Rating: 
Summary: a book that makes you think
Review: I found the story fascinating and could not put the book down. The last half is incredibly powerful - raising questions of forgiveness, what is mental illness, and how do we make sense of our lives and those around us. It seems like there is a fluid line between mental health, stability and dysfunction. I started out not believing that the main character,Bob, was so ill or that I could forgive him and I resented his new life. By the end, I was ok with his life and more accepting. This is a good book to read in a group, because there is so much to talk about and reflect on,
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Summary: Sick to my stomach in ny
Review: First and foremost I want to commend the women's group. My heart definitely went out to them. In my opinion, they are the real hero's in this book. Although this book was well written and obviously demonstrated a great effort on the author's part to be as accurate as possible, it still showed signs of being incomplete. The fact that Mr. Rowe's brother did not want to participate in this book (which I can't say I blame him) makes me wonder just how many pieces are missing. Bob Rowe was made out to be a very intelligent man. That, combined with being a lawyer, made me feel that he beat the system just as thoroughly as he beat his family. Obviously, anyone who could brutally MURDER his family the way he did could not have been in his right mind, but to only serve 2 years in a mental institution was the biggest injustice imagineable. It was all too convenient that he was "cured" of such a severe mental illness in such a short period of time. He should have spent the rest of his life paying for what he did to his family. And what really made me SICK TO MY STOMACH was that he never seemed to take responsibility for what he did, and never seemed to feel any remorse. He felt he was the victim and was being persecuted for something he didn't do. HE BRUTALLY MURDERED HIS FAMILY. If not for his actions they would still be here and probably living very productive lives. As far as his second wife is concerned, she sounds like a very nice woman. However, what woman in her right mind would marry a man with a past like his, let alone have a child with him. She obviously has some of her own mental issues to contend with. I just feel sorry for this child who is now going to have to live the rest of her life with the stench of her father's deviously sick and twisted act of brutal violence on her shoulders. They say people forget about these things after a while, but thanks to Ms. Salomon's writing, I know I can't ever forget this evil man and what he did to his family. His wife Mary and their three children are the forgotten victims in this book and the way they died will always be ingrained in my mind.
Rating: 
Summary: A truly thought-provoking read
Review: This book was truly thought-provoking and emotionally charged. Julie Salamon's retelling of the events that led to the tragedy in the story lead the reader on the emotional roller coaster that his family, friends and he, himself must have gone through. The book is inviting and easily readable. I couldn't wait to turn the page to read the next turn of events in this amazing story. The end of the book is truly incredible as Julie enters the dialogue with the mothers group. This is a story like no-other. I can't wait to talk about it with my book group.
Rating: 
Summary: ....misses the mark
Review: Good fictionalized novelization though. Points to the author for picking up historical subject matter and trying to make Bob Rowe sound redeemable, but she couldn't make me buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Ordinary people are extraordinary in their capacity for love
Review: Julie Salamon demonstrates the capacity of men and women, particularly women, to see, through the lens of extreme horror, the resilience of the human spirit. Her measured prose carefully and thoroughly recounts a story of horror, of murder, and of madness. The reader experiences an unbelievable, yet actual story of the capacity (and need) of people, whose lives are overwhelmed by their children's physical and emotional handicaps, to offer redemption. It is a moving book, and for this reader, transforming.
Rating: 
Summary: Why didn't they ask the surviving Rowes????
Review: I was horrified to hear this true story book was taken without taken the facts from the Rowe family who had to witness and bear this tradegy. This book should have a disclaimer stating this is an interpretation of the author and not a credible historical account. Authors should not needlessly display a family's personal life without consulting them for facts. That is very irresponsible to the feelings of the surviving Rowe Family who have to relive the dug up remains of their past. This book reeks of one sided journalism and lost its luster in my eyes.
Rating:
Summary: Facing the Wind
Review: This book especially touched me. I have been a wife/mother in a similar support group and was also seen as a shining example of "handling it" so well when, in fact, my husband wasn't coping well at all and the outside world only saw the thin veneer he chose to show them. Eventually I left that husband and focused on keeping my children hopeful and stable. This book brought back so many feelings and made me revisit the "secret" lives of those who live with the tragedies of their childrens problems. This is a true account of what goes on inside the homes of too many families facing the unending grief of making their child's life worth living while trying to cope with the torments of inner and outer life day-to-day. This book will stay with me for a very long time, I'm certain.
Rating:
Summary: No Justice!
Review: Excellent book! It sure stirs up the emotions. How does one reconcile morality and mental illness? This man was not mentally ill. This was cold, calculated murder by a cowardly, pompous self centered man. How does one determine where sanity ends and insanity takes over or conversely, where does sanity reassert itself? Not his second wife apparantly, who has the IQ of a fig newton and the good sense of a wet noodle. How dare she meet with the Brooklyn mothers! She might as well write the word "pathetic" on her head and concentrate on things more her speed...like watching reruns of Hee Haw. How do we differentiate between the two? Easy! Strap old Bob down in the electric chair and let him fry like a french fry. While he got off easy in the book by the non judgemental Salomon, he'll sure be paying for it in the next life! Good book...lousy system of justice. I only help the next guy doesnt get off with a slap on the wrist and is allowed to procreate.
Rating:
Summary: terrific reading
Review: this a stunning book--astronishing in its depth, captivating as story, masterfully researched, and consistently well written. not a crime story, but a book about human emotions. you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Mental Illness and morality
Review: How does one reconcile morality and mental illness? How does one determine where sanity ends and insanity takes over or conversely, where does sanity reassert itself? How do we differentiate between the two? These are the core issues that Julie Salamon presents in her new book, Facing the Wind. As one who has experienced violence at the hands of a loved and loving family member who was diagnosed and treated for mental illness, I have been plagued by these same questions for years. Ms. Salamon has shown great restraint by not rushing to judge. After all, isn't it human nature to catagorize that which we do not understand so that we can file it away in a "safe" place so it no longer disturbs us? So we can go on to other things? Facing the Wind does not let us do that. I for one, will continue to think about Bob Rowe and those he touched both for better and for worse, for a very long time. Contrary to some opinions, I feel that Julie Salamon ably and empathically, plumbed the depths of our fears and our moral judgements by presenting a balanced and well researched commentary. The book raises more questions than it answers, leaving it to us to ponder its many difficult issues regarding care of our disabled children, our mentally ill, the families affected by both, and our less than adequate institutions and court systems. As I finished the book, I cried... for Bob Rowe, Colleen, her daughter, the members of the support group, and for myself.
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