Shattered: Reclaiming A Life Torn Apart By Violence by Debra Puglisi Sharp with Marjorie Preston
Genre: True Crime/Autobiography
Publisher: Atria Books
My Copy: 286 pages/paperback
Source: Bought
My Rating: 3 stars
Buy the Book: Amazon
Summary from Goodreads:
Debra Puglisi Sharp was the kind of woman who got misty at Coke jingles and Hallmark cards. Trusting and idealistic, she was, in her own words, sentimental to a fault. Until the day that changed in a brutal instant.
In April 1998, this wife, nurse, and mother of teenage twins was tending the roses in her garden when a factory worker with a cocaine habit saw her and decided he had to have her. Slipping in through an open back door -- a door Debra usually kept locked -- he waited for her to come in. Nino, her husband of twenty-five years, got in the way and was shot. The man then attacked and raped Debra, placed her in the trunk of his car, and drove away. Debra Puglisi Sharp was kept hog-tied in her abductor's house for five excruciating days. She learned of her beloved husband's murder from a report on the radio that the man blared to muffle her screams while he was out. After five days, with hope all but gone, Debra's mounting rage at her captor -- and the wrenching thought of her children burying their father alone -- gave her the courage and strength she so desperately needed. She loosened her ties, groped her way to the phone...and dialed 911.
A riveting inside account of one woman's abduction, imprisonment, rape, and near-death trauma, Shattered is also an indelible portrait of hope, determination, and the agonizing journey back to life. Struggling to heal from her horrendous ordeal and the devastating loss of her husband, Debra Puglisi Sharp also had to endure an agonizing court trial, the raw grief of her children, and her own crippling fear. But through her work in hospice care and as an advocate for victims of violence and trauma, she has slowly discovered the measure of her own strength. A compelling survival story -- tragic and ultimately heroic -- Shattered represents one woman's attempts to make sense of a senseless crime.
My review:
This is a true story of the violence that Debra Puglisi Sharp lived through, in her own words. This first-hand account is terrifying and sad. Ms. Sharp recounts the horrific details of being kidnapped, raped, and held hostage inside the home of her husband’s murderer. She finally tells her story, uncensored and real. I can’t help but think of the multitude of other victims of violence whose stories never get told.
The book is kind of divided up in three parts: First is her experience of the crime. Everything, in great detail, that happened that one quiet, seemingly ordinary day in April. Next, Ms. Sharp tells about her experience after she was rescued. Her shock, despair, anger and all the emotions she feels as she copes with the fact that her husband was murdered. Last is the trial. Ms. Sharp must again see face-to-face her attacker/rapist/kidnapper/husband’s murderer and hope that justice is served.
I gave this book 3 stars. In my opinion, this is the kind of book that would appeal to certain readers. The author is incredibly honest throughout her story. Ms. Sharp is an inspiration and I appreciated that she went in depth about the healing process, as she experiences it. This book serves as a helpful tool for those suffering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and she does go into detail about the disorder: what it is, what it feels like, how to deal with it. PTSD is a serious condition, not to be taken lightly and can affect anyone who has experienced any kind of trauma. I think there are a lot of good things that can come from her telling her story. Other victims of violence would find helpful insights from her experience and even those who haven’t been a victim of violence will find inspiration in her story. I would also recommend it to those who know someone who’s been a victim because, through Ms. Sharp’s story, they can better understand what kind of support they need. Survivors need to tell their story; victims of abuse, rape, witnesses to crime, or whatever they have experienced, they need to seek support through professional help, open up to family and friends, and tell their story.
It’s one woman’s real experience with horrific violence, her struggle to reclaim her life and strengthen her family, her experiences with grief and PTSD. It is truly a survival story; powerful, emotional, and raw.
*Note: This account of violence is graphic. I do not recommend this book for those who are overly disturbed by such things. Also, I remind you that this is an adult book and not for young readers.
(Meg Cabot)
(Cecilia Ahern) 
(Dean Koontz) 
(Dan Brown) 
(Sue Monk Kidd)
Posts
