Kidsensei

A fantastic dialogue-starter!

Revisado: 06-18-18

If, in fact, there is any shared ground between Christianity and LGBTQ advocacy, this book finds it and blazes a path that others can follow.

Whether it succeeds or not is less important in the final result then the fact that it makes the attempt and it does so credibly.

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A fantastic look inside the life of OCD.

Revisado: 05-10-18

This so it gives a unique window into the internal world of someone coping with OCD. If you live or work with someone like this I can't recommend the book enough!

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Astonishingly poetic, yet devastatingly current!

Revisado: 12-22-12

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Putting aside the potentially disturbing aspects of this story in relation to recent events, I would absolutely recommend it, especially in the audio format.The plot, which tracks the growth and development of a deeply flawed (sociopathic?) child from birth through high school, is unique, not alone for the fact we see it all through the eyes of a mother who somehow manages to see her own son for exactly what he is.One wonders how any mother could survive this insight. The desperate need to understand drives the reader through the book along with her, as she and her son hurtle towards an inevitable conclusion.The unique energy of the book is that like the reader, Eva seems quite aware that tragedy awaits, although she does not no how, or precisely why. The need to find out drives reader and narrator inexorably forward.It is a story that calls out to you when you are forced to put it down even for a few hours.As a result, I listened to all 14+ hours (more with some inevitable backtracking) in well under a week. Add to that one of the best performances I've heard on Audible, and I would consider it a "must listen!"

What other book might you compare We Need to Talk About Kevin to and why?

In it's biting prose, it easily outstrips Augusten Burroughs' "Running With Scissors" or Donna Williams' "Somebody Somewhere." In it's emotional impact, it compares favorably with Dave Pelzer's "A Child Called It."If it seems strange that the only books I could compare it to are actual biographies of children with emotional and/or psychological problems, that is exactly my point.The combination of the unique narrative style, the depth and realism of the story and the world-class reading of Ms. Marlo combine to put this book light years ahead of everything Jodi Picault has written, most especially "House Rules." The similarity in subject matter is striking, and yet the two books are worlds apart.

Have you listened to any of Coleen Marlo’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Ms. Marlo, but I have every intention of mining her other performances. I found her to be absolutely on par with the best that Audible has to offer.

If you could take any character from We Need to Talk About Kevin out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The unfortunate truth is that as a mental health professional, I have done the equivalent of taking Kevin out to dinner many times.I find the character of Eva spellbinding and unique, and I would certainly enjoy continuing the "dialogue" of the book further with her.

Any additional comments?

To return again to the issue of current events: I would say that if you were emotionally impacted by the current events regarding school shootings in the news, I would suggest putting off this book a while.

By virtue of it's incredible depth and clarity, it has the potential to -greatly- magnify any emotional reactions you have had to real-world tragedy. I stand by my assessment of the book on its own merits, but I feel compelled to add that this week, in the wake of a real life tragedy, there were parts that had me in tears - not only for the shock of these fictional but all-too-real events, but also by virtue of the incredible emotional quality of Ms. Marlo's performance.

Be forewarned.

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