Rating: 
Summary: I need more stars....10!
Review: This is one of my favorite books. This book left an impression on me that I will never forget. This book is so raw and real that at times, it was difficult for me to read. I applaud Ruthie for having the courage to write about her life and the horrible events that she endured. The book made me angry, yet it was an eye opener to some of the real issues that many children face. I feel that this book should be a required reading in African American Studies. I am so looking forward to just one more book from this author. I truly loved... this book. I finished this book in 4 hours. Once you pick it up, you will be trapped until you finish. The story of this little girls life will stay with me forever. When my daughter becomes of age, She will read this book. All praise to you GAL!
Rating: 
Summary: Emotionally gripping but missing something...
Review: This story of a young woman's struggle to survive despite her circumstances has some good things going for it. The reader is pretty much instantly hooked into her story, eager to find out how it will end. But at the same time, there's something missing. Ruthie Bolton or "Gal" is a pseudonym for the heroine of this true story, written with the help of a friend who tries her best to stay true to the voice of this unique woman. There are no 25-cent words. There's no attention to sentence structure or grammar, which can be disconcerting at times. But what you get is the raw, honest narrative of someone who has clearly lived through a great deal and come out of it a survivor. Ruthie's childhood world has trouble and pain written all over it. Living in a small town outside of Charleston, S.C., she was raised by her grandmother and step-grandfather. The step-grandfather, Ruthie's only father figure, is an abusive man who keeps her and her cousins in line with violence. Ulimately, that violence takes her grandmother's life. Ruthie grows up in relative poverty, marked out for failure from the start. But she survives her blows and graduates from high school. Fleeing her step-grandfather's home, she tries to make a life for herself and ends up making some poor decisions that change her life often for the worse. Eventually, Ruthie triumphs over the bad hand she is dealt and settles into a happy second marriage with a man whose family accepts her for who she is. Ruthie has a painful struggle accepting that love. This situation was the most gripping for me because you see Ruthie's heart, raw and broken, truly for the first time. If the emotions that are let out in this part of the book were as available to the reader elsewhere, I would have enjoyed "Gal" much more. Instead, I often felt like a I was reading a rambling listing of events and voices at times. Ruthie's feelings are buried. We don't know how these things touched her, what changes they created in her behavior. These moments are what's missing. At the same time, "Gal" will grip any reader willing to take the risk. I would highly recommend this book for teen readers because of the simplicity of the language and the life lessons it has to share. It will certainly spark some interesting discussions between teens and their peers, and their families.
Rating:
Summary: great book,very interesting,lessons in self esteem
Review: this was a great book ruthie overcame all the obstacles in her difficult life and grew her own self esteem through her triumphs
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This was one of the most heart touching books I have ever read. Gal touched me in a way that I can't explain. She went through so much, but never gave up hope for a better life. She is a inspiration to me. Once you read it, you will understand. I promise you this will be one of the best books that you will ever read.
Rating:
Summary: You Go Gal!
Review: What a Story! Originally when I picked up Gal, I thought it was going to take me back to the '30s or '40s. Gosh was I surprised to find out that the author was born in 1961...she's around my age! As I read her story I was appalled and thought the atrocity of her situation shouldn't have ever happened. Where was the extended family? Why didn't someone...anyone intervene? Ruthie Bolton, aka Gal, was born in the impoverished Hungry Neck section of Charleston. Ruthie's mom was a 13-year old teenager and she never knew her father. Tired of her step-father abusing her, Ruthie's mother left home and Ruthie, and never returned to claim her. Ruthie's step-grandfather, Clovis Fleetwood, while an honorable enlisted Navy man was a mean, vicious, brutal, selfish, jealous and unloving family man. Because Fleetwood though Ruthie's grandmother was cheating on him he brutally attacked her and left her for dead while her granddaughter and children watched. Ruthie's life would be pure hell after her grandmother's death and would quickly spiral into one of poverty, abuse, neglect, humiliation, and later in her teen years include stealing, drugs, alcohol, pregnancy, and an early marriage which ended in divorce. Only after Ruthie meets her second husband, Ray Bolton, and his family will she be shown love, support, understanding and compassion. And it is then as an adult that she realized that her family and childhood were not normal. Gal is a heartwrenching but touching and poignant story. It's a story of overcoming obstacles and excelling in spite of adversity. It's a story of what one is able to accomplish when one has the love of a family. It's a story that I recommend to everyone but especially those who need the motivation to move beyond a horrible past. Ruthie's story is one of pain, humiliation, courage and ultimately love. Ruthie's life is a miracle and a triumph. Thank you Ruthie Bolton for sharing your story.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting...Impossible to put down
Review: Written in the author's language, this book was extremely powerful. Her story is at once horrifying AND inspiring. You know that if she could survive everything she did, you will also make it through whatever crisis your life's challenged by at the moment. Mothers, get this book for your daughters. Daughters, get this book for your mothers. You won't regret it. The author's last line, comparing herself to the sunflower, was so beautiful, "It follows the sun." That's what she chose to do, look for the good in life instead of dwelling on her past. Bravo, Ms Bolton!
| 
