Stephanie Jane reviewed The Pale-Faced Lie by David Crow
A harrowing memoir
4 stars
The Pale-Faced Lie is a harrowing memoir of childhood abuse which includes several scenes of extreme violence. At times I was almost unable to keep on reading because what David and his brother endured was so upsetting. I would like to be able to believe that child protection services have improved considerably since David's experience in the 1960s, but sadly I know that there are still cases where children are forced to suffer in silence.
As an adult, David has penned an amazing and very readable memoir. I appreciated the contrasts between his child's eye understanding of his family's circumstances and his view from so many decades later. That his child self readily took on so much of the blame for his dysfunctional parents is heartbreaking. I felt strongly for his elder sister who lost most of her childhood to perform the role of surrogate mother to her three siblings. …
The Pale-Faced Lie is a harrowing memoir of childhood abuse which includes several scenes of extreme violence. At times I was almost unable to keep on reading because what David and his brother endured was so upsetting. I would like to be able to believe that child protection services have improved considerably since David's experience in the 1960s, but sadly I know that there are still cases where children are forced to suffer in silence.
As an adult, David has penned an amazing and very readable memoir. I appreciated the contrasts between his child's eye understanding of his family's circumstances and his view from so many decades later. That his child self readily took on so much of the blame for his dysfunctional parents is heartbreaking. I felt strongly for his elder sister who lost most of her childhood to perform the role of surrogate mother to her three siblings. David's descriptions of living conditions on the Navajo reservations are just as sobering as those of his home life. How on earth can it be considered acceptable to reduce whole communities to such a degrading existence?
At times The Pale-Faced Lie reads like a thriller, rather than a memoir. David has a great sense of a good story and knows just how to pace a narrative. I would have liked to learn information like what brought about his father's Cherokee claims, but overall this shockingly vivid memoir is a memorable read.