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Rescued
In the heart of Nassau County, NY, young Jay Gardner is a living specter — alive but invisible to those who should love him most.
Abandoned by his family, Jay finds solace and education in an unlikely the television. With each show, song, and dance, he absorbs the world around him, unveiling a prodigious intellect that bridges the divide between humans, animals, and even the departed.
Guided by unexpected allies, from compassionate strangers to a sensei with transformative powers, Jay embarks on a journey from neglected child to a man who wears multiple a PhD holder, a celebrated author, and a martial arts master.
The first book in G. Miki Hayden's Rebirth series, RESCUED is a story of love, loss, and relentless resilience, and a testament to the enduring human spirit.
Abandoned by his family, Jay finds solace and education in an unlikely the television. With each show, song, and dance, he absorbs the world around him, unveiling a prodigious intellect that bridges the divide between humans, animals, and even the departed.
Guided by unexpected allies, from compassionate strangers to a sensei with transformative powers, Jay embarks on a journey from neglected child to a man who wears multiple a PhD holder, a celebrated author, and a martial arts master.
The first book in G. Miki Hayden's Rebirth series, RESCUED is a story of love, loss, and relentless resilience, and a testament to the enduring human spirit.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 18, 2023
30 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
G. Miki Hayden
41 books35 followersG. Miki Hayden, strongly believes in alternate universes and has written about them in her adult novels Pacific Empire (which won a New York Times rave) and New Pacific. “Nothing in time-space is fixed,” Miki says, a distant look in her eyes. Miki won an Edgar for an historical crime story and has a couple of writing books in print. At the moment, she generally lives with millions of other people in New York City in a three-dimensional, temporal world but is exploring other realms.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 12, 2023
Rescued is a delightful and inspirational tale that keeps you hooked until the end. The story is about a neglected yet bright and creative child, Jay. He first approaches life simply and humbly, making the best of his bad situation and circumstances. Along his journey, Jay meets people who treat him with kindness and compassion, the opposite of how his own family behaves toward him. Despite his rough start in life and unfortunate circumstances, Jay’s character undergoes a transformation, aided by friends and the people he encounters. The novel is inspirational and uplifting. Hayden paints the story masterfully through Jay’s eyes, allowing the reader to see the story unfold starting from a young child’s point of view through adulthood.
September 28, 2023
I don't usually care for stories in the first person, but I felt I was right in Jay's head--neglected and starving as he ventured out in search of food and began accumulating a growing support group. They helped him with safety pins, new clothes, food, and more. We grow with him as he began his education, which included TV shows, books, and eventually martial arts and then a career in education.
I enjoyed learning about history and other cultures--and assorted cats, which he could communicate with. (That was fun.) His life included rites of passage and loss and fulfillment. I would have liked to been his friend.
I enjoyed learning about history and other cultures--and assorted cats, which he could communicate with. (That was fun.) His life included rites of passage and loss and fulfillment. I would have liked to been his friend.
January 10, 2024
A superb read. The realism is incredible.
The author has written a story that, though fictional, could easily be mistaken as a true autobiography.
Jay, a young boy, no more than 6 years old, lives a miserable life, ignored by his father and stepmother to the extent that he believes they want him dead. Rarely fed, dressed in rags, his only source of knowledge
and entertainment is the TV which also serves as his only souce of education. Surprisingly, Jay finds himself soaking up knowledge to the extent that as a reader it was obvious that he possessed an incredible mind. Waiting till his parents left the house, he would sneak out into the big wide world where he would soon meet a diverse range of people who were destined to become his lifelong friends.
Skipping a few years we find that Jay is rapidly developing into an extremely clever young man and a series of chance encounters leads him down the road that eventually sees the now developing young man to become a PhD, a professor no less, and he meets, and eventually marries a beautiful woman who becomes the mother of his children who all seem to inherit their father's intelligence.
He has an incredible way of understanding and communicating with animals as well as people and as he rises in the academic world we see him eventually exacting a form of revenge against the father and wicked stepmother who neglected him so badly.
This is an incredible story, told so well that I'm sure I won't be the first reader to feel they're reading a true story, rather than a fictional tale. It's truly a tale of resilience and triumph over adversity and I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who feels in need of an uplifting and inspiring tale. I could hardly put it down, so engrossed did I become in Jay's story. 5 big stars from me.
The author has written a story that, though fictional, could easily be mistaken as a true autobiography.
Jay, a young boy, no more than 6 years old, lives a miserable life, ignored by his father and stepmother to the extent that he believes they want him dead. Rarely fed, dressed in rags, his only source of knowledge
and entertainment is the TV which also serves as his only souce of education. Surprisingly, Jay finds himself soaking up knowledge to the extent that as a reader it was obvious that he possessed an incredible mind. Waiting till his parents left the house, he would sneak out into the big wide world where he would soon meet a diverse range of people who were destined to become his lifelong friends.
Skipping a few years we find that Jay is rapidly developing into an extremely clever young man and a series of chance encounters leads him down the road that eventually sees the now developing young man to become a PhD, a professor no less, and he meets, and eventually marries a beautiful woman who becomes the mother of his children who all seem to inherit their father's intelligence.
He has an incredible way of understanding and communicating with animals as well as people and as he rises in the academic world we see him eventually exacting a form of revenge against the father and wicked stepmother who neglected him so badly.
This is an incredible story, told so well that I'm sure I won't be the first reader to feel they're reading a true story, rather than a fictional tale. It's truly a tale of resilience and triumph over adversity and I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who feels in need of an uplifting and inspiring tale. I could hardly put it down, so engrossed did I become in Jay's story. 5 big stars from me.
November 26, 2023
An elliptical telling of a life
An emaciated boy, cold and neglected by his father and stepmother. No blankets, ragged clothes but a positive mind – he knows nothing different. He escapes daily when the parents go to work, to see what goes on, and to scavenge food. He meets people who are strangely caring and they become his ‘friends’.
I had no clue as to what was happening, at first. Was this a diary of a six year-old? Was it the start of an autobiography? Nothing made sense until, it made sense. Was this just rambling and if it was, why can I not put it down?
We see the boy grow though the kindness of an eclectic group of strangers, and those characters are drawn so well by Hayden, so well in fact that they come off the page and into your heart. An extraordinary boy, but he cannot see it, but he writes it. There is an underlying immense intelligence that is released when his Russian grandfather, an intellectual oppressed by his mother nation, arrives in America to look after his grandson; appalled at the neglect of this boy and by his own son.
What follows is an inspirational tale, told in the first person and almost as if that person, Jay, is talking to you. Heartache, love, soaring learning, as the world opens up to this poor boy.
Elliptical telling, yes, but it slowly builds and the gaps are filled as the boy and his relationships grow. I never knew which way it would turn and what gap would be filled next – loved the writing and, there is a sequel that I will buy. Recommended, stay with it – 5 stars.
An emaciated boy, cold and neglected by his father and stepmother. No blankets, ragged clothes but a positive mind – he knows nothing different. He escapes daily when the parents go to work, to see what goes on, and to scavenge food. He meets people who are strangely caring and they become his ‘friends’.
I had no clue as to what was happening, at first. Was this a diary of a six year-old? Was it the start of an autobiography? Nothing made sense until, it made sense. Was this just rambling and if it was, why can I not put it down?
We see the boy grow though the kindness of an eclectic group of strangers, and those characters are drawn so well by Hayden, so well in fact that they come off the page and into your heart. An extraordinary boy, but he cannot see it, but he writes it. There is an underlying immense intelligence that is released when his Russian grandfather, an intellectual oppressed by his mother nation, arrives in America to look after his grandson; appalled at the neglect of this boy and by his own son.
What follows is an inspirational tale, told in the first person and almost as if that person, Jay, is talking to you. Heartache, love, soaring learning, as the world opens up to this poor boy.
Elliptical telling, yes, but it slowly builds and the gaps are filled as the boy and his relationships grow. I never knew which way it would turn and what gap would be filled next – loved the writing and, there is a sequel that I will buy. Recommended, stay with it – 5 stars.
December 25, 2023
I can count on both hands the number of books that have had a profound effect on me. Rescued by G. Miki Hayden is one of them now. Spellbinding is the word I’d choose to describe the book. It’s the tale of how a naïve victim, an abused and deprived child, a budding genius, appeals to the universe for survival. His plea is answered by ordinary people who respond to the child’s plight with love. The author proceeds to relate in the first person how the guileless child grows into a sophisticated academic, again through the sustenance of loving people, this time in a martial arts commune. Once Jay, the main character, realises that everyone and every thing has its place and purpose in the universe, he becomes the grandmaster of his clan, achieving enlightenment. This review is inadequate because the parts of the novel are greater than the enthralling whole. You will understand my poor explanation by reading this wonderful book. I can give it an unreserved 5 stars.
June 14, 2024
Inspiring
Tragic and wonderful. Very real too. I was drawn into the world of Jay from beginning to end. Well done
Tragic and wonderful. Very real too. I was drawn into the world of Jay from beginning to end. Well done
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews