Every 9 Seconds

by Carroll Silvera

The frightening tale of one woman's battle with domestic violence...someone she trusted. Domestic violence can manifest itself in many forms, including physical and emotional abuse. It affects not only the ill-treated person but also everyone else who encounters that person. Despite its far-reaching consequences, people tend to keep the issue of domestic violence behind closed doors, leaving many to suffer its wrath while feeling helpless to stop it. Every 9 Seconds seeks to bring domestic violence into the open, giving those affected by it a chance to deal with it properly. You are not alone, you have options. We witness the story of Cara McDonald in a terrifying journey of abuse and neglect that many could never imagine. Will her circumstances cause her to lose her faith in God, or will her faith give her the perseverance to survive?

290 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2015

Reviews

[Christina Culbertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So i just finished the book "Every 9 seconds" and Wow. Just Wow. Obviously, im the first person to read this book on Goodreads, and for some reason that saddens me. This book was SO good. This book was SO sad. The author of this book knows exactly what she is talking about, and it makes me wonder if this book was even fiction. This book sounded like something she went through herself, and decided to tell her story. She might have wanted to keep her matters privately, but the way this book was written..was like i caught a glimpse into her own life. The details, and how everything is described was unimaginable, but real. This book tells the story of a Woman, and her survival of abuse, to starting over with someone new, while having two children that witnessed the abuse at early ages. This book was so gripping, and had me turning the pages as quick as i could read them. I can't believe im the first person to read and review such a real, gritty, disturbing book on goodreads. Every 9 seconds in the United states, A woman is abused either physically, mentally, emotionally, and sexually. The main character of this book is Cara. Cara gets married at a very young age to a abuser. He is in the military, an he comes an goes, but beats her every time he comes home from the base and korea. He impregnated her with two children, then with a third, that she tried to hide from him, to keep from getting beat on and miscarrying her baby. He punches and kicks her until shes left in a pool of her own blood. Left to die to miscarry. Her other two children have to witness all of this. The oldest, Samantha, has been knocked out cold by her father too. Finally she manages to get away, and start a new life. Its so sad how this book states so many facts about domestic abuse. Every 1 in 3 women experience abuse at least once in their lifetime. Those are very troubling numbers to me. How could anyone give this book less than 5 stars? The writing was perfect. The suspense was perfect. The story line and plot were perfect. The climax, and ending were perfect. Poor cara had a terrible life, and had a mother who hated her. Domestic violence is no joking matter. I, myself, have suffered from the hands of an abuser. I know exactly how abused women feel. I have been there. I have never been physically beaten, but damn near close. Most of my abuse is emotional, mental, and verbal, threats, ect. Now days, guys know beforehand, im not the type of woman you can beat on, and expect me to "accept" the violence. I would have killed her husband in a heartbeat, an not thought twice about it. This book was so heart wrenching and real. I will never forget this book. The author is from Tennessee, just like me. I would love to have a conversation with her. She knows the facts, and i do believe she knows a bit more about domestic violence than this work of fiction. I seriously think this was part of HER life, or someone she knows. I have the second book, and cannot WAIT to start it. Im actually excited to read the second. This book keeps your attention, hoping that Cara can escape the abuse with her children, then finally be happy. I understand the importance of domestic violence all too well. This book was absolutely superb. I give it 5 stars, an doesn't deserve anything LESS than that, period.