Publication Date: January 19, 2014
Gerald was abused as a child and as an adult, he’s losing himself. He runs from the life he knows to East Africa to embark on a healing process. Is he too far gone or can going outside of his world save him? Kill Daddy (Life Book 1) by Gerald Freeman is a memoir.
The author, Gerald Freeman, gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my review.
Gerald was abused as a child and has been actively continuing the lifestyle of a career victim with drugs and destructive behavior. He can’t escape the little boy living in fear in his head. The only chance he has to heal is to take himself into a new environment so heads to Africa. He has a desperate need to for a wider worldview because his life is swallowing him. It must be a challenge to write such a deep emotion and seemingly personal story. I can’t imagine delving into one’s own soul and laying it out for the world to see. In Kill Daddy (Life Book 1) Gerald Freeman goes all in with some elements but in the heat of the moment shows a baffling reticence to go all in. Ultimately Kill Daddy (Life Book 1) seeks to connect readers with a similar experience.
Kill Daddy (Life Book 1) is not a mega-adventure blockbuster or the story of a person’s greatest love. The book is the story of one man’s experience traveling in the big world. He eases into a healing process without any sort of realization of the healing process. He stays with people who are gentle, loving and accepting of him with open arms. In a dangerous country, he learns to love and acceptance and a possible ability to live with peace in oneself. Kill Daddy (Life Book 1) is professionally written with a smooth flow. As is appropriate within the genre, there is a lot of navel-gazing that readers will either connect with and it will change their lives or they’ll find it overbearing and self-pitying.
A standout in the book is the author’s connection with Africa. Freeman has a true connection with his setting and it reads as having been absorbed as part of his being. His descriptions are vivid and, as a bonus, Freeman points readers to a Flickr album of pictures of Africa. There’s a subtle shift in the novel as it progresses from a character lost within himself to a character seeing the world around him and that world is beautiful.
As a reader, I did not connect with this story, but did recognize its overall value. Fabulous reviewer, Literary Gary, of Honest Indie Reviews points out in his reviews the courage it takes to write a novel. Writing the story told in Kill Daddy (Life Book 1) takes an extra special courage. To dig so deep into the pain of one’s past and lay it on the page for people like me to pick apart has to be soul-rending. I commend Mr. Freeman for baring his soul for the public and I know there are people who will connect with this book and hold it as a light in whatever life-storms they experience.
If you’re looking for a story about rising above and recovering from incredible obstacles, pick up Kill Daddy by Gerald Freeman today on
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Thank you so much for your down to earth and honest critique of my book. Apologies, I have only just seen it. Thank you again for taking the time to read my story. PS- My next book is still about growing up and healing, but hopefully, I have managed to create a fun adventure story.
It was an interesting read. I didn’t want to give too much away but I can’t imagine how tough it is to even start the writing process for such a deeply personal story. Best wishes to you.
For me, the conviction and the strength to write this honestly comes from the belief that it may give comfort to someone, or make them feel that they are not alone and that we can overcome our obstacles.It is scary but not as scary as living in an abusive environment.
Have a great day and best wishes.
I know your story has helped and will help people. 🙂