True But Tragic Family Harvest

Frances has every right to be a bitter, mute recluse. She has every normal reason to hate life and fear evil sociopaths that seem to lurk around every corner in our nation today. Her father personified one of those individuals who gains a feeling of power and exhilaration when punishing the weak and tearing them to pieces little by little. But, instead, you'll be hard put to find a happier soul than Fran Grubb. She's caring and tenderhearted and funny. Her laugh comes easily, is never fake, and as you get to know her, you find that she's not giddily hiding insecurities and hatred beneath that façade. She's for real. Yet, her growing up years were spent in a family that personified the deepest poverty. Besides that, her father was an alcoholic tyrant whose primary satisfaction in life seemed to be abusing his wife and children in every way possible. I'll leave that part to your imagination, unless, indeed, you decide to read her story. I should warn you, it's the opposite of a fairy tale, but hundreds of readers are responding to the book the way the following two reviewers did.
" I could not put this book down!" wrote P.R. Linehan. "It was one of the quickest reads while also being one of the most difficult. It is hard to read about such atrocities especially when they involve children. My heart broke time and again, as I read about the stark reality of Grubb's upbringing. To know that poverty and abuse exist is one thing, to read a first-hand account of it is another thing entirely. To see the strength and spirit that Grubb exhibited was inspiring and also reassuring--- if she can make it through all of that and lead a productive, positive life, then what am I doing complaining about seemingly insignificant things?"
E.A. Boswell wrote, "I just finished a really great memoir titled Cruel Harvest by Fran Grubb. If you've read and liked Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle you will certainly enjoy reading this book. Grubb's writing style is authentic and captivating. I wanted to keep turning the pages because although this story is told in flashback, I couldn't wait to see what happened to her abusive father, her truant mother, and the gaggle of siblings that all, in one way or another, attempted to flee the horrific childhood that Fran Grubb knew as her life.
Wishing she were dead most days, Grubb's sheer faith in God, her childlike prayers, and her testament of second chances kept her moving towards her Creator when many people would have moved away."
Cruel Harvest is a book that will engrave itself on your brain. You will never hear about child abuse again, without recalling her story.