the kids are alright

by Dan Welch

documentary

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting and sometimes harrowing read about four resilient siblings. Written in alternating chapters by each of the siblings, they tell the story of their lives before and after the death of their parents when the oldest was 20 and the youngest was 8. The kids may be alright now, but they weren't for a long time.

[Melissa Mannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an quick and emotional read that lacked depth. One story is told through multiple lenses, but we do not get to know any of the characters particularly well. This was still entertaining and a worthy candidate for an afternoon escape into a book.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. I loved switching between the perspectives of the different siblings. Great writing and great story!

[Carol Wakefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something of a tear jerker but compelling. Four children, ages 4 to16. Mother a soap opera star, dad an entrepreneur.
Of some sort. Dad is killed rather mysteriously in an an automobile accident. Mom has trouble coping and by the time she gets some control she discovers she has cancer. So the families next 3 years revolve around cancer treatments which ultimately fail. By thistimethe kids have lived with ongoing trauma and lack of structure and are somewhat feral. So when efforts are made to place them in different situations, not surprisingly they do not adjust to rules and limits. So it goes for several years but eventually their lives are peaced together, importantly as a unit and the title says it all. Told in short chapters many years later as each of the family members remembers those very difficult years.

[Karen Hoots · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done Memoir. It is told from the perspectives of the four Welch children, orphaned in their youth. The father, tragically by a car accident and, the mother, a famous soap opera actress 3 and half years later from uterine cancer. I am impressed with their perseverance given all the obstacles they had to face but what impressed me the most is that they realized at a young age how important family is and made sure they were always there for each other. Ultimately, I think that is why "the kids are alright."

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I really wasn't sure about this book - a memoir about the four kids after their parents died, first their dad and then mom. As the book unfolded, I was more interested in what happened to the kids, how they dealt with their lives going in very different directions, and then finally how it wrapped up as they became adults. A very sweet and endearing memoir that I ended up really enjoying.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every bit of this bitter-sweet story of 4 children struggling to raise themselves in the 1970s. The writing is so authentic and the account of their struggles is told in parts by each sibling. You get the perspective of each kid and what they thought was going on as their life unravels after several family tragedies that I will not spoil for the reader. I highly recommend this very real story and would love to see it made into a movie.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book tells the story of the children of a soap opera star. They range in age from 5 years to teens. There father dies in an accident than they find out there mother has cancer. They go from having everything to having nothing at all.

[Sharon Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book - family is everything

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four adult siblings whose parents died wrote a joint memoir of their childhood. I don't think my family would have ever come together like theirs did.

[Vickie Marton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It not only moved me, but stayed with me a long time. Surprisingly good.

[Melissa Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

a special book - not to be missed. Has NOTHING to do with the movie of the same name - it's the real story of a family as told by different children, each from their own perspective.

[Lynn Cutting · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to like this book more but it wasn't great.