What do you think?
Rate this book
Charlie's Kid: An Inspiring Tale of Survival At a Deepest Level Against Excruciatingly Insurmountable Odds.
Clarion Foreword Review Reads: Honest and unvarnished, Charlie’s Kid is a story in the best sense of the word, pulsing with lessons born from difficult experiences and told out of love, not for glory. Sean X. Oljer’s fictionalized memoir Charlie’s Kid is extreme and unforgettable.
MARI CARLSON (July 25, 2018) ;...Kirkus-Indie says, "...emotionally raw";...BlueInk review states, "... For all its horror and despair, Charlies’ Kid is an inspiring tale about redemption, kindness and nobility.";...The Dean of Milton Campus, PSC states: "The story is riveting, horrifying, mesmerizing, and unforgettable. It haunts, and it inspires. It is a story you cannot escape whose imagery stays with you." ... "Raw and brutal, Charlie's Kid is a Bildungsroman, a bare-knuckled telling from childhood to parenthood, ripped from the experiences of a tortured soul shared so his son might understand. Yet, it also reveals angels and heroes who walk among us, whose moments of generosity and wisdom are shared and by which countless lives are saved daily. It is validation that evil does not win in the end."
MARI CARLSON (July 25, 2018) ;...Kirkus-Indie says, "...emotionally raw";...BlueInk review states, "... For all its horror and despair, Charlies’ Kid is an inspiring tale about redemption, kindness and nobility.";...The Dean of Milton Campus, PSC states: "The story is riveting, horrifying, mesmerizing, and unforgettable. It haunts, and it inspires. It is a story you cannot escape whose imagery stays with you." ... "Raw and brutal, Charlie's Kid is a Bildungsroman, a bare-knuckled telling from childhood to parenthood, ripped from the experiences of a tortured soul shared so his son might understand. Yet, it also reveals angels and heroes who walk among us, whose moments of generosity and wisdom are shared and by which countless lives are saved daily. It is validation that evil does not win in the end."
505 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 20, 2018
217 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 28, 2019
A book that has now become a part of me forever.
The author has let us have a glimpse into his horrendous, agonizing past while also letting us share in his incredulous survival of the same. He is a good, highly intelligent and humble man, a patriot, an advocate for the homeless and down trodden. He is a loving father and loved by the Father.
I would recommend this book to everyone who would have the courage to read it because it will force you to take a deep look inside yourself and perhaps make the necessary adjustments to become more merciful and kind.
The author has let us have a glimpse into his horrendous, agonizing past while also letting us share in his incredulous survival of the same. He is a good, highly intelligent and humble man, a patriot, an advocate for the homeless and down trodden. He is a loving father and loved by the Father.
I would recommend this book to everyone who would have the courage to read it because it will force you to take a deep look inside yourself and perhaps make the necessary adjustments to become more merciful and kind.
April 29, 2021
The first half was extremely hard for me to digest Seth and his so called wife, were horrible, evil people, abusing the boy unnerving. Constantly beating him, swearing at, and torturing him. He grew up to have distrust in people, and mentally disturbed. The story is heartbreaking, it's going to haunt me. Beside to have tissues nearby!
May 3, 2021
I really am so torn by the story I have just read. It seems as though every bad thing that can happen, happens to this kid. I’ve never read a more demoralizing account of someone’s life, made possible by two adults. I can’t really help feeling rage, the crippling kind of rage that makes me want to eliminate Seth. Every time I think life is getting better, the bottom falls out again.
February 25, 2019
Emotional Raw true story of survival and triumph against incredible odds. The writer is inspiring and knows the importance of never letting go of what drives the human spirit: hope and love. It is truly a story you will not forget.
August 17, 2021
Wow!!!
This book is horrifying on one hand and amazing on the other; what one person endured to survive. The stories, some disturbingly harsh, are told as a matter of factly. There were times when it seemed a bit long. The first four or five chapters were the most difficult for me to get through and digest. But, I was always engrossed to find out what would happen next. The many heroes were such unexpected characters. And the ending, after reading everything else, was perfectly delectable. I believe that had I skipped pages or skimmed through this book like I have done others, I would have missed a large part of the gist.
This book has changed the way I look at others. I fully recommend this book to everyone. You'll want to have some time set aside so you don't feel compelled to skip ahead.
I could not put this book down.
This book is horrifying on one hand and amazing on the other; what one person endured to survive. The stories, some disturbingly harsh, are told as a matter of factly. There were times when it seemed a bit long. The first four or five chapters were the most difficult for me to get through and digest. But, I was always engrossed to find out what would happen next. The many heroes were such unexpected characters. And the ending, after reading everything else, was perfectly delectable. I believe that had I skipped pages or skimmed through this book like I have done others, I would have missed a large part of the gist.
This book has changed the way I look at others. I fully recommend this book to everyone. You'll want to have some time set aside so you don't feel compelled to skip ahead.
I could not put this book down.
August 17, 2021
I really enjoyed this book in spite of its depressing subject matter. It sure does give you a look at the struggles of the homeless. Especially for kids who find themselves on the streets. It’s just so hard to even comprehend living like that, but in this situation it seemed better than the abusive home he lived in. Overall though, the spirit of survival and overcoming the hardships was very inspiring.
September 7, 2021
Heartbreaking
I read this book in one sitting. Hard to read as it was heartbreaking, but I couldn't put it down!
I read this book in one sitting. Hard to read as it was heartbreaking, but I couldn't put it down!
May 28, 2021
Horrific
Man I didn’t like this book at all. It was really hard to read, It emotionally drained me. It was very sad and depressing I can’t believe people would do such horrible things to a child or for a mother to stand by and allow it.
Man I didn’t like this book at all. It was really hard to read, It emotionally drained me. It was very sad and depressing I can’t believe people would do such horrible things to a child or for a mother to stand by and allow it.
September 22, 2021
I feel bad saying this, but I really didn't like this book. In the first third of the book, the author seemed to be trying to impress me with his language skills. He didn't. It came across as pretentious and uneducated, using words that were overly sophisticated and often inappropriate. That changed abruptly at about the 30% mark (I was reading this on a Kindle). Perhaps there was a change in editor at that point, or maybe the effort to keep writing in the style of the first third of the book just became too great.
The description of the book says it's a fictionalized account. Why? It made it hard for me to be sympathetic to the author when I couldn't distinguish truth from fiction. And some of the sections became so wordy and preachy that I skimmed large portions just to make it through. When I did catch something of interest in the parts I was skimming, I couldn't bring myself to go back and read more thoroughly to get details about that particular incident.
(SPOILER PARAGRAPH): I was bothered by the author's very brief mention of losing his wife. How? What happened? After all the excrutiating detail given to other parts of his life story (fiction? truth?) the fact that he merely states that he "lost Linda" didn't sit well with me.
It's obvious this guy led a hard life and had more bad luck than anyone I know. I feel bad criticizing this book, but it's one of only a handful in my voracious reading history that I had to force myself to finish.
The description of the book says it's a fictionalized account. Why? It made it hard for me to be sympathetic to the author when I couldn't distinguish truth from fiction. And some of the sections became so wordy and preachy that I skimmed large portions just to make it through. When I did catch something of interest in the parts I was skimming, I couldn't bring myself to go back and read more thoroughly to get details about that particular incident.
(SPOILER PARAGRAPH): I was bothered by the author's very brief mention of losing his wife. How? What happened? After all the excrutiating detail given to other parts of his life story (fiction? truth?) the fact that he merely states that he "lost Linda" didn't sit well with me.
It's obvious this guy led a hard life and had more bad luck than anyone I know. I feel bad criticizing this book, but it's one of only a handful in my voracious reading history that I had to force myself to finish.
July 1, 2024
More Like An Autobiography Than A Novel
The book has a consistent gritty realism that makes me believe it is more autobiography than novel. The only factual error is when the author writes about having a 9mm rifle in Alaska; if he'd written 7mm or 8mm it would have been realistic, whereas a 9mm hunting rifle is a rifle firing handgun ammunition and is a very borderline defense against bears or for hunting large animals.
Even though the book ended as a pleasant for Christianity which is not my own personal religious tradition, it was consistent with tge rest of the book.
In the end I am convinced that this book is based primarily on real events which the author lived through. Maybe my conclusion is utterly wrong, but until the author himself says I'm full of crap, I'm sticking to it.
The book has a consistent gritty realism that makes me believe it is more autobiography than novel. The only factual error is when the author writes about having a 9mm rifle in Alaska; if he'd written 7mm or 8mm it would have been realistic, whereas a 9mm hunting rifle is a rifle firing handgun ammunition and is a very borderline defense against bears or for hunting large animals.
Even though the book ended as a pleasant for Christianity which is not my own personal religious tradition, it was consistent with tge rest of the book.
In the end I am convinced that this book is based primarily on real events which the author lived through. Maybe my conclusion is utterly wrong, but until the author himself says I'm full of crap, I'm sticking to it.
March 14, 2023
This was one of the hardest stories that I have ever read. A boy brought up by demon parents who brutalized him repeatedly until he could not react any more. He was taught to expect nothing of life, because he was nothing.
He eventually escapes & his pitiful life finds a brief friendship with a railroad hobo, Charlie, whose tragic life has taught him many lessons which he bestows on our hero.
With Charlie’s life lessons, his adventures continue, notwithstanding the ups & downs of marriage, jobs, fatherhood, losses all combine with his adulthood, each step interspersed with his best friend’s reflections s
Every emotion you can imagine will hit you & push you to the end of this book. Unimaginable & unforgettable!!
He eventually escapes & his pitiful life finds a brief friendship with a railroad hobo, Charlie, whose tragic life has taught him many lessons which he bestows on our hero.
With Charlie’s life lessons, his adventures continue, notwithstanding the ups & downs of marriage, jobs, fatherhood, losses all combine with his adulthood, each step interspersed with his best friend’s reflections s
Every emotion you can imagine will hit you & push you to the end of this book. Unimaginable & unforgettable!!
January 23, 2024
Difficult Reading
I was immersed in this story of a child brutally beaten, cruelly rejected, subjected to unimaginable horrors. The writing is vivid, the narrator pulls the reader into the living hell. Not for the weak of heart. He skips over a tragic loss but might be too difficult for him to write about. I found it a bit off target at the very end where he proselytizes, using his son as the focal point, never a mention of the one person who truly rescued him and gave him that son…very curious.
I was immersed in this story of a child brutally beaten, cruelly rejected, subjected to unimaginable horrors. The writing is vivid, the narrator pulls the reader into the living hell. Not for the weak of heart. He skips over a tragic loss but might be too difficult for him to write about. I found it a bit off target at the very end where he proselytizes, using his son as the focal point, never a mention of the one person who truly rescued him and gave him that son…very curious.
July 9, 2021
Too Long
There is a good story in this book. Sadly, it is buried in the endless pages of endless stories of abuse and self-hatred. It got to the point I started skimming through to get past the repetitive parts. Too often, that took a while.
A good editor could do wonders for this book.
There is a good story in this book. Sadly, it is buried in the endless pages of endless stories of abuse and self-hatred. It got to the point I started skimming through to get past the repetitive parts. Too often, that took a while.
A good editor could do wonders for this book.
June 13, 2022
Amazing
I finished this book in 24 hours. How inspirational Sean and Just are! This story is of a modern day Job, and how perseverance brought him through many near death experiences. I was shocked when the story took a turn to my area, on the west coast of Florida.
I finished this book in 24 hours. How inspirational Sean and Just are! This story is of a modern day Job, and how perseverance brought him through many near death experiences. I was shocked when the story took a turn to my area, on the west coast of Florida.
July 26, 2022
Inspiring
This book was difficult to read - I skimmed through many words and paragraphs. Graphic. Abuse. Wordy at times. But the book also kept me reading to find out what would happen next in his life.
This book was difficult to read - I skimmed through many words and paragraphs. Graphic. Abuse. Wordy at times. But the book also kept me reading to find out what would happen next in his life.
August 25, 2021
No comment
Nothing to say about this book. It was okay. Nothing extraordinary. I skimmed over large parts of it. Done now
Nothing to say about this book. It was okay. Nothing extraordinary. I skimmed over large parts of it. Done now
July 10, 2022
I was rooting for this guy the whole time! Loved the book. Love Charlie.
September 19, 2023
fantastic book
This book was amazing. It has you on the edge of your seat. It evoked so many emotions in me. You have to read it!
This book was amazing. It has you on the edge of your seat. It evoked so many emotions in me. You have to read it!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews