"Cruel Harvest": A Memoir by Fran Elizabeth Grubb

A constant victim of verbal, physical and sexual abuse and forced into endless child labor, Fran Grubb recounts her version of "childhood" as she witnessed her family unravel to its undoing and followed her path to freedom. Grubb transports her readers to the threateningly dark depths of her abusive childhood, yet delivers the story in the voice of a curious, young girl that never loses sight of hope or her compassion for others. Having to endure a life of hardships from a tender age, "Cruel Harvest" is an emblem that evidences one person's innate ability to overcome and therefore, can inspire that dormant compulsion we all have to survive.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoy reading memoirs because of the refreshing insight an author gives on the influential events that occur in their respective lives. "Cruel Harvest" did not disappoint me in this category, and I consumed the book cover-to-cover. Although the themes in the book are graphic by nature, Grubb does not obsess over the details of these situations. Instead, she focuses on the faith she had in overcoming her plight and communicates to her readers her renowned faith in God's will. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys some light reading since it was interesting to say the least. However, I highly recommend it to people who have faith in a higher power and come from a fragmented or broken family. It definitely inspires one to be grateful for what one has and accept it for what it is - or at least inspired me in that way.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are my own.