Rating: 
Summary: "Orphan" will break your heart
Review: "Orphan" starts out with the police breaking into a house, finding a three year old girl crying in the kitchen with human waste smeared all over herself,and four year old Roger holding a dead baby,trying to feed it corn flakes.You don't think it could get any worse than this for Roger Dean Kiser,but it does."Orphan" will break your heart at what this kid had to go through in life.Beatings,Sexual Abuse,and Abandonment.There are some good people that Roger write's about,and some very funny stories.The ending will have you crying,and its a happy one.I could not put this book down for two days.I would honestly have to say that "Orpan" is one of the best books I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Astounding read
Review: As many have reviewed before, there are simply not enough stars that I may account to this book. It is indeed a story about abuse, eventual strength, and redemption. I wish that I could say that Mr. Kiser's story was not true, but, alas, it was. Perhaps if not only just his eventual redemption, the fact that many, perhaps thousands of people out there will be helped and informed about child abuse that occurred in orphanages in the past. As well, it will help many and inform many on the subject of child abuse, in general. Indeed, Roger Kiser was a beautiful, special boy and I am sad that noone ever told him that in his childhood. Ah, but he grew up to be a wonderful man, husband, father, and-author. He has opened the door to the often not talked about subject of child abuse. And I will forever, absolutely truly be grateful to him, for that. Not enough stars, for this book. Not enough stars, at all.
Rating:
Summary: A SLEEPER BOOK WHICH I HOPE WILL WAKEUP AMERICA
Review: I cannot understand why the publisher of this book did not promote this author's work on a national level. As a reviewer for a major midwest newspaper I happened across this book (on amazon.com) quite by accident. This book is a television pilot waiting to happen, possibly even a major motion picture. It is simple, truthful and magnificently captivating. Roger Dean Kiser has written a book that the experienced reader will not be able to put down. It is a true account of what has actually happened in many of America's orphanages. These are the type of abuses that most Americans think only happen to children in foreign countries. It is not the physical abuse that is so terrifying in this author's book. It is (what I would consider to be) the absolute and most unnecessary emotional damage, bestowed upon innocent little children, that I have ever read about. This is absolutely the most heartbreaking book that I have ever read, to say the least. It breaks my heart to have to rate this book with only a FIVE STAR rating. It deserves much, much more. Susan Anne Holister
Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking but triumphant!
Review: I had read some of Roger Dean Kiser's work on Heartwarmer's. Reading about his entire childhood in this book filled me with such a deep sadness. I can't imagine enduring the kind of physical and emotional torment that he grew up with. Roger is such a fine example of the triumph of the human spirit. It amazes me that after surviving his childhood that he could become a loving husband, father and grandfather. He's not filled with hate, rather he's determined to wake us up to prevent more children from suffering the same abuse. We can all learn a very important lesson from his life.
Rating:
Summary: This book is absolutely amazing!!!!
Review: I have read "A child called it", "They cage the animals at night" and numerous other books involving child abuse. Roger Dean Kiser's "Orphan, a true story of abandonment, abuse and redemption" has to be one of the best child abuse books ever written. This author takes you on an unforgettable journey into the secret world of a single child, and his abuse. I guarantee you that you will not just be holding a book and 'reading words'. You will actually be there. RIGHT THERE WITH HIM. It is really quite amazing what this writer has accomplished between the pages of this book. This is a book that you will not be able to put down until you have turned the very last page. Then you will probably telephone one of your friends and say "You will not believe the book that I just read." If there is anyone who has ever found a way to make "child abuse" easy to read about (and understand) it is this author. A DOUBLE WOW! for this book. Christian Slade, WSNBC
Rating:
Summary: This book is absolutely amazing!!!!
Review: I have read "A child called it", "They cage the animals at night" and numerous other books involving child abuse. Roger Dean Kiser's "Orphan, a true story of abandonment, abuse and redemption" has to be one of the best child abuse books ever written. This author takes you on an unforgettable journey into the secret world of a single child, and his abuse. I guarantee you that you will not just be holding a book and 'reading words'. You will actually be there. RIGHT THERE WITH HIM. It is really quite amazing what this writer has accomplished between the pages of this book. This is a book that you will not be able to put down until you have turned the very last page. Then you will probably telephone one of your friends and say "You will not believe the book that I just read." If there is anyone who has ever found a way to make "child abuse" easy to read about (and understand) it is this author. A DOUBLE WOW! for this book. Christian Slade, WSNBC
Rating:
Summary: GUT-WRENCHING...UNFORGETTABLE
Review: I have read "They Cage the Animals at Night," and all of David Pelzer's books, including "A Child Called It." Hearing about, "Orphan," I tried every major book store from Eastern Canada to Ontario and could not find the book. Finally, some time ago, a client lent me a copy but I am still not certain why the book does not see to be available in Canada.Roger's story, like others of childhood abuse, is horrific, gut-wrenching and not an easy read. As a counsellor and adult survivor of child abuse (although certainly not to the extent of these cases) I have listened to hundreds of stories from the adult survivors I have counselled over the years. "Orphan" definitely ranks near the top of the list of the most extreme and worst cases documented. While the physical wounds heal, the emotional scars last a lifetime. One can learn to face, accept, forgive and live with the past, but the pain forever lurks beneath the surface. It is not always present, it no longer plays havoc with our lives if we choose not to let it, but it takes only a simple, innocent reminder, i.e., a particular scent, colour, personal characteristic in someone, or a childhood memory to momentarily bring back the pain as if it happened only yesterday. Those survivors who have learned to live with these feelings, have found the tremendous courage it takes to heal, and the strength and wisdom to go on to live productive and, yes, happy, fulfilling lives despite all odds. The story of Roger Dean Kiser is one such story. You will feel his pain, weep for his lost childhood and say a silent prayer that he not only survived but was given a second chance at life and happiness. I am sure adult survivors everywhere would say, "Thank you, Roger, for telling your story. May eternal peace and happiness follow you in whatever you do, wherever you go." For all it's shocking horror and attrocities, the author's courage and honest writing style make this book deserving of not five stars... but all the stars in the universe.
Rating:
Summary: FIVE (5) GOLDEN STARS
Review: I have read many non-fiction books in the course of my life. This is the only book that has actually made me cry, and I am not exactly sure why. I am not talking about the crying of normal tears. I am speaking of the type of tears that (slowly) glass over the eye until a tear falls out onto the page. You stop for a just a moment and realize that your hand is now covering your mouth, and a almost whimpering sound is now coming from deep in your throat. If there was ever a book written that makes the reader feel that they are the child that is actually being abused; This is the one!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent read but a few minor quibbles...
Review: In the style of A Child Called It (the bestseller by Dave Peltzer), Orphan is told from the viewpoint of a child who endured nearly unspeakable horrors in a Florida orphanage and somehow emerged, spirit intact, to not only survive but tell his story with unflinchable honesty. The book is divided into three sections: Before, During and After,with the majority of the book (the During section) devoted to memories of the orphanage. With no one to love him and with repeated beatings, abuse and pain to love forward to, I find it miraculous that the author, Roger Dean Kiser, Sr, actually managed to make a life for himself after enduring the indignities of orphanage life. His memoir reveals in vivid detail how orphans were seen as societal rejects and throwaways and treated as objects, not people. While he was often beaten severely till he passed out, Kiser emphasizes that "it is not the physical pain that endangers orphans the most. It is the mental pain caused by stress from years and years of being neglected, pushed aside, disregarded, unloved and made to feel undeserving..." While I'd recommend this book as an eye-opening, even inspiring, read, I do wish there had been more detail in the After section of this book, the part that dealt with Kiser's life after he left the orphanage. This section seems rushed and abbreviated and there is little explanation of the life he made for himself as an adult - or how he got the courage to rise above his painful past to do so. He notes in the book's introduction that he has a wife, son and daughter-in-law and yet he doesn't note how he met his wife, how she felt about his past and if it affected his present life. After learning so much about his early life in the orphanage, I was left with plenty of unanswered questions like: How does a person who suffers so many blows to his self-esteen find the confidence to make a new life? Did he/does he suffer from painful flashbacks or memories today? Would he describe himself as happy or at peace now?
Rating:
Summary: Astounding read
Review: Orphan is a testament to good triumphing over evil and how one boy grew up to be adopted by the world. Author Roger Dean Kiser is a 54 year old, happily married father and grandfather who now calls Brunswick, Georgia home, but he once was a beautiful child longing for love and attention, a hug or a pat on the back; a prayer or a kiss goodnight. Things too many of us take for granted. Little Roger also had beautiful eyes and wonderfully original ears that made him truly unique. Unfortunately he didn't know that and no one ever told him when he needed to hear it the most. What he did hear and on a daily basis was that he was unwanted, unloved, crazy and wouldn't amount to anything. That's pretty much what every child raised in the orphanage in Jacksonville Florida was told. But because of Roger's wilful spirit, uncommon wit and boundless curiosity, his guardians punished him with particularly cruel and unusual punishments. In a nutshell, they tortured him. From beatings for trying to free butterflies to being forced to eat a personal letter that Kiser found that was hidden from him under the head matron's bed, there was no rhyme or reason to the punishments. Yet, within Roger's small frame of reference, this behavior seemed normal. And instead of spouting 'poor me', the young boy kept searching for, if not love, small doses of recognition, kindness and compassion. Like so many children lost in the system, Roger had to find his own way to freedom. Although Orphan promises us he eventually does (no doubt, there will be a follow-up memoir) Kiser mostly deals with his years at the orphanage and ends with his experiences in Juvenile Hall at the age of 13. I'm a tough cookie, but tears definitely dotted the pages of my copy of this memoir. I also heard myself laugh. Kiser has a way with words and knows how to spin his tales for maximum effect. Besides the obvious joy at his surviving such a brutal childhood, I suggest Kiser's gift is short story telling. The book is actually made up of short stories in chapter form. Because they are chronologically laid out, the result is a success. Orphan was a roller coaster ride with all the expected hills and bumps you would expect, but a few less bumps would have made for a more satisfying story. Human nature, I guess. We want, no, we need to know people we care about are all right. And care about Roger you will. Reading Orphan, I wished that I could have entered Roger's little world, hug him, and tell him he was beautiful and that God loved him even when everyone around him didn't! The most satisfying part of reading Orphan is the knowledge that in writing his memoir, Roger Dean Kiser, Sr., has been rewarded ten-fold, with large doses of recognition, kindness and compassion. He deserves it
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