Official Review: Behind Closed Doors

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any non-fiction books such as autobiographies or political commentary books.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
jwalker73
Posts: 265
Joined: 29 Jun 2017, 06:42
Currently Reading: The Good Mother
Bookshelf Size: 291
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jwalker73.html
Latest Review: The Truth About Parallel Lines by Jill D. Block
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Official Review: Behind Closed Doors

Post by jwalker73 »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Behind Closed Doors" by Daniella DeChristopher.]
Book Cover
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


Behind Closed Doors by Daniella DeChristopher is a book that falls into the Non-Fiction genre. It is a combination of both a memoir and biography. The memoir component of the book details Daniella’s personal memories of her life growing up, and the unusual relationship she had with her mother, Josie. This has been cleverly combined with a biographical account of Josie’s life, as conveyed to Daniella by her Aunt Toni, following Josie’s death. The latter, while penned by Daniella, has been written in the first-person perspective through Toni’s eyes. Consolidating these stories has enabled Daniella to provide a chronological sequence of events, spanning from before her conception to the present era.

Behind Closed Doors opens with Daniella, aged 25, sitting in a jail cell, awaiting her attorney’s arrival. As she waits, she reflects on certain aspects of her life, and tries to make sense of the events leading up to her current predicament. The second chapter starts by explaining how, following Josie’s death, Daniella asked her Aunt Toni for any information she could give about her mother’s life. The story then changes to Toni’s perspective, as she begins to recall past events. Toni’s account spans from 1892, when her own parents were teenagers, through to the time when Daniella starts having her own recollection of events, around the age of six.

Toni tells how Josie was the youngest of 13 children, born to affluent Italian, Catholic parents. In the year 1949, at the tender age of 16, Josie fell pregnant out of wedlock. This was a time when abortion was not only a moral and ethical issue, but also a legal one. Disowned by her family, and with no means of financial support, Josie was forced into a loveless marriage in order to survive. She was 17 when she gave birth to Daniella. What follows is an account of the struggles Josie faced, and the lengths she went to, in an effort to protect both Daniella and herself. These challenges continued until, one day, when Daniella was five and a quarter, her mother took her to stay at someone’s house, promising to pick her up in a few days. Daniella was still there when she turned six. From here on, the narration changes to Daniella’s recollection of events, as she details how her mother’s actions impacted on her life, and the various coping mechanisms she developed over time. Finally, as Daniella reaches adulthood, she sets out to find some answers about her past.

This tale of survival touched on many important life issues including personal growth, understanding, acceptance and forgiveness. For me, personally, there was two particularly powerful messages. The first was how, when searching for truth, we do not always find what we hoped for. The second was that, while we cannot change our past, we can always choose to take control of our future.

I really enjoyed the way this story was compiled. By incorporating both Josie’s and Daniella’s stories, it ensured the reader did not receive a biased view of events. From early on, the reader was given ample opportunity to establish a bond with Josie and gain some insight into her personal circumstances before, during and after her pregnancy. When the account changed to Daniella’s perspective, Josie’s story stopped. This allowed the reader to share Daniella’s personal journey from childhood to adulthood, focusing on her thoughts, feelings and actions, while only having minimal knowledge of what was happening concurrently in Josie’s life. This was an effective way of enabling the reader to experience the same confusion, hurt and sadness Daniella felt. From this point onward, the reader maintained the same level of awareness and understanding of events as Daniella did and, as Daniella uncovered answers about her past, the reader simultaneously gained this knowledge.

The layout of the book was visually appealing, with each chapter number written in an attractive cursive font and adorned with the image of a tree. The writing flowed smoothly, and the descriptions were engaging. Unfortunately, while the spelling was practically faultless, there were several unnecessary or misplaced commas throughout the book, e.g. ‘Could they want to ask me, about Nickie?’ While these did not overly disrupt the flow of the story, they could easily be addressed with further editing. Another issue I found was that the transition from memoir to biography was not immediately clear. This was made more confusing by the fact it occurred mid-chapter. This issue may have been overcome by starting the biography with a new chapter and/or utilising a subtitle to show that the viewpoint had altered. The transition back from biography to memoir was smoother, due to starting from a fresh chapter, however, I still feel the use of a subtitle would have made the reader immediately aware that the perspective was about to change.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and contained some valuable lessons to ponder. There were several incidents that occurred that I would never have predicted, but then again, life is unpredictable! I would like to congratulate the author for sharing her story, and for not glossing over the things she did that were not always right. It showed an honesty that I really admire. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I was unable to give 4 stars due to the presence of punctuation errors, and the unclear transition between perspectives, however, with further editing, this score would be higher.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy narratives about the personal challenges others face, and the growth they experience as a result. Readers who like a story that offers some words of wisdom to contemplate further would also find it worthwhile. There is an element of unpredictability to this book, which I found refreshing, as not every aspect of this story has a happy, fairy-tale ending. This fact should particularly appeal to those who appreciate an honest account of details. I would, however, recommend caution to readers who are sensitive to the issue of domestic violence; they may struggle with certain aspects of this book.

******
Behind Closed Doors
View: on Bookshelves

Like jwalker73's review? Post a comment saying so!
User avatar
bazolo
Posts: 34
Joined: 04 Jan 2018, 09:05
Currently Reading: Relentless Alien Eyes
Bookshelf Size: 26
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bazolo.html
Latest Review: "Andalusian in Jerusalem" by Mois benarroch

Post by bazolo »

As seeying review of the book it's really attractive. Thanks for good review it real teach us to accept our fate that we can't change. To find the truth of our past it always give us the regression. We better focus on shapping our future that await us. It's good book to read and learn
Latest Review: "Andalusian in Jerusalem" by Mois benarroch
User avatar
bazolo
Posts: 34
Joined: 04 Jan 2018, 09:05
Currently Reading: Relentless Alien Eyes
Bookshelf Size: 26
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bazolo.html
Latest Review: "Andalusian in Jerusalem" by Mois benarroch

Post by bazolo »

It's good book to learn though it sound hard to accept our fate that we can't change.
Latest Review: "Andalusian in Jerusalem" by Mois benarroch
User avatar
Mercelle
Posts: 1348
Joined: 31 May 2017, 03:44
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 10262">The Wisdom and Peace of the Teachings of the Tao Te Ching</a>
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 204
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mercelle.html
Latest Review: The Future of Finance and Money by K. Braeden Anderson

Post by Mercelle »

Lovely review. I like despite her troubled past, Daniella focuses on building her future. This is a really powerful message.
"The minimum requirement for a dream is a safe place to lay your head."
~OluTimehin Adegbeye
User avatar
sherif olabode
Posts: 28
Joined: 04 Jan 2018, 04:57
Currently Reading: And Then I Met Margaret
Bookshelf Size: 71

Post by sherif olabode »

The moment I started reading this book I couldn’t put it down. It is an inspiring story. We all have our own story that we carry and shouldn’t feel ashamed by them. It is what we do with our experiences that end up defining us in the long run.
User avatar
CommMayo
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1648
Joined: 22 Oct 2017, 14:19
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 80
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-commmayo.html
Latest Review: Changed by Vicki Stiefel
Reading Device: B00G2Y4WNY

Post by CommMayo »

Can't end the pregnancy, but can't stay in the house with her family. I'm amazes me how religious hubris does more to rip families apart than to join them in love. I wonder how different both lives would have been if her family had supported her instead of turning their backs on her.
BookHausJ
Posts: 266
Joined: 01 Nov 2017, 09:14
Currently Reading: Health Tips Myth and Tricks
Bookshelf Size: 667
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bookhausj.html
Latest Review: "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs

Post by BookHausJ »

Nice story! This is a kind of book that every person who'd felt hopeless and dwelling on their past or adversities should read. There is still a lot of Hope. Life is full of challenges, yet full of joy too. As they say, "There is Light at the end of the Tunnel." Thank you for the review!
Latest Review: "Who Told You That You Were Naked?" by William Combs
User avatar
Meyerhe
Posts: 8
Joined: 16 Nov 2017, 12:39
Currently Reading: Out of Darkness
Bookshelf Size: 22
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-meyerhe.html
Latest Review: Unbalanced by Courtney Shepard

Post by Meyerhe »

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I haven't taken the leap to read this piece of literature yet. I'm really curious about her life and all the lessons that she learned through her hardships. I wonder if there are things that she learned that I could apply to my life and others around me. Thank you for taking the time to write this review and sharing your thoughts and opinions.
User avatar
Bokery
Posts: 2
Joined: 13 Jan 2018, 00:08
Currently Reading: The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci
Bookshelf Size: 6

Post by Bokery »

I find it reflecting our day to days lives.I can see the strength she had to make a brighter future.
User avatar
kandscreeley
Special Discussion Leader
Posts: 11683
Joined: 31 Dec 2016, 20:31
Currently Reading: Believarexic
Bookshelf Size: 486
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kandscreeley.html
Latest Review: The Elf Revelation by Jordan David

Post by kandscreeley »

I will read non-fiction such as this from time to time. I love the two perspectives on this one. That sounds somewhat unique. Thanks for the good information.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
User avatar
pinklover
Posts: 380
Joined: 29 Nov 2017, 20:30
Currently Reading: The Everett Exorcism
Bookshelf Size: 34
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-pinklover.html
Latest Review: Becoming the Dragon by Alex Sapegin

Post by pinklover »

ohh, this story reminds me about the children in conflict with the law in our town. So sad about them because they are still young. The story makes my tears goes down.
When everything seems too late, but it's not. God is there! Just keep on believing Jesus.
User avatar
KFree_Reads
Posts: 315
Joined: 08 Jan 2018, 08:18
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 31
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kfree-reads.html
Latest Review: Heartaches 3 by H.M. Irwing

Post by KFree_Reads »

I have not read this book but based on your thorough review I feel inspired to add it to my "to read list"!
User avatar
shradha98
Posts: 16
Joined: 10 Feb 2018, 10:41
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 14
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-shradha98.html
Latest Review: Randy Love...at your service by Shay Carter
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by shradha98 »

Thanks for this review. Your review is worth appreciating.The book seems to be hidden with secrets and surprises as we get it from your review as well as the subject. I'm looking forward to read this one.
Post Reply

Return to “Non-Fiction Books”