Cry into the Wind

by Othello Bach

Cry into the Wind is a spellbinding story of triumph over incredible tragedy, and an inspirational guide for those struggling to overcome the effects of abuse. Abject poverty, a house fire that claimed her mother’s life, the loneliness of an orphanage where she was separated from her siblings… and so much more … yet nothing was able to break Othello Bach’s spirit. She couldn’t read until the eighth grade, yet sold her first novel to Avon Books at the age of 27. She is the author off 17 published books and has 35 recorded songs by Broadway, TV, and Hollywood stars Joel Grey, Tammy Grimes, and Sandy Duncan.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Autobiography, Amazon

474 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

Othello Bach is the author of 17 books which range in scope and variety from suspense novels to children's books to non-fiction "How-to" books. Her memoir "Cry Into The Wind," chronicles an abusive childhood, including 11 years in an orphanage.

Although a non-reader until the eighth grade, she wrote and sold her first novel to Avon Books when she was 22.

Othello often composes music and lyrics to accompany her children's stories, and celebrities Joel Grey, Tammy Grimes and Sandy Duncan have recorded her books and songs.

She is a motivational speaker who loves to share "the tools" that helped her overcome an abusive past.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

CRY INTO THE WIND—OTHELLO BACH
Get ready to read a sad yet heart-warming story of a young girl and her siblings who are abandoned to the orphanage system in the 40’s and 50’s. Othello is seven when she is given up for adoption after her mother perishes and the father can’t handle the kids. Starting at a young age Othello gets first hand knowledge of how life can be unfair. After being homeless and hungry the family finds temporary peace in a two roomed shack until the mother dies and then has to manage the injustices of the church run child welfare system. Othello and her siblings spend eleven years in two different orphanages. She graduates and leaves the orphanage at age eighteen and discovers that the outside world is better as a “free person.” Othello grows up with ambitions to attend college, and not settle for a dull life married to someone she doesn’t love just to be financial secure.
I was deeply touched by the inner strength of a young child growing up with people who don’t like her. While reading the book I felt the sting of the father’s rejection of her after her mom’s death and the strictness of the two orphanages. You will chuckle at some of the stories related in this book but have hankies ready as you cry over the sadness of the situations she and her siblings must endure. It was an enjoyable auto-biography and definitely an eye-opening experience. I give it 5 stars for being a well-rounded read.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cry into the Wind
Othello Bach


Close your eyes and imagine your life living in the back of a pick up truck with six other siblings, an alcoholic father, a mother who was caught between more than just a rock and hard place. Imagine having to run away from landlords, a father whose temper reeked of alcohol and the abuse you took was not just physical. Imagine having little food to eat and your father using what little her earned for himself to get drunk and on other woman. Imagine living in a life that is less than poverty. The world of Othello Bach and her siblings was just this and when you open your eyes you won’t see much more than the fields they passed, the farmhouse they would never live in and the running water in a sink that they would never drink. Cry Into the Wind will bring tears to your eyes, anger within your heart and the hope that no other child will ever have to endure what she and her siblings did. Imagine your home living in a field. Imagine a father who just did not care. Imagine having to beg to be allowed to go to the bathroom.

Life did not get much better for Othello as they all realized food was scarce, their father was usually never home and they lived for a long time in trench covered with a tarp to prevent the rain from soaking them. Going to school was difficult and imagine having no shoes. A father who was abusive and a mother who tried so hard this family survived on their strength and love alone. As you hear the voice of the author you can feel the pain, see the tears they shed and simple joys and triumphs they experience even though they are short lived. Imagine receiving a homemade sweet potato doll for Christmas made with love by your mother. Imagine hand made decorations cut out from paper. But, what happens when Othello’s uncles come to visit bearing food and the police come and cruelly take it away. With no regard for the children and a father whose answer to everything is anger and the belt. No child should ever live this life and maybe if kids today read this book that would appreciate even a simple present like a hug.

Othello, our author learns many lessons even before her eighth birthday. When neighbor offers to make her a birthday party she is thrilled and cannot understand why her mother has mixed feelings until she herself realizes just how mean kids can be. Next, she becomes friends with a young girl named Kathryn who invites her to her home for lunch. But, when she reciprocates what happens will help you understand the cruelty in this world and the lack of understanding of others when some have and others do not. Running from her house Kathryn never looked back. Being poor does not make you a bad person or less of a human being. Sad, to think others do not see it that way. Tragedy strikes as a fire breaks out and their mother dies leaving them all alone with their father. Her first encounter with her father was not exactly what a young girl should endure. After that they were sent to live in an orphanage and the conditions and the treatment were worse than horrific and the abuse alone angered me as Ms. Hornaby needed a night in the basement herself. Separated from her brothers and sisters and forced to live in this place they were finally liberated by their father but for how long? Her older brother Don remained in Colorado with Mason the two that she counted on and really loved. Gordon the youngest lived in Oklahoma with her aunt and uncle. Then, the truth came out as they learned more about their new home but their father was not going to be there for very long. Telling them they were going to be alone and that Mason would be there at night taking Thurmond with him to earn some money. A simple question was asked: What about school? Telling them he had to leave in order to give them food and clothing. But, the food did not last and things only got worse. Othello was humiliated in school, her father beat her mercilessly and did things that most parents should and would not. Then her brother insisted she do something and the end result was not exactly what a brother and sister should be doing. But, when the author relates how her brother sent money home for their care and he learns that they were sent to an orphanage things change. Another orphanage this time in Texas called Tipon Orphan Home. Never looking back at them their father left them and with a feeling of hopelessness Othello, Amy and Jenny once again were left alone. The conditions were so bad that she and Jenny decided to escape only to return again. But, Othello had nightmares and kept dreaming about being locked away in room with an open coffin. This book brings out the horrific ways parents, teachers, those that are supposed to nurture kids and protect them use their power to abuse them and take advantage of their youth. Living with her father was not any different than the abuse she took living in the orphanage. As you hear the voice of the author it changes from beginning to middle to end as at times it is one of hope, then heartache and then despair always hoping to find that one positive that would change it all. From working in the laundry to the kitchen to the unnecessary beatings she and her sister endured Othello withstood more than anyone should in a lifetime even before she reached her ten. But, when she turned 12 things changed at the orphanage and her father came to see them to take them for the weekend. Leaving them alone and then making them wait until he took care of his male needs with Othello. How can a father abuse a child like that and how did she deal with his betrayals only wanting him to care for her and her sisters and brothers. Then the most precious gift of all she bestowed upon herself. She learned to read and the whole world opened up to her because now she could read her brother’s letters and the bond was even closer. Not only that it seemed to ease her way with Ms. Polk her matron. Othello was bright, full of life and made sure she protected her family when she could.


Then, a miracle happens and her brother Don returns from Korea. Things changed for a while since he and his family came to visit and the rest were united for a short time. Then the unthinkable happens at the orphanage and the abuse roars on even worse several children were raped. The ending will astound you as Othello gets punished for reporting what we all know is wrong and should not have been swept under the rug.

When you read the Epilogue you will know what the fate of her family members and the courage it took for Othello to forge ahead, go after what she wants and never ever have to Cry Into The Wind Again and let her prayers and wishes fly away.

The final chapter is quite compelling and can be used as a resource for anyone who has ever been a victim of any type of abuse: Regaining, Self Respect. “Before you can succeed at anything, you must decide what you want to do, and create a plan of action to make it happen. You certainly did. Abuse of any type is wrong and the way the children in the orphanage in Texas and Oklahoma were treated is beyond horrific and the fact that there are places today and kids in foster care that are enduring the same type of treatment equally as horrific. I started with review with Close your eyes and picture your life in a field filled with mud. Now: Open them and realize that everyone needs to protect the children from harm and the picture painted in the first chapters of this book should not be the ones painted in real life for anyone. She concludes with the Happiness Program and I will quote one line to complete this review of this outstanding memoir: “ There is Power within you that is sufficient to overcome all obstacles.” “God gave you that control because God is Love!

I dedicate this to all children who seek help and hopefully will be rescued and receive it. I dedicate this to the memory of Mason and Thurmond and to an author who shared her thoughts, her life and her goals with us and achieved so much in her life. Thank you for sending me this book to review.

Fran Lewis: Reviewer

This book gets FIVE HUGE HUGS AND FIVE WISHES THAT WILL NOT CRY INTO THE WIND: THEY WILL BE HEARD!






It was not uncommon for Othello and her family to be referred to by others as "white trash." What Othello really wanted in life was something to eat other than greens, a pair of shiny black shoes and a rubber doll. Her mother told her she might as well, "cry into the wind" because the possibility of getting any of those was next to none - hence the name of the book.

[Martha Cheves · Rating 5 out of 5]

CRY into the WIND – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; and A Book and A Dish



‘The shovel of the backhoecame down and for the next several minutes, the stranger dug a trench in the field. When he had finished, a gaping hole about six feet wide and twenty feet long lay before us. The pile of freshly scooped dirt called fiercely to my 8-year-old brother Thurmond, who couldn’t stay out of it. He tried to run up it and only slipped and slid because it was so loose. The rest of us simply stared. When the digging was finished, the man drove the backhoe onto his trailer, hopped into his truck, and pulled it up next to ours. He and Daddy unloaded our headboard and dresser, set them on the back blade of the backhoe, and tied them in place with rope. Without another word, the stranger climbed into his truck and slowly drove on down the road. Momma didn’t even try to blink away her tears. Eyes wide open, fixed on the trench, the tears flowed, uninterrupted. She didn’t even look away when Daddy said, “I’ll be back later with a tarp.” Clinging to Gordon, her skirt whipping in the wind, her hair blowing curls around her head, she just stared. Don and Mason glared at Daddy. I was six and had no idea what was happening and didn’t understand their menacing faces. Daddy turned and left. As the truck’s engine faded into the wind, I realized that I was looking at our next home, and I couldn’t have been more pleased. This was a thousand times better than living in the truck. In fact, as far as I could see, this was the greatest place anyone could live. Like rabbits! Sliding into our house and burrowing beneath the earth.’


CRY into the WIND is the childhood/teenage life of author Othello Bach. She was the oldest girl and the middle sibling of seven. When her father wasn’t crating them up and running from the landlords he was out drinking away his week’s earnings while she, her brothers and sisters and mother fended for themselves. The ‘home’ described above was one he created for them in a field. He never lived in the hole in the ground but spent his time in town going from bar to bar and woman to woman.


Tragedy is something Othello as well as her siblings grew up with and knew very little of anything else. The ultimate disaster hit when their mother died and the kids were put in a orphanage in Oklahoma and then another one later in Texas. The trials and tribulations experienced by not just these kids but other kids in the same situations is something I could never have imagined. From the abuse - sexually, mentally and physically – while living with their father, to the same abuse in theorphanage, I personally don’t know if I could have handled it. It took and takes a very strong person to endure what these kids went through. In CRY into the WIND, Othello tells and expresses it all, allowing you to feel not just her own pain but the pain of the other children too. She takes you through the lives of those who made it and those who didn’t. My question is – how can anyone make it under the circumstances these kids lived through?


I’ve never read a book quite like CRY into the WIND. It took me back to my own childhood when I was in 1st grade. We had a student, much like Othello’s and her brothers and sisters. He came from a very poor family and it showed in the clothes he wore and the shoes he didn’t wear because he had none. I can remember feeling so sorry for him. He had six toes on each foot and the other kids called him a freak, telling him he should be in a circus. The teachers weren’t much better. They allowed the kids to make fun of this little boy. Me? I just stood back and did nothing. Now I feel bad for not trying to either befriend him or stand up for him.



CRY into the WIND shines a lot of light on the way life of the poor was like in the 40s and 50s. Is it still like that today? Most of us will say no but I bet if we really opened our eyes and took off the blinders we might discover that some things never change. Read the book. It will make you more aware of your surroundings as it has me.

[Linda Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best memoirs I've read. I could not put it down for long - the story kept calling me back.

Othello Bach was born to a very dysfunctional family. Her first memories of are living in a truck, traveling from one place to another because her father didn't have money to house his family. The family included mother, father, and seven kids: Don, Mason, Thurmond, Othello, Jenny, Amy, and baby Gordon.

At one point Othello's father had a man with a backhoe dig a hole in the ground for the family to live in. For that he traded his wife's treasured furniture, what little she had. Then father went to town to flirt with other women and his family nearly drowned in the hole during the first rain, while having nothing to eat but weeds.

That's just the first little bit. The story evolves to where the family lives in a very small shack, and then the children are put into orphanages where they are separated and abused.

When Othello finally got out of the orphanage she wrote notes on things that had happened there, with the hope of letting other people know what these places are like. She's much older now, and has finally written that memoir, and it is shocking, heart-rending, and well-written. She's quite an achiever as you can tell from her website, http://www.othellobach.com/, where she features books she's written, songs she's written, and her art.

[Karla Renee Goforth Abreu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a painful, yet encouraging, account of the author’s childhood. When reading this I sometimes felt deeply angered at the people who abused and neglected Othello and her siblings. The utter poverty she describes, along with the horrible treatment of children is beyond horrible. The fact that institutions, in the 20th century, early or late, could commit such atrocities, slave labor, sexual abuse sanctioned by the church and filthy practices roaches in the food) is incomprehensible. Yet, of course, we have had that today with constant sex trafficking, Catholic sex abuse cover-ups, etc. Even so, the depiction of the approval or blind eye turned from that era is atrocious. Yet, there is a sense of triumph in the end.
The book would have had more stars but the writing is not quite as eloquent as some biographies. Still, the sense of struggle for survival is almost as profound as Frank McCourt’s In Angela’s Ashes.
I recommend this book if you like biographies about people who triumph through the most difficult of circumstances.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a big kick out of the response from the editor who rejected her 1963 version of this book. He didn't believe the things she described still happened in orphanages and he didn't believe Othello Bach was her real name. Actually I sympathize with him to a degree, particularly about her name, although apparently that really is her name. But Bach's description of her life is made believable by the way she writes. I don't know, maybe she did embellish some, but she made me a believer.

I appreciated the epilogue explaining how everyone ended up, but I could have done without the last chapter. I admit it was my fault that I read it...she warned me by saying in the epilogue, "If you have never experienced any of these doubts and fears [described in the previous paragraph], then the final chapter is probably not for you." I hadn't and it wasn't. But I can see why she included it and for those who had experiences like hers, I'm sure it would be a valuable part of the book.

[richwire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an unimaginable childhood, sometimes you feel as though you're reading fiction. I'm not sure many others, experiencing what she did, would survive. My only criticism of the book is it was very long and I felt too much peripheral detail overshadowed some parts that I would have liked to have known more about - such as her abrupt departure from the orphanage. In the end, I'm glad Othello was able to rise above her past and do some positive things in her life.

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminded of a Female, American version of Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. It was a really good book, was one of those hard to put down. Hard to believe someone could go through so much and yet will grow up to make something of themselves. This is a heart-wrenching memoir filled with loss, anger, abandonment and abuse. There is also love, triumph and the aid of very good people. One of my favorite memoirs, it's right up there with Angela's Ashes.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful

Having had some of these experiences, I feel the amount of strength the author showed throughout her lifetime is much more than amazing, it is/was a true miracle Great writing too!!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first page had me captured. It is a sad, sad true story that will keep you wondering how anyone could survive and keep caring. I not only loved this book, but have great admiration for the author. Ms. Bach tells her life story with such details I felt like I was walking beside her through this very difficult life.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a hard story to write about and to read. God bless those who have lived these lives and those that still do. From humble, sparse beginnings the author has learned to be happy and help others to be so. Our destiny is in our own hands. Others can slow us down but in the end it is our journey.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a picture of sadness and poverty during childhood with so little hope for survival. this author is persevering and steadfast in her search for a life with meaning and purpose. what a challenge to all who read this true account.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a father who didn't want his children to interfere with his life to incredibly cold caregivers in the orphanages where Othello was placed, it seemed that no one cared enough to reach out to this child.

[Donna Schuett]

An amazing story of survival, and perseverance from a small child to a outstanding adult.

Me.James provides clear in insight into the psyche of a neglected and abused child. Her amazing I insight I'll not her own demons are inspiring.

[jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a true and unbelievable story. Mrs. Bach has lived through so much hardship growing up and she shares her stories in this inspirational book.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Currently free at amazon kindle store.

[Rachel Devlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply amazing book!

[Glenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow .... good read, difficult but good.

[Aimee Kudrna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was amazing. The amount of hardships that Othello had to endure is just astounding. I highly recommend this book. Just be warned that it is a very addictive book.

[Jolene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when you think things are looking up for young Othello, something devastating happens to her again. thankfully, she refuses (eventually) to see herself as a victim.

[Kate Van Haaften · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book was so amazing! Heart warming in some parts, horrifying in others... Wonderfully woven tale.

[Linda Laporta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read, showing the fortitude of another throw away child.

[Kimberly Fetrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. When I think I have it bad I remember this book and count my blessings. What a journey. Not for the feint of heart.

[Dorothy Persch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Sept 2013

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ppp

[Belinda Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

This is an excellent read. all the children had such a bad time as kids you can't help but love them and root for them.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow.