Review by khaulah -- Gardening With Guns by AJ Wootton

[khaulah]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Gardening With Guns" by AJ Wootton.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Nine-year-old Amber’s life took an abrupt turn when her parents separated and her mother married again. As an adult, Amber is living a seemingly idyllic life. Working day in and day out, she finds herself burned out and embittered at her husband’s lack of motivation to find work. Desperate to keep her family together, Amber doesn’t consider divorce even when she is not content in her marriage. However, after receiving the news of her father’s death, she puts her life into perspective, reconnects with her brothers, and ponders over her childhood memories.

Gardening With Guns is an insightful memoir about dysfunctional family dynamics and childhood abuse. Seamlessly weaving the past with the present, the narrative toggles from her childhood experience in one chapter to her adult life in the next. AJ Wootton’s prose is extremely engaging. The book is a page-turner that holds your attention from start to finish.

This memoir is a testimony to the fact that parents hold immense power over the emotional well-being of a child for his/her entire life. As Amber came from a broken home, she does not want the same for her kids, evident from her unwillingness to divorce her husband at the cost of her happiness.

Perhaps, the greatest lesson that we learn is not from Amber herself but her mother. Blinded by her need for love and stability, Amber's mother ended up with a manipulative narcissist for a husband. She ignores all the red signs that could have saved her and her children a lot of trauma and pain.

Not all authority figures are bad in Amber’s life. The book is sprinkled with some heart-warming moments too. Reading about her grandparents, biological father, and the coach who noticed her internal pain made reading this memoir worthwhile. At no point does she ask for sympathy but relates her story as it is, in an objective way.

The book evoked feelings of horror, sadness, and empathy in me. It made me realize that we are in control of our destiny. Amber managed to become a healthy, functional adult, despite a childhood pervaded with verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Her story serves to give hope to people who have been in similar abusive situations.

There isn’t anything that I dislike about this book. Therefore, I give Gardening with Guns 4 out of 4 stars. I found minor grammatical errors related to commas that didn’t affect my reading experience. The sexual abuse scenes are not graphic, but there is the use of non-borderline profane words.

Gardening With Guns will resonate with anyone who had a difficult childhood. I would recommend it to readers who like reading memoirs or are looking to educate themselves on stepparent abuse.

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Gardening With Guns
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[Upeksha]

This sounds like an emotional book. It was the title that attracted me and based on the title, it was another story that I expected. . Your review is very descriptive and insightful. Thanks for the great review!

[khaulah]

This sounds like an emotional book. It was the title that attracted me and based on the title, it was another story that I expected. . Your review is very descriptive and insightful. Thanks for the great review!

You're welcome @Upeksha! Thanks for stopping by.

[PeterRabitt20]

Amber's life might resonate with many people. Her own dysfunctional childhood seemed to spill over into her children's life. But, after rain comes sunshine. Thanks for the wonderful review.

[khaulah]

Amber's life might resonate with many people. Her own dysfunctional childhood seemed to spill over into her children's life. But, after rain comes sunshine. Thanks for the wonderful review.

You're welcome @PeterRabbitt20, thank you so much for reading it.