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White Picket Monsters: A Story of Strength and Survival
White Picket Monsters tells the story of a young girl growing up in a house of horrors – a house brimming with shocking family secrets of manipulation, sexual exploitation, and extreme violence. Her parents, while being praised for their humanitarianism, lived a life that was far from ordinary in the house behind the white picket fence. Bev’s story is one of survival, resilience, and strength. It is a story of rising above extreme pain to overcome obstacles and achieve great success.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
248 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 9, 2021
16 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 4, 2021
The author had the courage to write this and bring the plight of the abused to light. For that I applaud her.
May 5, 2023
This was a harrowing yet uplifting memoir of surviving and healing from horrific child abuse from the director of Newfoundland & Labrador's first child and youth advocacy centre and the founder of the Miles for Smiles Foundation, which is dedicated to creating awareness and preventing child abuse in the province. Davis's writing is rich with description and deeply compelling as she recounts the physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse that she and also some of her foster siblings endured at the hands of their cruel parents until she fled the house as a teen to give her unborn daughter a better life. Though I felt that the frequent tangents and irrelevant details -especially in some of the author's anecdotes of her adult life, going on vacations, and meeting celebrities- made the book feel more like an autobiography than a memoir and seem disorganized at times, I really enjoyed reading it. I think those who enjoyed memoirs such as Desert Flower, Scared Selfless: My Journey from Abuse and Madness to Surviving and Thriving, and My name is Ben, and I’m a Nurse / Addict and/or the novel Ask Me No Questions by Linda Phillips, Peter Ringrose, and Michael Winter will like this one also.
September 4, 2021
To tell this story must have been difficult and it is a credit to Bev that she wrote this book. It is a shame that so much abuse goes on in society especially to the most vulnerable and kudos to Bev for bringing it out into the light and her continued work to keep the spotlight on these horrific tragedies.
From a book perspective, though I was engaged for most of it, appalled at some of it, I found there was a lot of name dropping going on that, for me, was not necessary in the last half of the book. I maybe get why the author included these things, and vacations to places most people only dream of, to possibly let people know that life does go on and can be good. However, I think there is something lost in the telling to have this "unnecessary to the story" stuff included. I'm truly sorry for what the author had to go through and continues to live with. I hope she finds peace in her life and allows other victims to identify and stops this thing from happening again.
From a book perspective, though I was engaged for most of it, appalled at some of it, I found there was a lot of name dropping going on that, for me, was not necessary in the last half of the book. I maybe get why the author included these things, and vacations to places most people only dream of, to possibly let people know that life does go on and can be good. However, I think there is something lost in the telling to have this "unnecessary to the story" stuff included. I'm truly sorry for what the author had to go through and continues to live with. I hope she finds peace in her life and allows other victims to identify and stops this thing from happening again.
June 2, 2021
Amazing story of strength and resilience. Bev had a gut wrenching, page-turning story that brought tears to my eyes when reading. She has overcome so much and continues to do so much to help others who have similar experiences, stories and trauma. It was a great fast read!
May 2, 2023
I had higher hopes for this book. There was so much more that could’ve been done but it felt unorganized and several times I questioned why certain things were added.
June 22, 2021
When a child in placed in foster care, it is pivotal that it be a place of comfort and safety, a sanctuary for those children, who through no fault of their own find themselves uprooted, displaced and lost. Children need to be loved and protected in order to grow. Who in their right mind adopts a child to only inflict pain and torture. These are the gruesome acts of people who are demons deep down, sinister, in fact.
White Picket Monsters, is a house where love and protection are offered to a select few of innocent souls, it is equal to that of living in a lion’s den, a place where a sweet child should never be found. Imagine the horror when the lion’s den is your own home, there is no escape, you feel trapped with no way out and the people who can release you from the evil grip are wearing blinders or are just manipulated by what they are allowed to see from the monsters themselves. Upholding the humanitarian persona is key to these evil parents.
When the truth reaches the surface, often the damage is done and solidified . The child grows into an adult, mentally scarred, sometimes beyond repair, from years of horrendous abuse. Moving on with life becomes a continuance of the road first paved in the persons life. For this author, it had to be a road from hell.
Bev Moore Davis, was mentally, emotionally, physically and sexually abused by her adoptive parents, but she was powerful enough on the inside to dig deep for the courage, so she could be an advocate for others who had no voice on their own. This was a gut wrenching book, raw and emotional.
This book must have been so difficult to write, but it shows pure resilience on behalf of the author and her courage and strength will benefit others. Demons die, and it would be beneficial if the pain they inflicted would just die with them.
White Picket Monsters, is a house where love and protection are offered to a select few of innocent souls, it is equal to that of living in a lion’s den, a place where a sweet child should never be found. Imagine the horror when the lion’s den is your own home, there is no escape, you feel trapped with no way out and the people who can release you from the evil grip are wearing blinders or are just manipulated by what they are allowed to see from the monsters themselves. Upholding the humanitarian persona is key to these evil parents.
When the truth reaches the surface, often the damage is done and solidified . The child grows into an adult, mentally scarred, sometimes beyond repair, from years of horrendous abuse. Moving on with life becomes a continuance of the road first paved in the persons life. For this author, it had to be a road from hell.
Bev Moore Davis, was mentally, emotionally, physically and sexually abused by her adoptive parents, but she was powerful enough on the inside to dig deep for the courage, so she could be an advocate for others who had no voice on their own. This was a gut wrenching book, raw and emotional.
This book must have been so difficult to write, but it shows pure resilience on behalf of the author and her courage and strength will benefit others. Demons die, and it would be beneficial if the pain they inflicted would just die with them.
June 25, 2021
Thanks Bev for sharing your story and for all you do here in NL to bring awareness and education for child abuse. It was a great read.
June 17, 2021
An amazing book about a woman of great strength. I couldn’t put this book down. Parts were a little disturbing but it is amazing to see such a great ending. Very powerful. I would definitely recommend.
June 8, 2025
Disjointed and surface-level sensationalized trauma, with writing that often carried the consistent overtone of a status seeker trying to write their own brag book. Not to mention the author herself is an insufferable name-dropper and loves specifying, often and frequently, which Honourable Justice or Chief Executive or Director of has called her brave this time.
Within the first three pages, the author makes sure that we know she owns a high-end fashion boutique that gives her a means to fill her closet with gorgeous gowns that delicately drape over her small frame now that she's four pounds lighter from running a five-day trade show she helped organized that was attended by thousands, but only after amassing almost 20 years experience as a fashion model, that she's nominated for a glamourous award at an extravagant gala, and that, oh thank goodness, she was able to get a last-minute updo before the event because of course she knows the owner of the salon!
Good thing she made a point to say how humble she is. I might've thought my book was on fire had it not been so painfully obvious how much smoke the author was blowing up her own hole.
Bev opened her closet enough to try and sensationalize the skeletons in it without managing to give them any depth or exploring or presenting them in any meaningful way. Most that were bulletpointed in the advertising and summary as selling points were either mentioned in passing or never explored. But hey, at least we know how many philanthropists, members of Parliament, and leaders numerous public sectors hail the author as Bev the Brave!
Don't even get me started on the editing, though they did set the bar incredibly low from the get-go by titling the foreword as "forward". The editor also doesn't seem to be aware of the existence of the direct address comma (ie the comma that would precede the name in the sentence "You should've found a better editor for your subpar smoke-blowing boast book, Bev.").
Needles to say, I'm glad I only paid a buck for whatever this was supposed to be.
Within the first three pages, the author makes sure that we know she owns a high-end fashion boutique that gives her a means to fill her closet with gorgeous gowns that delicately drape over her small frame now that she's four pounds lighter from running a five-day trade show she helped organized that was attended by thousands, but only after amassing almost 20 years experience as a fashion model, that she's nominated for a glamourous award at an extravagant gala, and that, oh thank goodness, she was able to get a last-minute updo before the event because of course she knows the owner of the salon!
Good thing she made a point to say how humble she is. I might've thought my book was on fire had it not been so painfully obvious how much smoke the author was blowing up her own hole.
Bev opened her closet enough to try and sensationalize the skeletons in it without managing to give them any depth or exploring or presenting them in any meaningful way. Most that were bulletpointed in the advertising and summary as selling points were either mentioned in passing or never explored. But hey, at least we know how many philanthropists, members of Parliament, and leaders numerous public sectors hail the author as Bev the Brave!
Don't even get me started on the editing, though they did set the bar incredibly low from the get-go by titling the foreword as "forward". The editor also doesn't seem to be aware of the existence of the direct address comma (ie the comma that would precede the name in the sentence "You should've found a better editor for your subpar smoke-blowing boast book, Bev.").
Needles to say, I'm glad I only paid a buck for whatever this was supposed to be.
October 29, 2021
While I am so sorry to hear what this family went through and I think it’s wonderful that the author was able to write out her story, I did not enjoy reading this book.
It felt like a jumble of memories written down without much order to them.
I hope that the author was able to find therapeutic value in writing and sharing her experience but it is not a book I would recommend.
It felt like a jumble of memories written down without much order to them.
I hope that the author was able to find therapeutic value in writing and sharing her experience but it is not a book I would recommend.
April 21, 2022
This is a hard book to rate.
It's a true story of child abuse told from the memories of the victim. Bev Moore Davis tells a story from her early years and into adulthood. It took tremendous courage for her to tell this story but she isn't a professional author and the story is not as well written as I had expected. It reads more like a journal, especially for her early years.
It's a true story of child abuse told from the memories of the victim. Bev Moore Davis tells a story from her early years and into adulthood. It took tremendous courage for her to tell this story but she isn't a professional author and the story is not as well written as I had expected. It reads more like a journal, especially for her early years.
October 12, 2021
Amazing to see what Bev has done and continues to do to help others after going through so much. Worth the read!
June 8, 2025
I didn’t love this book….and I really wish I did. As a Newfoundlander myself, whenever I see a book written by, or a movie made by, or a project spearheaded by a fellow Newfoundlander, I throw my full support behind it. Our incredibly talented artists and academics rarely get the recognition they deserve and I always want to do my teeny tiny part to spread the word.
But I cannot, in good conscience, do that for this book. It’s bad. Like, reeeeeally bad. The subject matter and subsequent triumphant rise from the ashes that Bev manages to pull off notwithstanding, the writing is atrocious. As other reviewers have said, it’s just a big memory dump with no rhyme, reason or organization. And it really is. I understand that Bev isn’t a professional writer so certain liberties should be granted. But even for an amateur, she’s bad.
None of the “characters” are developed or explored. They’re just a bunch of names Bev drops all over the place. If you know her personally and you know who all these people are in real life, it would be fine. But 98% of the people reading this book have no effing idea who Mother and Father are. We don’t know who Adam is. Or Cathy. Or Mr Pardy. Or Leonard. Or that persons cousins wife’s roommates daughter. And, in typical Newfoundland form, half the characters are named after other people so there are two Bevs, two Adam’s, two Marie’s, etc and you’re like who dafuq are these people?? At one point she mentions that Adam has died and you’re like which one? The sister’s kid or the foster kid?
The dialogue is also…..rough. Sometimes it’s like watching two robots converse: “this is bad Adam, I said”. “Adam nodded. Yes you are right. It is bad”. “We need to do something”. “You are right. We need to do something”. Wut? Other times it’s blocky and rehearsed like watching a kindergarten class put on a play. “Mother did you call CPS on Tracey?” “So what if I did?” “I can not let you hurt Tracey. You need to leave my house”. “Then I left and when I got back Mother was gone and I didn’t speak to her ever again”. Like, wut???
All of this is paraphrased, of course. But you get the picture.
There are also several plot points they never go anywhere. She spends 50 pages talking about how a stalker terrorized her. Then suddenly the stalker is never mentioned again and we never know wtf happened or who he was. So why mention him at all?
At another point, she name-drops Natasha Henstridge (from
Species fame) all over the place. They’re apparently cousins somewhere along the line. And while Natasha is shooting a movie in Toronto, Bev just shows up to the set and asks to see her. The security guard is like “yeah you look like her”. And just lets her in. Dafuq???? Anyway, Bev then goes on and on and onnnnnnn about how beautiful Natasha is and goes on and on about meeting Jean-Claude Van Damme. Yet, none of that has anything to do with anything. Natasha doesn’t help her further her career. She doesn’t become friends with Natasha. So why dafuq even mention the interaction in the first place…..other than to “humble-brag” that she knows a once-famous actress who is known for being stunning beautiful….and she just so happens to look like her. Give me an effing break!
But don’t tell Bev she’s a terrible writer. According to her and apparently every, single person she’s ever met, she’s the most beautiful, talented, amazing, BRAVE person on the planet. Can’t forget the BRAVE part. Did we mention that she’s BRAVE?? In fact, within the first 10 pages of the book, she tells us that she owns a high-end fashion boutique that allows her to pick any number of beautiful gowns to drape over her tiny frame….because she used to be a model for 20 years, dontcha know? She also has a perfect eye for spotting fashion which is why her boutique is so successful. After all, she worked at Wescal for 7 years. But if you know what Wescal is, you’ll know it’s about as far from high-fashion as you can get. Think K-Mart if it was a cheap mom and pop one-stop shop knock off.
She also tells us in those first ten pages that she’s getting ready to accept a prestigious award for being SOOOO BRAVE - which is why she’s draping that high fashion dress over herself - and was able to secure a very last-minute hair appointment at an upscale salon because she knows the owner…..because she’s so super-important, amazing, talented and BRAVE. There’s a fine line between being proud of your accomplishments and being an obnoxiously conceited, pretentious, self-important asshole, Bev.
I’m sure Bev’s experience really was harrowing and she actually IS brave. But none of that came across in this novel. It just came across as a pretentious, self-important jerk tooting her own horn so it’s hard to feel bad for what she’s gone through. Definitely wouldn’t recommend.
But I cannot, in good conscience, do that for this book. It’s bad. Like, reeeeeally bad. The subject matter and subsequent triumphant rise from the ashes that Bev manages to pull off notwithstanding, the writing is atrocious. As other reviewers have said, it’s just a big memory dump with no rhyme, reason or organization. And it really is. I understand that Bev isn’t a professional writer so certain liberties should be granted. But even for an amateur, she’s bad.
None of the “characters” are developed or explored. They’re just a bunch of names Bev drops all over the place. If you know her personally and you know who all these people are in real life, it would be fine. But 98% of the people reading this book have no effing idea who Mother and Father are. We don’t know who Adam is. Or Cathy. Or Mr Pardy. Or Leonard. Or that persons cousins wife’s roommates daughter. And, in typical Newfoundland form, half the characters are named after other people so there are two Bevs, two Adam’s, two Marie’s, etc and you’re like who dafuq are these people?? At one point she mentions that Adam has died and you’re like which one? The sister’s kid or the foster kid?
The dialogue is also…..rough. Sometimes it’s like watching two robots converse: “this is bad Adam, I said”. “Adam nodded. Yes you are right. It is bad”. “We need to do something”. “You are right. We need to do something”. Wut? Other times it’s blocky and rehearsed like watching a kindergarten class put on a play. “Mother did you call CPS on Tracey?” “So what if I did?” “I can not let you hurt Tracey. You need to leave my house”. “Then I left and when I got back Mother was gone and I didn’t speak to her ever again”. Like, wut???
All of this is paraphrased, of course. But you get the picture.
There are also several plot points they never go anywhere. She spends 50 pages talking about how a stalker terrorized her. Then suddenly the stalker is never mentioned again and we never know wtf happened or who he was. So why mention him at all?
At another point, she name-drops Natasha Henstridge (from
Species fame) all over the place. They’re apparently cousins somewhere along the line. And while Natasha is shooting a movie in Toronto, Bev just shows up to the set and asks to see her. The security guard is like “yeah you look like her”. And just lets her in. Dafuq???? Anyway, Bev then goes on and on and onnnnnnn about how beautiful Natasha is and goes on and on about meeting Jean-Claude Van Damme. Yet, none of that has anything to do with anything. Natasha doesn’t help her further her career. She doesn’t become friends with Natasha. So why dafuq even mention the interaction in the first place…..other than to “humble-brag” that she knows a once-famous actress who is known for being stunning beautiful….and she just so happens to look like her. Give me an effing break!
But don’t tell Bev she’s a terrible writer. According to her and apparently every, single person she’s ever met, she’s the most beautiful, talented, amazing, BRAVE person on the planet. Can’t forget the BRAVE part. Did we mention that she’s BRAVE?? In fact, within the first 10 pages of the book, she tells us that she owns a high-end fashion boutique that allows her to pick any number of beautiful gowns to drape over her tiny frame….because she used to be a model for 20 years, dontcha know? She also has a perfect eye for spotting fashion which is why her boutique is so successful. After all, she worked at Wescal for 7 years. But if you know what Wescal is, you’ll know it’s about as far from high-fashion as you can get. Think K-Mart if it was a cheap mom and pop one-stop shop knock off.
She also tells us in those first ten pages that she’s getting ready to accept a prestigious award for being SOOOO BRAVE - which is why she’s draping that high fashion dress over herself - and was able to secure a very last-minute hair appointment at an upscale salon because she knows the owner…..because she’s so super-important, amazing, talented and BRAVE. There’s a fine line between being proud of your accomplishments and being an obnoxiously conceited, pretentious, self-important asshole, Bev.
I’m sure Bev’s experience really was harrowing and she actually IS brave. But none of that came across in this novel. It just came across as a pretentious, self-important jerk tooting her own horn so it’s hard to feel bad for what she’s gone through. Definitely wouldn’t recommend.
December 15, 2021
It is a horrific fact of life that abuse happens and, more often than not, that abuse is inflicted on a child who neither has the physical or emotional ability to fight back to make the abuse stop. In her book, “White Picket Monsters,” Ms. Davis shows this to the reader from page one. This is not fiction, nor embellished—it is a horror story that is completely true and had to be lived by the author in order for the rest of us to experience the travesty… and learn from it. I, for one, applaud her for being able to put the words on paper, offering insight into those “monsters” that live among us.
This is the story of a small child who was placed in a foster home after being given up for adoption; a child who should have been safe and well-cared for in this new environment. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as the child was placed in an environment full of family secrets, violence, sexual attacks, and manipulation. Simply put, this was not a home of love, comfort, and safety, as any child should feel or expect, but a home of terror. Lucky for her, this child was able to escape and move forward, which is not usually the case.
While the subject matter of the story was absolutely horrifying, this is a well-written work that is a true credit to Ms. Davis. Through the entire book, I never saw a weak, frightened child, but one who had courage and compassion and was full of the need to survive… and she did.
And at the other end of this horrifying story, we now have a lady who has the strength to not only tell her own story over and over again to help others, but who also spends her life out there working to make this stop and using her own past as a catalyst for others who live in desperate times every day of their lives. I think that is an amazing thing, as it is not the norm. Most victims would not be able to do what Bev has done, and I have no way of describing the respect I feel for her. It is a sad thought that, unfortunately, even when the demons in one’s life are physically gone, there is no way for them to be emotionally erased as well.
I wish Ms. Davis the best in life and hope that she is able to help as many others as possible, like the scared child she was, to overcome and find a happy and peaceful path forward.
This is the story of a small child who was placed in a foster home after being given up for adoption; a child who should have been safe and well-cared for in this new environment. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as the child was placed in an environment full of family secrets, violence, sexual attacks, and manipulation. Simply put, this was not a home of love, comfort, and safety, as any child should feel or expect, but a home of terror. Lucky for her, this child was able to escape and move forward, which is not usually the case.
While the subject matter of the story was absolutely horrifying, this is a well-written work that is a true credit to Ms. Davis. Through the entire book, I never saw a weak, frightened child, but one who had courage and compassion and was full of the need to survive… and she did.
And at the other end of this horrifying story, we now have a lady who has the strength to not only tell her own story over and over again to help others, but who also spends her life out there working to make this stop and using her own past as a catalyst for others who live in desperate times every day of their lives. I think that is an amazing thing, as it is not the norm. Most victims would not be able to do what Bev has done, and I have no way of describing the respect I feel for her. It is a sad thought that, unfortunately, even when the demons in one’s life are physically gone, there is no way for them to be emotionally erased as well.
I wish Ms. Davis the best in life and hope that she is able to help as many others as possible, like the scared child she was, to overcome and find a happy and peaceful path forward.
February 28, 2023
Sad to think this happens, but it does, and here it is in black and white. The strength of this woman to tell her story was beyond what most in similar situations could ever do, but telling it, helped her, by helping others. Not sure she could ever totally depict, or even remember exactly how she truly felt about her foster father & mother during some of those horrific times of abuse at such a young age or how she was so forgiving at times throughout the story, was also hard for me to understand, especially knowing the other foster children in that same house were abused as well.
November 2, 2021
A success story...
With all this darkness in her life, Bev conquered her obstacles and then some! It makes me question how someone with a quiet peaceful childhood could not thrive in their lifetime. This woman worked tirelessly to achieve her goals. What a wonderful human child survivors have to help guide them.
With all this darkness in her life, Bev conquered her obstacles and then some! It makes me question how someone with a quiet peaceful childhood could not thrive in their lifetime. This woman worked tirelessly to achieve her goals. What a wonderful human child survivors have to help guide them.
Read
January 23, 2022This author wrote about her own personal story - I don’t really like to rate a personal story like this and that’s why I never gave it any stars. However I would recommend this book. It’s heartbreaking how this author was treated so terribly as a child but she still turn out to be amazing person and works so hard to prevent child abuse in others.
February 13, 2022
Courageous!
Courageous is the word coming to mind...this author has so much courage. Everyone is touched by some form of child abuse, either personally or through a close relationship. Well done Bev Moore Davis 👏 both on the book and life!
Courageous is the word coming to mind...this author has so much courage. Everyone is touched by some form of child abuse, either personally or through a close relationship. Well done Bev Moore Davis 👏 both on the book and life!
February 14, 2022
Thank you
Thank for sharing your story. It was heartbreaking but also heart-warming. This book is well worth the read. Very well written
Thank for sharing your story. It was heartbreaking but also heart-warming. This book is well worth the read. Very well written
April 10, 2022
While it is courageous of the author to tell her story, this book was not what I expected.
June 1, 2022
I honestly found the topic too dark to be enjoyable.
August 4, 2022
Heart breaking story.
It was difficult to follow however. It's almost as if a random memory came to the author's head and she just pieced them together. There was a lack of flow.
It was difficult to follow however. It's almost as if a random memory came to the author's head and she just pieced them together. There was a lack of flow.
October 30, 2022
A difficult read at times, but interesting. And important
November 2, 2022
I was sucked in from page 1! The strength and courage it took for Bev Moore Davis to become the person she is today is absolutely astonishing. I would definitely recommend this book 📕
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September 25, 2023Unsure how to rate this, but kudos to the author for having the courage to share her story.
October 22, 2023
This is not what I was expecting
April 30, 2024
Inspiring.
October 3, 2024
heartbreaking.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews