Please refer to my review on Meg Tilly's book "Gemma". "Singing Songs" was written in 1994 but is on the same subject (sexual abuse of a young girl) as "Gemma". I am now convinced that all children need to taught that abuse isn't necessarily done by strangers and they are not the one that is at fault. They need to have someone they can trust and turn to if someone is taking advantage of them. There are ways I never dreamed of that perverts can take advantage of our children and it is up to us to keep them save. I applaud Ms. Tilly for writing both of these books and I am glad that the Houston Chronicle wrote an article on "Gemma" or I would never have read either of them.
Good book, about some difficult subject matter. But well written.
The author helps you to see how things are in the mind of a child as they experience different things in life. Their perception is dictated by what the way the adults in their life tell them it means, and also by just having the mind of a child. This is a very strong little girl. I enjoyed the book and wanted to hold this little girl and just take her out of this horrible life she was stuck in.
Singing Songs is the masterful realization of a young girl's journey to adulthood in a chaotic, abusive and fragmented world: an affirmation of a child's ability to use her judgement and imagination alone to light her way. It is the story of a strange and beautiful metamorphosis and a profound statement about the dark and secret places of family life....
Meg Tilly was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the title role in "Agnes of God", for which she won the Golden Globe Award. She is known for her work in "The Big Chill" and continues to act in feature film and on television.
