get anywhere. There is a lot of pontificating. Blah! Not for me.

try listening at a higher speed

sad story of a young girls life before and after adoption and the corrupt system involved.

Powerful and transparent!!!

I love this book and how Christiana (Christina) is very transparent, genuine, and sincere in every word she wrote. This was a very easy listen and read. I found myself inspired to share my testimony of growing up in similarities and at times felt that Christiana was one of my friends that I made in childhood that impacted my life for greater! Thank you Christiana your powerful testimony of your journey to uncover and discover who you are as a human being!!! This book is a blessing and help brings perspective!!

This book reminds us what matters

I was so sad and happy with Christina as she recounted her life. She gave me wake up calls to be grateful for all that I have. She reminded me to check my prejudices and realize that my thinking can often be swayed by privilege.

Incredible story

A moving story that makes me grateful for all I have and safe that children have to suffer.

An amazing story; I was mesmerized

I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down... it is an amazing account of the resiliency of a young girl. I felt it was living it with her. The narrator Siri did a spectacular job. I thought she was the author.

LOVED it

Awesome story Christina I can’t even imagine the amount of trauma you went through and the fact that you do keep walking and discovering new things about yourself is amazing and a blessing. God bless you.

Child of the streets tells story

I’ve traveled throughout the world and frequently encountered children who appear to be all alone on the streets begging for food or coins. Sometimes I’ve stopped and given what I had and many times I did not. But I will never be able to look at them again without wondering what is their story, and seeing them in a total different light. I appreciated the writers question and plea at the end to appreciate and value ALL humanity. And think on the question of what can be done to alleviate suffering in the world. Certainly I do have an increased awareness of how much I have and gratitude for the lifestyle I enjoy. But wonder, what would happen if it disappeared tomorrow . . .

Incredible

After seeing Christina live in the theatre, I knew I had to read this book.

Family and Love

Probably the best audible book I've managed to finish , makes you aware of the privileged upbringing in the western world, have the tissues ready !!!

Terrible narrator

The narrator spoiled the book for me. She reads the story as if she was reading poetry full of pathos. I found it annoying and disangaging. The story is good although I did not appreciated the constant jumps from the past to the presence and back to the past. I feel that the story is much more interesting when told chronologically.