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And the Whippoorwill Sang
This lively story opens with eloping teenagers, Micki and Butch, in a bizarre double ceremony with Micki s mother. The couple share wonderfully comical escapades spanning decades, until tragedy strikes. There has been a terrible accident in a placid valley nestled in the Susquehanna Mountains in the town of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It occurs just blocks from the family s hundred year old haunted farmhouse, on a country lane. Micki narrates happier days, using their delightful past to confront an uncertain future as the family copes with fear and apprehension. One of her six children is fighting for life in the hospital; in a semi-coma, hovering between this world and the next. The family embarks upon its unbearable journey to the other side of grief and grasps the poignant gift of life as they begin ... To Weep To Laugh To Grieve To Dance . . . And the Whippoorwill Sang
- GenresMemoir
316 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
117 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
February 23, 2017
Rarely does one encounter a biography which is so powerfully poignant that it is life changing. The spears and arrows of familiarity in Micki Peluso’s story strike deeply into the heart of my own life and I can identify with so many of the hilarious, tragic, frightening, and heartwarming moments. My heart is so full. I struggle to find the words to capture the full range of my emotions.
Having grown up in the northeastern United States, I felt as though Micki’s story were a little of my own. Micki and Butch married quite young, in a unique double ceremony with Micki’s mother. From the first, their lives were filled with challenges. As quite frequently occurs, the babies began coming before there was enough money, before the young couple even had the chance to realize what marriage was all about.
Over the years, the young family encountered multiple challenges. Butch’s loyalty to his employers often warred with the needs of his family. Micki was sometimes left to be both mother and father to a growing number of young children, battling insects and poor housing, the instructions from well-meaning family members, sick animals, the elements, and patched together vehicles. Despite all of this, the family remained close and hopeful.
The Pelusos sought the panacea of “Lost Vegas”, but the glitter of the west unfortunately did not result in a gold mine of prosperity. Harkening back to the more familiar mountains of Pennsylvania, the family found anchor in Williamsport, in a huge house capable of holding their large brood. What they didn’t realize was that the old homestead was haunted! Strange sightings of misty images undressing and getting ready for bed, shadows which crossed the room, and potatoes bumping down the basement stairs made for an interesting life style.
Overshadowing this story is the counterpoint, the tragic motor vehicle accident which has stricken fourteen-year-old Noelle. The family is left with a terrible choice: allow their daughter to linger in a horrible state, kept alive by machines and responding only with her eyes, or to disconnect life support. No parent should have to make such a terrible decision. Even after her passing, the vibrant Noelle continued to make her presence known, by bringing new life into the world on the date of her passing, by speaking to the family members in dozens of marvelous ways throughout the years.
Indian legend claims that the whippoorwill’s song is a death omen. Indeed, anyone who has heard its mournful cry as night steals over the land will own up to the sense of doom it engenders. And yet, in the farming community, the whippoorwill’s song is a wake up call from the gloomy, often frigid winter days. For now, it is safe to plant, to begin anew, time to embrace life in all of its many facets.
This, I believe, is Micki Peluso’s message. This is a story not of tragedy, but of the power of men and women to rise from the ashes of tragedy and meet life head on. We are, indeed, at our best when things are the worst. If Noelle were here today, she would want us to dance, to turn cartwheels in the fragrant autumn leaves, to love while we may, to grasp hands to pull us from the doldrums and rise, heads high, toward the brilliant sun.
Having grown up in the northeastern United States, I felt as though Micki’s story were a little of my own. Micki and Butch married quite young, in a unique double ceremony with Micki’s mother. From the first, their lives were filled with challenges. As quite frequently occurs, the babies began coming before there was enough money, before the young couple even had the chance to realize what marriage was all about.
Over the years, the young family encountered multiple challenges. Butch’s loyalty to his employers often warred with the needs of his family. Micki was sometimes left to be both mother and father to a growing number of young children, battling insects and poor housing, the instructions from well-meaning family members, sick animals, the elements, and patched together vehicles. Despite all of this, the family remained close and hopeful.
The Pelusos sought the panacea of “Lost Vegas”, but the glitter of the west unfortunately did not result in a gold mine of prosperity. Harkening back to the more familiar mountains of Pennsylvania, the family found anchor in Williamsport, in a huge house capable of holding their large brood. What they didn’t realize was that the old homestead was haunted! Strange sightings of misty images undressing and getting ready for bed, shadows which crossed the room, and potatoes bumping down the basement stairs made for an interesting life style.
Overshadowing this story is the counterpoint, the tragic motor vehicle accident which has stricken fourteen-year-old Noelle. The family is left with a terrible choice: allow their daughter to linger in a horrible state, kept alive by machines and responding only with her eyes, or to disconnect life support. No parent should have to make such a terrible decision. Even after her passing, the vibrant Noelle continued to make her presence known, by bringing new life into the world on the date of her passing, by speaking to the family members in dozens of marvelous ways throughout the years.
Indian legend claims that the whippoorwill’s song is a death omen. Indeed, anyone who has heard its mournful cry as night steals over the land will own up to the sense of doom it engenders. And yet, in the farming community, the whippoorwill’s song is a wake up call from the gloomy, often frigid winter days. For now, it is safe to plant, to begin anew, time to embrace life in all of its many facets.
This, I believe, is Micki Peluso’s message. This is a story not of tragedy, but of the power of men and women to rise from the ashes of tragedy and meet life head on. We are, indeed, at our best when things are the worst. If Noelle were here today, she would want us to dance, to turn cartwheels in the fragrant autumn leaves, to love while we may, to grasp hands to pull us from the doldrums and rise, heads high, toward the brilliant sun.
April 14, 2015
I picked up this book as one of my club's reads and didn't read the blurb so when I started I had no idea what I was reading! It could have been a thriller or a romance but in fact was a beautifully written story about the author's life and the loss of one of her children. However, though the end had me crying bucket loads, the book is not just a tear jerker or downbeat story. We follow the author from her teenage marriage through all the ups and many downs of life. I smiled each time the author and her young family overcame a further adversity and related to her feelings as a young mother, feeling trapped at home with her children while her husband worked all hours to support the family.
By the end of the story I really admired the author and her family. The spirit of her daughter lives on through this great book.
By the end of the story I really admired the author and her family. The spirit of her daughter lives on through this great book.
March 19, 2008
Ms. Peluso spins you around tears, laughter, pain and joy in this wonderful true events story of her life and times dealing with a multitude of emotions that have brought her to where she is now, a survivor among many who have gone through and lived through the same things, she shines through the fog as a beacon to others who can read her story and look up to her. This book is a must read, you will laugh, you will cry, you will feel the joy and the pain, and you will come away a better person for it.
February 16, 2012
A young child’s life hangs in the balance as the story unfolds. The doctors appear to have given up and one mother will do anything to change the hands of time and turn the clock back. August 23, 1981 is one day that author Micki Peluso will never forget as her daughter’s life is in the hands of God and the doctors. Flashing back to 1959 and her impending marriage to Butch and the events that surrounded their rocky start, the author relates her own real life experiences that remind us that rocky starts, difficult choices and a true love can bind two people forever. Meeting someone even for a short time you sometimes know that you have met your soul mate. When deciding upon marriage or going to Florida with her mother and new husband, Micki and Butch decided to elope at least with her mother’s permission. Hiding the truth from his parents lasted until she graduated high school when they were finally told. But, Micki and Butch had one added piece of information that would change the dynamics of their lives, the reception she received from his parents and the unwarranted ranting of her best friend whose statements and remarks were hurtful and uncalled for. Micki was pregnant. She was married after all and in the real sense of true love she agreed to convert and take vows as a Catholic in order to be accepted into Butch’s family. Life took on many uncertain turns as the author flashes forward to 1981 and a hospital room in ICU. Although pressure to turn off the life support of her fourteen year old daughter, Noelle, and the fact that the driver of the truck that struck her down was caught, the gravity of the situation and the heartbreak far surpassed the anger and fear in Micki’s heart knowing she might lose her child. I have to admire and agree with the author in her strength, perseverance and tenacity at not allowing the doctors to turn off the life support until she was sure that nothing else could be done to bring her daughter out of her coma. The author then flashes back to when her first child is born, the frustrations she endured living with her in-laws and the love she received her sister in laws and the feeling that she needed to have a home of her own. Butch worked hard to try and support her but times were hard and things would not get any easier as the author relates the history behind the time period, racial strife, Martin Luther King, the election of President Kennedy and his assassination. As you read the stories you hear the author’s voice telling about each experience and you can feel the emotional strain at times and the laughter at others as she shares her life so brilliantly and poignantly with the reader. Memoirs are difficult to write and keeping the reader’s interest even harder. Author Micki Peluso captures the reader’s interest and heart from the prologue and throughout the entire memoir.
The whippoorwill is said to be a night hunter. It finds its prey by sight. It is most active at dawn or twilight. There are two types of these birds whose songs you can hear. Western Whip-poor-wills are slightly bigger that the eastern ones. They are distinguished only by their voices. Eastern whippoorwills sing the well known three part “Whip-poor-WEEA” that has a rising last note and accented on the first and last syllables, the western one’s song is lower, more trilled and accented on the last note. And the Whippoorwill sang is a story of sadness, triumph, glory, hope, and love as you listen to the author’s words you can hear the song of this special bird as she helps guide you each step of the way.
Six children and one husband working to support them, Micki felt as if she was alone and had little support. Children are your legacy and although she felt sad, faced more then her share of strife and obstacles, she moved forward hoping to create some stability for her family.
Did you ever feel like your life was a motion picture moving on the wide screen but feeling disconnected from what you see? Guilt hovering over her for past deeds that she felt she was paying the price for, seeing her daughter lying in a hospital room due to the negligence of another; Micki’s life seemed like a bad movie or a recurring nightmare that she would never awaken from. Punishing herself and recriminations are ways of dealing with something that was not her fault, not in her hands. Family strife, kids arguing and their stories so heartfelt, true to life, you feel a part of her family, understand her frustrations, shed tears for her sorrows and laugh at her humor. Throughout it all Butch continued to work for Benny who had a knack for getting his workers to enjoy being used and manipulated. Being pregnant many times made her situation and life not easy. From children yelling at each other to Kelly’s emergency surgery, Micki managed to keep it together with the help of family and even her mother in law. Her family dynamics changed in 1970 with the birth of her sixth child followed by the addition of a dog and a second honeymoon. With Kimberly taking over caring for her little sister, Nicole, it became apparent that some roles were being reversed. Butch hated change and throughout her stay in Easton after Nicole was born he hardly visited and the support was limited. A new house, many new friends and reverting back to her roots where she felt happy, safe and had the most fun is related in many of the stories that she shares with readers.
Author, mother, reviewer and writer, Micki Peluso imparts a memoir intertwined with real life stories, heartfelt situations written from her inner- most thoughts, hopes and desires, sharing her life with readers as no other memoir I have read ever has. When Noelle is tragically struck down by a drunk driver her whole life changes--the changes are dramatic and more than sad. Relentless in her vigil and never giving up hope, Micki remains at her daughter’s side and will not allow the hospital to discontinue life support, always praying for her daughter’s survival. Having just gone through this with my sister and knowing how hard the decision is to remove life support I admire and agree with what she did because I did the same for over a month with my sister. I refused to allow anyone in my family or the doctors to give up hope without calling as many hospitals as I could find that dealt with TBI. For her stamina and love for her daughter I move than just admire our author.
The author reflects back and forth between her life on the move, her trips, her family outings and then comes back to that room in ICU where Noelle is hanging on by a thread. Although doctors feel she won’t survive and her prayers are still not heard, the anger wells up inside of Micki and the fear of losing her daughter is real. How can He fail me and why aren’t my prayers heard? These questions are often come front and center in these situations and you wonder the one question that never gets answered WHY?
Recounting her family’s excursions, the strife, their schooling and their times apart and together, you hear the author’s voice so loud and clear as if she were reading it on an audio tape personally to the reader. And the Whippoorwill Sang is a sad story of what happened to one precious young girl as a result of the carelessness of another. Yet, out of it all the love, caring, loyalty and closeness of one family hangs true despite the hard times. How can anyone say goodbye to a child? How can you make that difficult and heartbreaking decision to let go of someone you love so much? The machines chant their own special songs, the smell of death is in the air and the choice should not be made by anyone. When the time is right it will happen naturally and not because of anyone’s decision. Noelle can hear their voices; she responds with tears at times and opens her eyes as if she wants to say something but cannot. Each family member responding in his/her own way and Micki trying to be there for them all. When the final doctor gives them not even a glimmer of hope, the family must decide what to do as Micki and Butch are always at Noelle’s bedside praying for a miracle that would never come. September 2, 1981 will be a day they will always remember. Guilt driven for not driving Noelle to the concert, made to feel as if it were her fault and a family at odds with each other and one woman at odds with herself.
A family torn yet still close and one young girl named Noelle that will always be there in their hearts, minds and spirit. September 2, 1981 was when Noelle left the physical world and entered a spiritual one. Two more births born the day she passed are blessings and presents from Noelle reminding her family she never really left. One memoir that will keep you riveted to the printed page from start to finish. One story that must be told and for those who have ever lost anyone due to the negligence, selfishness and uncaring of a drunk driver I dedicate this review to you. The laws need to be harsher when lives are lost in a senseless act of one man who showed no remorse.
And the Whippoorwill Sang: She sang her sad song but if you listen real close you might hear her singing a different song of hope and love.
The whippoorwill is said to be a night hunter. It finds its prey by sight. It is most active at dawn or twilight. There are two types of these birds whose songs you can hear. Western Whip-poor-wills are slightly bigger that the eastern ones. They are distinguished only by their voices. Eastern whippoorwills sing the well known three part “Whip-poor-WEEA” that has a rising last note and accented on the first and last syllables, the western one’s song is lower, more trilled and accented on the last note. And the Whippoorwill sang is a story of sadness, triumph, glory, hope, and love as you listen to the author’s words you can hear the song of this special bird as she helps guide you each step of the way.
Six children and one husband working to support them, Micki felt as if she was alone and had little support. Children are your legacy and although she felt sad, faced more then her share of strife and obstacles, she moved forward hoping to create some stability for her family.
Did you ever feel like your life was a motion picture moving on the wide screen but feeling disconnected from what you see? Guilt hovering over her for past deeds that she felt she was paying the price for, seeing her daughter lying in a hospital room due to the negligence of another; Micki’s life seemed like a bad movie or a recurring nightmare that she would never awaken from. Punishing herself and recriminations are ways of dealing with something that was not her fault, not in her hands. Family strife, kids arguing and their stories so heartfelt, true to life, you feel a part of her family, understand her frustrations, shed tears for her sorrows and laugh at her humor. Throughout it all Butch continued to work for Benny who had a knack for getting his workers to enjoy being used and manipulated. Being pregnant many times made her situation and life not easy. From children yelling at each other to Kelly’s emergency surgery, Micki managed to keep it together with the help of family and even her mother in law. Her family dynamics changed in 1970 with the birth of her sixth child followed by the addition of a dog and a second honeymoon. With Kimberly taking over caring for her little sister, Nicole, it became apparent that some roles were being reversed. Butch hated change and throughout her stay in Easton after Nicole was born he hardly visited and the support was limited. A new house, many new friends and reverting back to her roots where she felt happy, safe and had the most fun is related in many of the stories that she shares with readers.
Author, mother, reviewer and writer, Micki Peluso imparts a memoir intertwined with real life stories, heartfelt situations written from her inner- most thoughts, hopes and desires, sharing her life with readers as no other memoir I have read ever has. When Noelle is tragically struck down by a drunk driver her whole life changes--the changes are dramatic and more than sad. Relentless in her vigil and never giving up hope, Micki remains at her daughter’s side and will not allow the hospital to discontinue life support, always praying for her daughter’s survival. Having just gone through this with my sister and knowing how hard the decision is to remove life support I admire and agree with what she did because I did the same for over a month with my sister. I refused to allow anyone in my family or the doctors to give up hope without calling as many hospitals as I could find that dealt with TBI. For her stamina and love for her daughter I move than just admire our author.
The author reflects back and forth between her life on the move, her trips, her family outings and then comes back to that room in ICU where Noelle is hanging on by a thread. Although doctors feel she won’t survive and her prayers are still not heard, the anger wells up inside of Micki and the fear of losing her daughter is real. How can He fail me and why aren’t my prayers heard? These questions are often come front and center in these situations and you wonder the one question that never gets answered WHY?
Recounting her family’s excursions, the strife, their schooling and their times apart and together, you hear the author’s voice so loud and clear as if she were reading it on an audio tape personally to the reader. And the Whippoorwill Sang is a sad story of what happened to one precious young girl as a result of the carelessness of another. Yet, out of it all the love, caring, loyalty and closeness of one family hangs true despite the hard times. How can anyone say goodbye to a child? How can you make that difficult and heartbreaking decision to let go of someone you love so much? The machines chant their own special songs, the smell of death is in the air and the choice should not be made by anyone. When the time is right it will happen naturally and not because of anyone’s decision. Noelle can hear their voices; she responds with tears at times and opens her eyes as if she wants to say something but cannot. Each family member responding in his/her own way and Micki trying to be there for them all. When the final doctor gives them not even a glimmer of hope, the family must decide what to do as Micki and Butch are always at Noelle’s bedside praying for a miracle that would never come. September 2, 1981 will be a day they will always remember. Guilt driven for not driving Noelle to the concert, made to feel as if it were her fault and a family at odds with each other and one woman at odds with herself.
A family torn yet still close and one young girl named Noelle that will always be there in their hearts, minds and spirit. September 2, 1981 was when Noelle left the physical world and entered a spiritual one. Two more births born the day she passed are blessings and presents from Noelle reminding her family she never really left. One memoir that will keep you riveted to the printed page from start to finish. One story that must be told and for those who have ever lost anyone due to the negligence, selfishness and uncaring of a drunk driver I dedicate this review to you. The laws need to be harsher when lives are lost in a senseless act of one man who showed no remorse.
And the Whippoorwill Sang: She sang her sad song but if you listen real close you might hear her singing a different song of hope and love.
May 24, 2017
This is an exceptional story, providing a glimpse of the author’s life with her family. I don’t read many memoirs, but I found And the Whippoorwill Sang extremely hard to put down. The style is engaging and the sequence of events keeps the reader flipping pages.
From her marriage at seventeen, through the births of each of her children, several moves across country, and the ups and downs of family life and marriage, Micki Peluso tells her story candidly. Throughout, the reader knows of the coming tragedy that claims the life of one of Micki’s daughters, heartbreak that makes it bittersweet reading about Noelle and her close-knit family.
I’m sure writing this story was difficult. I was emotional reading the tale so I can only imagine how hard it had to be dredging up memories and trotting them out for the world to see. This is a superb book, and despite the inherent sadness of where the story heads, there is much joy throughout. As someone who lives in Pennsylvania, I found the sections set in that state particularly interesting. I loved reading about the “haunted farmhouse” the family lived in for many years. I’m not sure I would have been brave enough to stay! I also really appreciated the conclusion of the book in which Ms. Peluso shared how each family member fared in life.
Well-written with humor, sadness and frankness in equal measure, And the Whippoorwill Sang is a powerful read.
From her marriage at seventeen, through the births of each of her children, several moves across country, and the ups and downs of family life and marriage, Micki Peluso tells her story candidly. Throughout, the reader knows of the coming tragedy that claims the life of one of Micki’s daughters, heartbreak that makes it bittersweet reading about Noelle and her close-knit family.
I’m sure writing this story was difficult. I was emotional reading the tale so I can only imagine how hard it had to be dredging up memories and trotting them out for the world to see. This is a superb book, and despite the inherent sadness of where the story heads, there is much joy throughout. As someone who lives in Pennsylvania, I found the sections set in that state particularly interesting. I loved reading about the “haunted farmhouse” the family lived in for many years. I’m not sure I would have been brave enough to stay! I also really appreciated the conclusion of the book in which Ms. Peluso shared how each family member fared in life.
Well-written with humor, sadness and frankness in equal measure, And the Whippoorwill Sang is a powerful read.
July 15, 2012
And The Whippoorwill Sang
What an emotional read this was. Micki Peluso takes you into her heart and home where you meet a family torn apart by a drunk driver. Micki and her family's journey in this book will snatch at your heart strings and you will most certainly want to hold each of them as this tragic plight occurs with the sudden events that surround her daughters very life.
You will weep as you read the Introduction, laugh as Micki takes you through her life getting married and feel as though you were standing at her side throughout this entire book.
As the book opens Noelle, the daughter to Micki and Butch lay lifeless on a gurney in the emergency room broken and beaten from her injuries while Micki fights back the urge to scream in disbelief begging God to fix the disaster before her, promising Him she would do anything if He would just fix her precious Noelle.
Micki, the Author and Mother unveil ripping testimony to how this family survives the horror, flashes back in time from the day she eloped with her husband Butch weaving the story lines around their families and totally different religious believes in the beginning and how the differences were overcome.
This is a book you will not be able to lay aside for one moment as the Author Micki Peluso scoops you up on this roller coaster of life with all the joys, laughter and sadness any family could ever endure.
If you have the opportunity to view her video, you will meet her family either before or after you read this well written account of a family that stands united through elations to tragedy.
YouTube address:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XBqEUid2lqO
Rosemary "Mamie" Adkins writer, speaker and Author of Extraordinary Dreams of an Ireland Traveler
What an emotional read this was. Micki Peluso takes you into her heart and home where you meet a family torn apart by a drunk driver. Micki and her family's journey in this book will snatch at your heart strings and you will most certainly want to hold each of them as this tragic plight occurs with the sudden events that surround her daughters very life.
You will weep as you read the Introduction, laugh as Micki takes you through her life getting married and feel as though you were standing at her side throughout this entire book.
As the book opens Noelle, the daughter to Micki and Butch lay lifeless on a gurney in the emergency room broken and beaten from her injuries while Micki fights back the urge to scream in disbelief begging God to fix the disaster before her, promising Him she would do anything if He would just fix her precious Noelle.
Micki, the Author and Mother unveil ripping testimony to how this family survives the horror, flashes back in time from the day she eloped with her husband Butch weaving the story lines around their families and totally different religious believes in the beginning and how the differences were overcome.
This is a book you will not be able to lay aside for one moment as the Author Micki Peluso scoops you up on this roller coaster of life with all the joys, laughter and sadness any family could ever endure.
If you have the opportunity to view her video, you will meet her family either before or after you read this well written account of a family that stands united through elations to tragedy.
YouTube address:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XBqEUid2lqO
Rosemary "Mamie" Adkins writer, speaker and Author of Extraordinary Dreams of an Ireland Traveler
April 4, 2015
OUTSTANDING MEMOIR!
Micki Peluso takes readers along on her journey through life as she deals with the tragedy of the imminent death of one of her six children in a story that will bring the tears, not only of great sadness, but also the tears of the sheer joys of living. As I traveled with Micki along life’s road, I not only met her wonderful family and friends, I felt like I was one of them. That's what I call great writing! From antics to dilemmas, you won’t want to miss out on the laughter, the love, the sorrows or the fears as Peluso poignantly weaves a well-written memoir that will not be forgotten in AND THE WHIPPOORWILL SANG.
~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator
Micki Peluso takes readers along on her journey through life as she deals with the tragedy of the imminent death of one of her six children in a story that will bring the tears, not only of great sadness, but also the tears of the sheer joys of living. As I traveled with Micki along life’s road, I not only met her wonderful family and friends, I felt like I was one of them. That's what I call great writing! From antics to dilemmas, you won’t want to miss out on the laughter, the love, the sorrows or the fears as Peluso poignantly weaves a well-written memoir that will not be forgotten in AND THE WHIPPOORWILL SANG.
~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator
January 21, 2008
This is a MUST READ for everyone.
So many lives are changed by those who choose to get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated.
I hope you will read this book.
You will laugh, cry, rage, and root for Micki, this Steel Magnolia from New York, as she learns.....
To Weep, To Laugh, To Greive, To Dance...
I give it a five star.
Although I own this book, it's not for sale, or swap. :-)
So many lives are changed by those who choose to get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated.
I hope you will read this book.
You will laugh, cry, rage, and root for Micki, this Steel Magnolia from New York, as she learns.....
To Weep, To Laugh, To Greive, To Dance...
I give it a five star.
Although I own this book, it's not for sale, or swap. :-)
January 21, 2008
This book is a true story of a mother lose of her child to a drunk driver. The author,Micki Peluso shares with you what the family goes through in their griving. There is nothing depressiong about this book. It's warm and funny at times. I felt like the author was sitting at my kitchen table sharing her story.
It is a must read!
It is a must read!
June 25, 2012
The young teenager had just left home, a short, “Goodbye Mom” shattered through the house, and the door slammed. None of the family had any clue to what was about to happen. None of them had known a certain moment in time would change their lives forever. None of them had really thought about how quickly life could pass over into some other invisible form. None of them had considered it may be the last time to touch, to talk to, or to reach out and physically embraced the person one so deeply cares about, until it had happened––And The Whippoorwill Sang.
Every time I hear a new born baby cry,
Or touch a leaf or see the sky
Then I know why, I believe.(1)
A Child is born, and the world around it rejoices. It is December, almost Christmas, and the mother notates certain events and occasions in her mind that make the year unforgettable. She has developed a method for bringing her children into the world. She talks to them as they are still hidden in her wound. The baby understands, and because of its comfortableness, because of its security, because of the warmth the mother’s wound offers, it thinks about whether it would like to enter into a world where it will have to deal with the changes and idiosyncrasies of people who are driven by their likes and dislikes of others––And The Whippoorwill Sang.
And The Whippoorwill Sang, the book written by Micki Peluso, begins with her fourteen year old daughter, and the accident that would change the lives of her family as one of them crossover into eternity.
The book is unusual, in that Peluso, not only enlightens us about a hideous crime, which takes place in her own family, but she also brings light upon the character of one of the most dangerous criminals that still runs amok in our society today, regardless of which country in the world we might live–– the hit and run driver that causes accidents under intoxication. The driver who inebriates his brain into dysfunction; the driver, who then steps behind the wheel of his or her weapon to reach a destination; the driver, who out of disrespect for life, hits a person, an animal or an object and keeps going, as they think through their befuddlement about how they can now hide what they have done.
Micki Peluso, however, does not only deal with the ordeal, which takes place in her family’s life, but also with her confrontation with God, her lost, and the growth cycles of her maturation through out the entire book. Growth cycles that took a young woman who had gotten married at the age of seventeen through a life of loneliness and love, a life that is defined for the first fifteen years by her children.
Each child is special for Peluso. She has six of those little people we call babies, and each one renders, in her development into a woman, a certain degree of maturity that her girlfriends, who had decided to go away to school, were missing.
So it was for Noelle, the Christmas baby that Peluso talked into not being born on Christmas Day, instead to appear a few days earlier. Peluso talked to all her babies as she carried them. Maybe this is the reason why closeness developed between all of them and her, mother-child relationships that go beyond the grave into eternity–And The Whippoorwill Sang.
She writes about Noelle’s cuteness and her bravery. What two-year-old kid would have thought to go to the neighbors and ask the lady to cook her some fried eggs cause her Mama was going through morning sickness from a new pregnancy.
That alone defines Noelle. She was the peacekeeper, the easy-going nature who didn’t make demands. The charming baby whose first words were whish, whish, gulp, gulp, and ummmmm, because the laundry room was designated as her baby room.
Every time I hear a new born baby cry,
Or touch a leaf or see the sky
Then I know why, I believe. (2)
I followed Peluso as she struggled with finding herself in a world where she had only received a high school education, in a world where she fought for recognition from her husband, in a world where she sacrificed herself for her family. Her marriage crises forced her to be the one to change. It was she who could not carry a grudge for long, and it was she who kept her marriage going when her husband gave her the ultimatum of take me or leave me, I am the way I am. I could only applaud her in her decision. What woman would have stayed with her family after such an ultimatum? Only a woman, who cared about the destiny of her children––And The Whippoorwill Sang.
Please do not think the book is lopsided, because it is not. You don’t get the impression Peluso is trying to slam her husband or to get revenge. No, this is not the case at all. She brings out beautifully the great qualities he has as a provider for her and their brood. He is the man who promise to take care of her as long as they both shall live, and thank God, he takes his promise he made on their wedding day seriously.
I laughed, and I cried with Peluso. I was born a few years later, and the cry of acknowledgement from the Women’s Liberation Front, and the National Organization for Women‘s had loss some of its hysteria in the men’s world. Thus, it was refreshing to read about some of its effects upon Peluso and her friends’ lives.
All of these themes are dealt with in Peluso’s book, and yet it is written in such a way that the reader laughs and cries at the events, which take place. But the laughter takes its turn in the last chapters; Peluso has to give up her Christmas Baby. The child, whose first words were whish, whish, gulp, gulp, and ummmmm–– And The Whippoorwill Sang.
After reading And The Whippoorwill Sang, my emotions were in disarray. The ten-day struggle she went through, I related to heavily. Living in a foreign country, away from family and those I love, the agony of saying goodbye is difficult. One never knows when it is the last time.
Therefore, this is a have-to-read book. It will take you on an emotional roller-coaster ride and will challenge you to rethink your drinking habits when you drive. Most importantly though, it will challenge you to rethink your relationships with those who are close too you and cause you to consider reaching out instead of pushing away, loving instead of hating, and accepting instead of rejecting, those who mean the most to you––And The Whippoorwill Sang.
Ciao,
Pat Garcia
And The Whippoorwill Sang by Micki Peluso can be bought as a book at bookstores and or as an ebook at Amazon’s Kindle store to include Amazon.De for Germany.
1 & 2, Irvin Graham Jimmy Shirl, Ervin M. Drake, & Al Stillmann, I Believe. 1953.http://www.spiritofsinatra.com/pages/...
Every time I hear a new born baby cry,
Or touch a leaf or see the sky
Then I know why, I believe.(1)
A Child is born, and the world around it rejoices. It is December, almost Christmas, and the mother notates certain events and occasions in her mind that make the year unforgettable. She has developed a method for bringing her children into the world. She talks to them as they are still hidden in her wound. The baby understands, and because of its comfortableness, because of its security, because of the warmth the mother’s wound offers, it thinks about whether it would like to enter into a world where it will have to deal with the changes and idiosyncrasies of people who are driven by their likes and dislikes of others––And The Whippoorwill Sang.
And The Whippoorwill Sang, the book written by Micki Peluso, begins with her fourteen year old daughter, and the accident that would change the lives of her family as one of them crossover into eternity.
The book is unusual, in that Peluso, not only enlightens us about a hideous crime, which takes place in her own family, but she also brings light upon the character of one of the most dangerous criminals that still runs amok in our society today, regardless of which country in the world we might live–– the hit and run driver that causes accidents under intoxication. The driver who inebriates his brain into dysfunction; the driver, who then steps behind the wheel of his or her weapon to reach a destination; the driver, who out of disrespect for life, hits a person, an animal or an object and keeps going, as they think through their befuddlement about how they can now hide what they have done.
Micki Peluso, however, does not only deal with the ordeal, which takes place in her family’s life, but also with her confrontation with God, her lost, and the growth cycles of her maturation through out the entire book. Growth cycles that took a young woman who had gotten married at the age of seventeen through a life of loneliness and love, a life that is defined for the first fifteen years by her children.
Each child is special for Peluso. She has six of those little people we call babies, and each one renders, in her development into a woman, a certain degree of maturity that her girlfriends, who had decided to go away to school, were missing.
So it was for Noelle, the Christmas baby that Peluso talked into not being born on Christmas Day, instead to appear a few days earlier. Peluso talked to all her babies as she carried them. Maybe this is the reason why closeness developed between all of them and her, mother-child relationships that go beyond the grave into eternity–And The Whippoorwill Sang.
She writes about Noelle’s cuteness and her bravery. What two-year-old kid would have thought to go to the neighbors and ask the lady to cook her some fried eggs cause her Mama was going through morning sickness from a new pregnancy.
That alone defines Noelle. She was the peacekeeper, the easy-going nature who didn’t make demands. The charming baby whose first words were whish, whish, gulp, gulp, and ummmmm, because the laundry room was designated as her baby room.
Every time I hear a new born baby cry,
Or touch a leaf or see the sky
Then I know why, I believe. (2)
I followed Peluso as she struggled with finding herself in a world where she had only received a high school education, in a world where she fought for recognition from her husband, in a world where she sacrificed herself for her family. Her marriage crises forced her to be the one to change. It was she who could not carry a grudge for long, and it was she who kept her marriage going when her husband gave her the ultimatum of take me or leave me, I am the way I am. I could only applaud her in her decision. What woman would have stayed with her family after such an ultimatum? Only a woman, who cared about the destiny of her children––And The Whippoorwill Sang.
Please do not think the book is lopsided, because it is not. You don’t get the impression Peluso is trying to slam her husband or to get revenge. No, this is not the case at all. She brings out beautifully the great qualities he has as a provider for her and their brood. He is the man who promise to take care of her as long as they both shall live, and thank God, he takes his promise he made on their wedding day seriously.
I laughed, and I cried with Peluso. I was born a few years later, and the cry of acknowledgement from the Women’s Liberation Front, and the National Organization for Women‘s had loss some of its hysteria in the men’s world. Thus, it was refreshing to read about some of its effects upon Peluso and her friends’ lives.
All of these themes are dealt with in Peluso’s book, and yet it is written in such a way that the reader laughs and cries at the events, which take place. But the laughter takes its turn in the last chapters; Peluso has to give up her Christmas Baby. The child, whose first words were whish, whish, gulp, gulp, and ummmmm–– And The Whippoorwill Sang.
After reading And The Whippoorwill Sang, my emotions were in disarray. The ten-day struggle she went through, I related to heavily. Living in a foreign country, away from family and those I love, the agony of saying goodbye is difficult. One never knows when it is the last time.
Therefore, this is a have-to-read book. It will take you on an emotional roller-coaster ride and will challenge you to rethink your drinking habits when you drive. Most importantly though, it will challenge you to rethink your relationships with those who are close too you and cause you to consider reaching out instead of pushing away, loving instead of hating, and accepting instead of rejecting, those who mean the most to you––And The Whippoorwill Sang.
Ciao,
Pat Garcia
And The Whippoorwill Sang by Micki Peluso can be bought as a book at bookstores and or as an ebook at Amazon’s Kindle store to include Amazon.De for Germany.
1 & 2, Irvin Graham Jimmy Shirl, Ervin M. Drake, & Al Stillmann, I Believe. 1953.http://www.spiritofsinatra.com/pages/...
November 27, 2017
I was so touched by this book. The author did a masterful job taking me on a journey through the history of her family interweaving the hard times with the light times. She does this while also describing her heartbreak facing a position no parent wants to ever be in with the coming loss of one of her children whose youth is torn away due to a strangers selfish decision. She keeps her promise to her daughter that her name will not be forgotten and that others will know her more as she lived than how she died. It's a book that I believe showcases more than any other book I have read on the full impact such a loss is on a family and I believe it should be a recommended read to any recovering alcoholic involved in a dwi incident, I think this book is also a testament to how a family goes on after the loss of a loved one and how the loved one can "stick around " to care for their family.
Ultimately, there is nothing really I can say as a criticism of this book. the only thing I had a hard time with was remembering the birth order of her children which is a very minor thing. I admire the author's strength and courage in writing this memoir and wish her family the best in everything.
Ultimately, there is nothing really I can say as a criticism of this book. the only thing I had a hard time with was remembering the birth order of her children which is a very minor thing. I admire the author's strength and courage in writing this memoir and wish her family the best in everything.
January 30, 2018
I normally don't read memoirs, I am too emotional, but that book by Micki Peluso... well, what a powerful read.
I is a beautiful record of Micki and Butch Peluso, as they went through their colorful life.
Married as teenagers, building up their family, through love and tears and the tragic loss of their teenage girl.
Emotion were flowing.
And so it was, I laughed, i cried, i grieved with them and felt their pain, losing their child.
Micki and Butch, really had an extraordinary life.
Thank you for sharing, and that i could have a part in it.
Unforgettable.
I is a beautiful record of Micki and Butch Peluso, as they went through their colorful life.
Married as teenagers, building up their family, through love and tears and the tragic loss of their teenage girl.
Emotion were flowing.
And so it was, I laughed, i cried, i grieved with them and felt their pain, losing their child.
Micki and Butch, really had an extraordinary life.
Thank you for sharing, and that i could have a part in it.
Unforgettable.
May 31, 2018
“...And The Whippoorwill Sang” tells the story of Ms. Peluso, while her 14-year-old daughter is in a hospital bed fighting for her life. The book starts out with the parents of six waiting to hear if one of their children who was hit by a drunk driver--lives. I have been putting off reading this, because I had been through a similar situation a few years back. I know what it is like to sit next to the hospital bed of a once vibrant 14-year-old girl, and see what is left after someone chooses to drink and drive. It is heartbreaking, but it is something I needed to read. I believe everyone should read this, before they ever drink and decide to get behind the wheel of a car. Ms. Peluso wrote it in a manner which made it easier to read. She flashed back to her life and how they got to that point. It started with her marriage at 17-years-old and their struggles and blessings. I was taken back to a time when female roles were different, and then changed. It was beautifully written and had me laughing and crying. This is a story that needed to be told and definitely needs to be read. This is a must-read book.
June 27, 2012
...And the Whippoorwill Sang captured my attention from the very first page and tugged at my heartstrings throughout. Whether it was to laugh or to cry, I found myself so involved with the story that I was anticipating the next chapter with unexpected zeal.
The book quickly drew me in, making me feel as if Micki and I were sitting at her kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. She is relaxed in her writing, which made me feel like I was a part of her large family. Her words are descriptive; so much so that I could see not just the curtains, but through the windows to the streets and neighborhood beyond. I love that about this book, I can visualize what the couch looks like when Micki is recuperating from having a baby. I can see Dante's mischievous face, Michael and Kim talking about leaving home with only the things their grandmother had given them, Kelly learning to talk, and Nicole wrapping her hair around her toes. I see a huge dog that doesn’t ride very well in the car!
The book begins in 1959 at Micki's wedding at age 17 to Butch. I loved how she explained the wedding night in a way that would never offend any reader. I couldn't help but laugh and smile and feel good. She brought me back to the way things used to be in the 60s and 70s. The places they lived while their family grew, the decor, the pets, so much to see with your mind's eye to make you feel a part of the story. Things were so much different back then, parents didn't worry so much about their children going out and playing, coming home when the street lights came on. Moms didn't drive, they did the wash and made clothes and did whatever they could to be sure to have enough money for groceries, and dads worked so hard to support the family. Children slept in attics, basements, and laundry rooms; wherever there was enough space to put a bed. And the children never complained. Dinners were whatever moms could throw together from leftovers, and everyone was content.
Most families at the time were large, and each child had their own personality traits which made them unique and separated them from their siblings. There were six children in the Peluso household. Noelle was independent at a very young age, broadly intelligent, and her charm captured your heart. She went through that period of time that every girl does, where hormones cause a shift in personality, but came back to being the darling that her siblings all remember. At the young age of 14, she was killed by a drunk driver while walking to the park. Before she died, her mother promised her that she wouldn't let her life be in vain, that she would let the world know that Noelle had lived.
It is so easy to relate to the stories Micki tells about those years, some of which had me laughing in sheer nostalgic bliss, and others that had me wanting to give her a hug and share her grief. I highly recommend this book. There are so many reasons why. It takes a baby boomer back to life in the 60s, and it is a double bonus if you are from the Northeast. It is a comfortable book, yet one the reader never loses interest in. It can definitely be read in a weekend, and it is one that you will remember. Micki travels in time to the early days of her family, occasionally coming back to the moment at hand, when Noelle's life is hanging in the balance. But she doesn't stay there long, only enough to fill the reader's mind with sympathy for this mother who remains strong despite the pain she is going through. Micki is the glue that is holding the family together, when she is the one who desperately needs to be hugged and loved and reassured that the choices she is making are the right ones. She wrestles with her spirituality, but knows in her heart that God is in charge and will one day remove her grief. It brings to the open the heartache that families go through when a lawless person, not caring about whom they hurt goes out reckless into the world. The devastation that is caused by drunk drivers is brought home to you between the eyes. Noelle was real, for crying out loud, she was a little girl, only 14, and minding her own business when her life was taken in a matter of moments. Is there justice for the family? The man who hit her served time, but Noelle never grew up.
There is a sweet sorrow to Noelle’s short life, but even so, her mother’s promise was met. I know that Noelle lived, and you will too if you buy this book. It is a 5-star read!
Deirdre Tolhurst, Author, A Christmas I Remember, ISBN 978-1-61346-422-9.
The book quickly drew me in, making me feel as if Micki and I were sitting at her kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. She is relaxed in her writing, which made me feel like I was a part of her large family. Her words are descriptive; so much so that I could see not just the curtains, but through the windows to the streets and neighborhood beyond. I love that about this book, I can visualize what the couch looks like when Micki is recuperating from having a baby. I can see Dante's mischievous face, Michael and Kim talking about leaving home with only the things their grandmother had given them, Kelly learning to talk, and Nicole wrapping her hair around her toes. I see a huge dog that doesn’t ride very well in the car!
The book begins in 1959 at Micki's wedding at age 17 to Butch. I loved how she explained the wedding night in a way that would never offend any reader. I couldn't help but laugh and smile and feel good. She brought me back to the way things used to be in the 60s and 70s. The places they lived while their family grew, the decor, the pets, so much to see with your mind's eye to make you feel a part of the story. Things were so much different back then, parents didn't worry so much about their children going out and playing, coming home when the street lights came on. Moms didn't drive, they did the wash and made clothes and did whatever they could to be sure to have enough money for groceries, and dads worked so hard to support the family. Children slept in attics, basements, and laundry rooms; wherever there was enough space to put a bed. And the children never complained. Dinners were whatever moms could throw together from leftovers, and everyone was content.
Most families at the time were large, and each child had their own personality traits which made them unique and separated them from their siblings. There were six children in the Peluso household. Noelle was independent at a very young age, broadly intelligent, and her charm captured your heart. She went through that period of time that every girl does, where hormones cause a shift in personality, but came back to being the darling that her siblings all remember. At the young age of 14, she was killed by a drunk driver while walking to the park. Before she died, her mother promised her that she wouldn't let her life be in vain, that she would let the world know that Noelle had lived.
It is so easy to relate to the stories Micki tells about those years, some of which had me laughing in sheer nostalgic bliss, and others that had me wanting to give her a hug and share her grief. I highly recommend this book. There are so many reasons why. It takes a baby boomer back to life in the 60s, and it is a double bonus if you are from the Northeast. It is a comfortable book, yet one the reader never loses interest in. It can definitely be read in a weekend, and it is one that you will remember. Micki travels in time to the early days of her family, occasionally coming back to the moment at hand, when Noelle's life is hanging in the balance. But she doesn't stay there long, only enough to fill the reader's mind with sympathy for this mother who remains strong despite the pain she is going through. Micki is the glue that is holding the family together, when she is the one who desperately needs to be hugged and loved and reassured that the choices she is making are the right ones. She wrestles with her spirituality, but knows in her heart that God is in charge and will one day remove her grief. It brings to the open the heartache that families go through when a lawless person, not caring about whom they hurt goes out reckless into the world. The devastation that is caused by drunk drivers is brought home to you between the eyes. Noelle was real, for crying out loud, she was a little girl, only 14, and minding her own business when her life was taken in a matter of moments. Is there justice for the family? The man who hit her served time, but Noelle never grew up.
There is a sweet sorrow to Noelle’s short life, but even so, her mother’s promise was met. I know that Noelle lived, and you will too if you buy this book. It is a 5-star read!
Deirdre Tolhurst, Author, A Christmas I Remember, ISBN 978-1-61346-422-9.
September 8, 2012
…And The Whippoorwill Sang by Micki Peluso is so many things: at times a personal memoir, at others a social and cultural commentary; it sometimes reads like a relationship advice column, and yet it is also a dramatic story with an extremely moving and emotional ending. In telling her family’s story of love and loss, Micki provides an in-depth look into her personal life that is framed by the cultural backdrop of the times, so that her story becomes as impressive and as important to the reader as events such as the assassination of Present Kennedy.
Micki begins her tale with a prologue that captures the reader’s attention and immediately causes him to start asking questions as to what has transpired. The first scene is of a mother dealing with the reality that her daughter has been in a serious, and probably fatal, accident—with her husband five hours away and the doctors urging her to accept defeat. The horror of the emergency room is juxtaposed in the next chapter with Micki’s wedding 22 years earlier to the love of her life. As her tale continues, the terror of the present is dispersed throughout a retelling of the past. Micki recounts her elopement to Butch and her mother’s subsequent move to Florida. She tells of her happiness in marrying Butch, but that his parents did not approve because she was not Catholic and, therefore, their baby was illegitimate. Because they had to stay with Butch’s parents, Micki tells of how she went through a four-week Catholic indoctrination in order to marry Butch in a “real ceremony.” The first touch of humor enters the story when Micki confesses to sending the priest to a rest home for frazzled priests after dealing with her religious debates.
The book continues in this fashion: Micki tells her family’s history, interspersed with humor, cultural commentary, and personal opinions while constantly reminding the reader that the focus of the tale is her daughter who is hovering between this life and the next and how the family deals with this situation and its aftermath. Micki tells the reader that as she sits in the ICU, she is “grabbing onto the past in an effort to block out the future.”
From the get-go, Micki’s honesty about herself and her family is refreshing and leads the reader to truly care for the people she writes about. Throughout the book, the reader will laugh, cry, yell in anger, and sometimes cry out a righteous “amen, sister!” Her story is so detailed and told with such emotion that by the end of the novel, the reader feels as if he is part of her family and dealing with the same emotions. She definitely keeps her promise…
Micki begins her tale with a prologue that captures the reader’s attention and immediately causes him to start asking questions as to what has transpired. The first scene is of a mother dealing with the reality that her daughter has been in a serious, and probably fatal, accident—with her husband five hours away and the doctors urging her to accept defeat. The horror of the emergency room is juxtaposed in the next chapter with Micki’s wedding 22 years earlier to the love of her life. As her tale continues, the terror of the present is dispersed throughout a retelling of the past. Micki recounts her elopement to Butch and her mother’s subsequent move to Florida. She tells of her happiness in marrying Butch, but that his parents did not approve because she was not Catholic and, therefore, their baby was illegitimate. Because they had to stay with Butch’s parents, Micki tells of how she went through a four-week Catholic indoctrination in order to marry Butch in a “real ceremony.” The first touch of humor enters the story when Micki confesses to sending the priest to a rest home for frazzled priests after dealing with her religious debates.
The book continues in this fashion: Micki tells her family’s history, interspersed with humor, cultural commentary, and personal opinions while constantly reminding the reader that the focus of the tale is her daughter who is hovering between this life and the next and how the family deals with this situation and its aftermath. Micki tells the reader that as she sits in the ICU, she is “grabbing onto the past in an effort to block out the future.”
From the get-go, Micki’s honesty about herself and her family is refreshing and leads the reader to truly care for the people she writes about. Throughout the book, the reader will laugh, cry, yell in anger, and sometimes cry out a righteous “amen, sister!” Her story is so detailed and told with such emotion that by the end of the novel, the reader feels as if he is part of her family and dealing with the same emotions. She definitely keeps her promise…
July 30, 2016
Insurmountable Grief
This is a true story about a tragedy that is every parent’s worst nightmare. When 14 year old Noelle leaves the house one evening to join her friends at a concert in the park, no one knew it would be for the last time. This is a gripping emotional account of how one mother faced losing a child to a drunk driver.
The book begins in the waiting room at the hospital where Noelle has been taken in August 1981. Her neck is broken and spinal cord severed. Doctors give Micki and Butch, her parents, no hope of her survival.
Writing is therapeutic and in this memoir, Micki Peluso takes us on a journey back through time. She eloped with her high school sweetheart and had a double wedding with her wacky mother. By the time Micki graduated from high school, she was pregnant with their first child. She and Butch are presented with many challenges as they start their young lives together as a family. It wasn’t without turmoil. And it wasn’t without heartbreak and sacrifices. Children came close together and often. Each time she discovered she was pregnant yet again, there was anger and resentment as another mouth had to be fed. They wound up having six children. Micki describes her children vividly throughout the book; their personalities, their flaws and their strengths. The obvious love she has for each is portrayed beautifully in this story. The same is true for Butch. He was a workaholic and long hours away placed the burden of caring for so many children on Micki.
I will say that throughout the book, the arguments they had over her getting pregnant so often and he working so many hours became redundant. I also had a hard time keeping up with all of the characters. There were the six children, parents, friends, relatives, friends of the children and co-workers that moved through their lives. But, that became irrelevant as the emotion of the story carried me. I found no importance in trying to remember who everyone was.
What Micki Peluso did with this memoir, was pour her heart and soul into words. The chaos of a large family, antics of the children and various animals they owned, to ghosts haunting the house and eventually death kept me reading.
Anyone who has faced a loss of this proportion will find healing through reading this book.
This is a true story about a tragedy that is every parent’s worst nightmare. When 14 year old Noelle leaves the house one evening to join her friends at a concert in the park, no one knew it would be for the last time. This is a gripping emotional account of how one mother faced losing a child to a drunk driver.
The book begins in the waiting room at the hospital where Noelle has been taken in August 1981. Her neck is broken and spinal cord severed. Doctors give Micki and Butch, her parents, no hope of her survival.
Writing is therapeutic and in this memoir, Micki Peluso takes us on a journey back through time. She eloped with her high school sweetheart and had a double wedding with her wacky mother. By the time Micki graduated from high school, she was pregnant with their first child. She and Butch are presented with many challenges as they start their young lives together as a family. It wasn’t without turmoil. And it wasn’t without heartbreak and sacrifices. Children came close together and often. Each time she discovered she was pregnant yet again, there was anger and resentment as another mouth had to be fed. They wound up having six children. Micki describes her children vividly throughout the book; their personalities, their flaws and their strengths. The obvious love she has for each is portrayed beautifully in this story. The same is true for Butch. He was a workaholic and long hours away placed the burden of caring for so many children on Micki.
I will say that throughout the book, the arguments they had over her getting pregnant so often and he working so many hours became redundant. I also had a hard time keeping up with all of the characters. There were the six children, parents, friends, relatives, friends of the children and co-workers that moved through their lives. But, that became irrelevant as the emotion of the story carried me. I found no importance in trying to remember who everyone was.
What Micki Peluso did with this memoir, was pour her heart and soul into words. The chaos of a large family, antics of the children and various animals they owned, to ghosts haunting the house and eventually death kept me reading.
Anyone who has faced a loss of this proportion will find healing through reading this book.
November 29, 2016
I confess, I bought this book because of the title and the cover. I didn’t read the reviews—I didn’t even pay much attention to the synopsis of the book. The title had me—I have this “romantic” thing about Whippoorwills—even though I’ve never seen one. I did not realize that it was a memoir—truth is I may not have bought it. How much I would have missed!
This is a beautiful record of Micki and Butch Peluso’s life; from their teenage marriage, the growth of their family, the loss of a teenaged child and the survival of their relationship through love, laughter, stress, hardship, and loss.
Sometimes memoirs are too introspective for me, but as I read Micki Peluso’s book, it was so engaging that there were times that I had to remind myself that this was a true story.
The loss of a child is devastating; I speak from experience- we lost an 18-year-old son--but he died instantly. If it had to be, I thank God we did not have to endure the agony of sitting vigil for ten days, to have to accept the loss in the end.
The raw story of such a loss would make a desolate read, but Peluso skillfully inserted glimpses of the grief and pain of losing 14-year-old Noelle, throughout the story, while sharing other aspects of her marriage and the six children that they had.
I laughed, I cried, I related to the happy, the sad, and the stressful times that this couple and their family experienced.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It touched my heart, as I believe it will most people. Life is full of unexpected, unplanned events—joyful and tragic, hilarious and shocking. And the Whippoorwill Sang shares the story of an extraordinary relationship, an extraordinary family and the reality of their life.
This is a beautiful record of Micki and Butch Peluso’s life; from their teenage marriage, the growth of their family, the loss of a teenaged child and the survival of their relationship through love, laughter, stress, hardship, and loss.
Sometimes memoirs are too introspective for me, but as I read Micki Peluso’s book, it was so engaging that there were times that I had to remind myself that this was a true story.
The loss of a child is devastating; I speak from experience- we lost an 18-year-old son--but he died instantly. If it had to be, I thank God we did not have to endure the agony of sitting vigil for ten days, to have to accept the loss in the end.
The raw story of such a loss would make a desolate read, but Peluso skillfully inserted glimpses of the grief and pain of losing 14-year-old Noelle, throughout the story, while sharing other aspects of her marriage and the six children that they had.
I laughed, I cried, I related to the happy, the sad, and the stressful times that this couple and their family experienced.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It touched my heart, as I believe it will most people. Life is full of unexpected, unplanned events—joyful and tragic, hilarious and shocking. And the Whippoorwill Sang shares the story of an extraordinary relationship, an extraordinary family and the reality of their life.
July 16, 2012
And The Whippoorwill Sang
By
Micki Peluso
I would give Micki Peluso’s book ten stars, if I could. This is a genuine slice of Americana served up with all the love, pain, and laughter of a working class American family. Micki and Butch are married at seventeen and proceed to have six beautiful, healthy children, almost one a year. Unable to find work, Butch becomes a bartender and leaves the raising of the children to Micki. Unhappy with the way things are going, Micki, and her indomitable pioneering spirit, persuades her husband to leave everything on the East Coast and head for Las Vegas. They travel in a camper with six kids and a dog. This trip alone will keep you laughing for hours. The funny stories about their friends, their kids, and their kid’s friends are also hilarious. The constant struggle to keep the family fed, clothed and schooled is not unlike that which most of us have had to deal with throughout our lives but Micki does it with aplomb, aided by a fabulous sense of humor. Suddenly, life hits Micki and Butch in the very core of their being when one of their beloved children is hit by a drunk driver, and her spine is severed. You can feel Micki’s pain as she waits in the emergency room for word from the doctor. You can feel the love and support of her family and friends, but Micki is inconsolable. This incredible story took me through a range of emotions unlike any I have ever felt from a book. I want to thank Micki for sharing her life, her sorrow, her grief, and her children with us and my prayers are with the whole family, because this kind of loss never goes away.
Mary Firmin, author
By
Micki Peluso
I would give Micki Peluso’s book ten stars, if I could. This is a genuine slice of Americana served up with all the love, pain, and laughter of a working class American family. Micki and Butch are married at seventeen and proceed to have six beautiful, healthy children, almost one a year. Unable to find work, Butch becomes a bartender and leaves the raising of the children to Micki. Unhappy with the way things are going, Micki, and her indomitable pioneering spirit, persuades her husband to leave everything on the East Coast and head for Las Vegas. They travel in a camper with six kids and a dog. This trip alone will keep you laughing for hours. The funny stories about their friends, their kids, and their kid’s friends are also hilarious. The constant struggle to keep the family fed, clothed and schooled is not unlike that which most of us have had to deal with throughout our lives but Micki does it with aplomb, aided by a fabulous sense of humor. Suddenly, life hits Micki and Butch in the very core of their being when one of their beloved children is hit by a drunk driver, and her spine is severed. You can feel Micki’s pain as she waits in the emergency room for word from the doctor. You can feel the love and support of her family and friends, but Micki is inconsolable. This incredible story took me through a range of emotions unlike any I have ever felt from a book. I want to thank Micki for sharing her life, her sorrow, her grief, and her children with us and my prayers are with the whole family, because this kind of loss never goes away.
Mary Firmin, author
February 3, 2014
I'm fortunate to have met Micki Peluso and her charming husband Butch at a book signing at a Barnes & Noble in her hometown where I purchased an autographed copy of "And the Whippoorwill Sang" a few years.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. The book is a roller coaster of emotions, you laugh one moment, the next you sigh and then you cry, and back again. You start off in the emergency room of the hospital the fateful night her daughter got struck by a drunk driver; you're then flung into the past as Micki and her future husband Butch are planning their elopement. You're then flung back to present to a crucial point as the family are waiting to hear the next development concerning her daughter. The repetitious nature of flashbacks adds to emotions as one reads this book.
The story is one many families can relate to especially if they'd also suffered through having a family member killed by some drunk driver who didn't know he/she shouldn't have been on the road and especially at night.
The book has received an accolade when it got reviewed on Page 5 in the Spring 2008 issue of MADDvocate [official magazine of MADD - Mothers Against Drunk Drivers] by John McEvans - MADD National Victims Services Training Manager
http://www.madd.org/media-center/publ...
This book is a must read, even for people who don't usually read memoirs,
I truly enjoyed reading this book. The book is a roller coaster of emotions, you laugh one moment, the next you sigh and then you cry, and back again. You start off in the emergency room of the hospital the fateful night her daughter got struck by a drunk driver; you're then flung into the past as Micki and her future husband Butch are planning their elopement. You're then flung back to present to a crucial point as the family are waiting to hear the next development concerning her daughter. The repetitious nature of flashbacks adds to emotions as one reads this book.
The story is one many families can relate to especially if they'd also suffered through having a family member killed by some drunk driver who didn't know he/she shouldn't have been on the road and especially at night.
The book has received an accolade when it got reviewed on Page 5 in the Spring 2008 issue of MADDvocate [official magazine of MADD - Mothers Against Drunk Drivers] by John McEvans - MADD National Victims Services Training Manager
http://www.madd.org/media-center/publ...
This book is a must read, even for people who don't usually read memoirs,
August 7, 2013
This is a remarkable read! This beautiful memoir delves deeply into every emotion known to the soul...from tremendous love of husband and family, laugh out loud domestic adventures, to the gut-wrenching agony of every parent's nightmare...the senseless loss of a child. Through it all, Ms. Peluso captures and captivates her audience with eloquent and powerful prose, beginning with her bedside vigil in a hospital ICU after a horrific accident involving her daughter and a drunk driver, then taking us back in time to the beginning...her beginning.
I am amazed at the strength and character of this author. To endure such a tragedy as the loss of a child, and be able to pen the experience so eloquently with candor and humor, speaks volumes about the power and spirit of a mother's undying love. When I read a book, I want to feel I'm a part of the story, as though I am there experiencing whatever is about to unfold. This author did not leave me wanting...She made me feel.
I highly recommend this book to anyone. It is a powerfully written story of the sorrows and triumphs of real life. Not a sob story or feel-sorry-for-me essay, but a true memorial of a life taken all too soon.
Ms. Peluso...You have done great honor to your daughter. You are the quintessential definition of Mother. I'm positive Noelle is smiling from above.
Bravo!
I am amazed at the strength and character of this author. To endure such a tragedy as the loss of a child, and be able to pen the experience so eloquently with candor and humor, speaks volumes about the power and spirit of a mother's undying love. When I read a book, I want to feel I'm a part of the story, as though I am there experiencing whatever is about to unfold. This author did not leave me wanting...She made me feel.
I highly recommend this book to anyone. It is a powerfully written story of the sorrows and triumphs of real life. Not a sob story or feel-sorry-for-me essay, but a true memorial of a life taken all too soon.
Ms. Peluso...You have done great honor to your daughter. You are the quintessential definition of Mother. I'm positive Noelle is smiling from above.
Bravo!
October 15, 2013
A powerful memoir, deeply moving, at times very funny, but travelling always, inexorably, toward the heart-rending tragedy that is at its core. It's a finely-crafted true story, following an American family from their earliest years of young marriage, financial and family difficulties, through the births of six children, uprooting to travel across America, living in a haunted house and more... Always, the tale returns to the terrible accident that robs one beloved child of her life, then launches itself anew to recount the next stages in the family's lives.
Finally, almost unbearably, the closing pages detail the last moments of a child so brutally robbed of life, and the agony of the parents and siblings forced to live with the loss of such a shining presence in their lives. This might have been a bitter tale, justifiably, but it isn't. Far from it. It is a celebration of a life, and lives, and of Life itself, with all its sometimes awful challenges and sorrows, as well as its joys. Noelle lives on, through and beyond the pages of this book.
You won't finish And The Whippoorwill Sang without tears, that's guaranteed, but you will feel uplifted by having read it.
Finally, almost unbearably, the closing pages detail the last moments of a child so brutally robbed of life, and the agony of the parents and siblings forced to live with the loss of such a shining presence in their lives. This might have been a bitter tale, justifiably, but it isn't. Far from it. It is a celebration of a life, and lives, and of Life itself, with all its sometimes awful challenges and sorrows, as well as its joys. Noelle lives on, through and beyond the pages of this book.
You won't finish And The Whippoorwill Sang without tears, that's guaranteed, but you will feel uplifted by having read it.
November 23, 2014
5-Stars!
Bad times come to all. Some have more than their fair share. "...And The Whippoorwill Sang" is one of those novels that bring tears and some laughter.
How many times have we said "Goodbye" to a loved one with the assumption of their return after a typical daily activity? Micki Peluso expected to see her daughter's return before day's end. Yes, she did see her daughter again, but not as anticipated. A horrific accident changed her life that forced gut-wrenching and soul-searching decisions---decisions that shook her very foundation of family as she knew it. The loss of a child is never easy and lives with the surviving parent eternally.
Micki Peluso writes from the heart in a style that pulls the reader in with captivation. Her prose illustrate her talent and writer's heart. She reveals the pain and strength she has derived from such a horrific event, while creating a tribute to her late daughter.
I highly recommend "...And The Whippoorwill Sang" to readers who desire quality writing with heartfelt emotion.
Bad times come to all. Some have more than their fair share. "...And The Whippoorwill Sang" is one of those novels that bring tears and some laughter.
How many times have we said "Goodbye" to a loved one with the assumption of their return after a typical daily activity? Micki Peluso expected to see her daughter's return before day's end. Yes, she did see her daughter again, but not as anticipated. A horrific accident changed her life that forced gut-wrenching and soul-searching decisions---decisions that shook her very foundation of family as she knew it. The loss of a child is never easy and lives with the surviving parent eternally.
Micki Peluso writes from the heart in a style that pulls the reader in with captivation. Her prose illustrate her talent and writer's heart. She reveals the pain and strength she has derived from such a horrific event, while creating a tribute to her late daughter.
I highly recommend "...And The Whippoorwill Sang" to readers who desire quality writing with heartfelt emotion.
September 6, 2016
Micki Peluso has done her daughter proud. I was not expecting such an engaging experience. Often memoirs that commemorate a deceased child are difficult to read due to sentimentality and emotion that overpowers the story. Emphatically not so in this case. Peluso brings us into the story of her young and growing family with great honesty and detail. Her story is often entertaining and always interesting. Having married before graduating from high school (and spending so many years up to her neck in child rearing), I want to know when and where Micki Peluso learned not only the craft of writing, but of story structure. She is a natural storyteller,and I recommend this book to everyone, especially anyone who has lost a child. I hope the author has sent (or will send) this book to the MADD organization, where it may be put to good use educating abusers and hopefully preventing more tragedy.
August 19, 2016
This is a memoir of family, love and loss. It begins with every parent's worst nightmare: Micki's daughter lies in a coma having been hit by a drunk driver and the doctors have given her no hope of survival. The story flips between the present and the past. Micki eloped with her high school sweetheart, and children followed soon after. Living in cramped accommodation with her husband working all hours, Micki yearns for a better life. We experience the antics of her children, her house being haunted and a potato that almost got shot in her basement! This memoir will break your heart, have you holding your breath and make you laugh out loud. There were a lot of characters mentioned and described and I had trouble keeping up with them all but in the end that was unimportant as the story swept me away. You won't regret picking this book up!
March 20, 2015
The story begins with the marriage of teenagers, Micki and Butch, and soon after children begin to arrive. Butch has a penchant for work, leaving Micki to struggle with housework, kids, and the occasional unruly animal. For a while their lives parallel those of many other couples until they decide to split. But they can't live without each other, so together they chart a new course. Again the sea winds blow, but they manage to ride out the storm, until suddenly tragedy strikes. A drunk driver runs down their daughter, Noelle, and after an agonizing ten days in limbo, she goes to heaven, leaving a family stricken with grief. The family pushed on in sorrow until two years later to the day, when their daughter, Kim gave birth to Ian, with a persona akin to Noelle.
July 3, 2012
Micki Peluso invites her readers into her innermost self where she shares hilarious ventures along with the deepest of sorrow. It is a story of undying love and devotion to her family amidst a plethora of hardships and choices. From the beginning of her book to the very end you will be turning the pages in anticipation of what could possibly happen next. It is a hard book to put down so once you start be sure you have plenty of time for reading. And, of course, have a box of kleenex on hand for the laughter will bring on tears and the sorrow will send you to your knees in prayer with and for her, as well as her family.
July 10, 2012
This is one of the most enthralling books I have ever read. It combines the best of storytelling with the reality of loss and grief and ultimately--healing. By the time I read the last page, I had become a member of Micki's family and had bonded with all of her kids. We are there with her through all her valleys and we are there with her even when she wants to be alone. Part of the beauty of this book is the honesty of the raw emotion shared so openly along with a touch of humor here and there to keep us a bit off balance. Noelle will live on forever through this book and I only wish I could hear a whippoorwill sing!
February 23, 2013
One of the most heartfelt and heartbreaking books I have ever read. As a father of two daughters, I can't imagine, how one lives through it. Ms Peluso is an amazing writer. She brings you into her family and introduces each one, like they were members of your own family. This is a family story. I relived some of the unrest I felt during the 60's and 70's and laughingly read about the antics so prevalent in all children. You will laugh and cry when you read this book, but you will not be disappointed...
March 15, 2012
A rare mix of humor and heartbreak…
Micki Peluso promised her daughter, Noelle, “that somehow the world will know who you are and what you meant to those who loved you.” She did just that in this real-life account of the Peluso family’s journey through good times and bad, hope and despair. This is more than a story of one family, it’s a tribute to what a family should be – strong, full of humor and committed to each other.
Micki Peluso promised her daughter, Noelle, “that somehow the world will know who you are and what you meant to those who loved you.” She did just that in this real-life account of the Peluso family’s journey through good times and bad, hope and despair. This is more than a story of one family, it’s a tribute to what a family should be – strong, full of humor and committed to each other.
March 21, 2012
In the request to Read Across America on Darby's Story and More Blog take a moment to read the featured post for "And the Whippoorwill Sand" http://marthasteward64.wordpress.com/...
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