"The story is full of details that make it come alive for the reader...I laughed and cried with the family involved."

The Place of Belonging

By Jayne Pearson Faulkner

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Carmichael Publishing (Jan 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935265458
• ISBN-13: 978-1935265450

 

Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong? Maybe as a child?

So many factors can make this worse as a child. Moving, entering into a step-family situation, being labeled as “different” by your peers…

These are just some of the issues that Jayne Pearson Faulkner writes about in her memoir, The Place of Belonging. Janie (Jayne)  grew up in Montana in the 1940′s. She was the daughter of an unwed mother, marking her as an outcast from the start.

The heartwarming story takes you back to life in the 1940′s and reads almost like a diary, written by Jayne (Janie) as a child growing up. From the time Janie’s mother marries and leaves Janie with her grandmother (except for on weekends), to the point where Janie goes to live on the farm, the story is full of details that make it come alive for the reader. And throughout it, I had points I laughed and cried with the family involved.

So, who would I recommend it to?

Any girl,13 and up, can relate to Janie. And since Janie is not the only one who doesn’t feel like she belongs (through the course of the book it is evident that her mother wants very much to fit in too), I’d have to say it is a good and quick read for just about any teen girl or woman.

You can find your copy at a number of locations, including Amazon for just under $11.00, and at Deep River Books.

Looking for a great mystery? Read my review of The Key to the Kingdom, by Jeff Dixon.

**I received a free copy of this book from Bring It On! Communications for review purposes.   I was not monetarily compensated in any way for this review.   All opinions are my own.