Official Review: Saving Superman by Kathleen Sales

[Rosemary Wright]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Saving Superman" by Kathleen Sales.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Saving Superman, by Kathleen Sales, is about Pete Martin, a ten-year-old boy. Pete ran away from home because his mother was in the hospital, his father was busy working, and he had to repeat fourth grade since he flunked his exams. He came across a shed and saw a huge man in ragged clothes. He later discovered that the man's name was Jake. Jake took care of Pete for a while and put him on a train to his aunt's place.

Pete's mother had been suffering from depression for some time now, having marriage problems, and blaming little Pete for her predicaments. Some time ago, being a singer, she took Pete with her to Memphis. One night, as she sang in a nightclub, some men came in and hurt her and the pianist. She and Jake went back home and never told anyone what happened in Memphis.

Afterwards, Pete's mother found herself pregnant, and her marriage and family became turbulent. She resorted to taking her own life but was rescued. Besides, after the Memphis event, Pete had been suffering nightmares and failing in school. What exactly did the attackers do to her and Pete that led to all these?

This fast-paced book is well written and intriguing. The plot is solid and has interesting twists. After reading some pages, I was wondering why Pete and his parents were having a lot of traumas, but I understood what was going on after Pete told his father and Jake about the Memphis experience. I commend the author for being good at narrative because her descriptions are vivid. The scenery and events are very clear. I felt like I was watching a movie.

Regarding the characters, they are unique and interesting, though most of them seem weird. That's because they have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I like Jake. He is a strong man, full of wisdom. In spite of his own health problems, he's always willing to help people and give advice.

Furthermore, there's nothing I don't like about the book. It ends in a satisfactory manner, except that there's a loss which is predictable from the middle of the story. In addition, the novel has narratives about sexual assault, child maltreatment, and the torture of some prisoners of war. Hence, some sensitive people who have had such experiences may not want to read the book.

I rate Saving Superman 4 out of 4 stars. I couldn't rate it lower because it's fascinating and enlightening. It provides insights into post-traumatic stress disorder, revealing some ways of coping with it. Again, there are a couple of grammar errors that are not off-putting. Some words were scrambled, but I think that was due to the e-reader I used. It'll be a good read for fans of psychological novels.

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Saving Superman
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[prernarajput123]

After reading the review I am quite intrigued and eager to read the storyline and know the mystery behind Pete and what happened with him and his family and what is the enigma of their family traumas. I am adding this book right away to my bookshelf.

[Pandora10]

Wow, I like this excellent review. I am definitely intrigued about this story.

[Jennifer Garcia 555]

It is good to bring light to PTSD. It’s a serious problem that is not well understood. This sounds like an interesting story.

[LeighBee]

I'm intrigued to find out what the trauma was in the experience in Memphis, although I can imagine the mother's trauma if it resulted in pregnancy. Seeing how fictional characters work out trauma can help readers who are dealing with their own issues, so I think this book could be entertaining and beneficial. Thank you for your review.

[Suzer6440 xyz]

I enjoyed everything about this review. I will definitely be reading this . Thanks so much for persuading me

[Astral Magi]

What happened in Memphis? Pete thought that the death of his baby brother was somehow his fault. This is a story full of heartache. Thank you for the great review. Congrats on Botd.

[MBITHE JOSPHAT]

The review is quite captivating and It aroused a desire to want to read this book. I would love to know how Pete overcame the childhood traumas. Poor boy!

[Victor Kilyungi]

I'm just intrigued by the fact that it has lots of plot twists. This is a detailed review too. I might just get on it next.

[Brenda Creech]

PTSD is more prevalent than most people understand. It is not limited to ex-military as some would believe. Kudos to the author for bringing insight into this disorder! It sounds like a very intriguing story and I hope things turned out well for Pete and his mother! Thanks for the great review!

[Bertha Jackson]

There is a lot of mystery surrounding Pete, his family, and Jake. I am curious about Pete and Jake's lives and what caused their PTSD. Thank you for your review.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a tough story of people surviving traumas of different kinds, so it's about mental health and mutual support in going through the consequences of trauma. Thank you for your great review!

[Kofi Opoku 1]

Is good to do good as the gentle man did by saving Pete and it pays to do good God should reward the gentle man for saving Pete and his family thanks to him

[Julius James-]

Pete and his family had suffered,this is what life teaches us. I became so worried about Pete's family. What a nice review!

[Wayne Njoroge]

Interesting pick for the book of the day. Never had the opportunity of reading any of Kathleen's books. But now I get to enjoy reading three volumes. This looks like a story about facing and overcoming challenges in life. Congrats on being BOTD.