Devastated

A Daughter's Journey Through Tribulation
by Cherie Morgan
March 2012

So I was in an airplane flying to Philadelphia for a library conference. As the stewardess walked through the cabin, she began chatting with me and my traveling companions. It came out that we were librarians. The stewardess said, "Oh, wait just a second. I have something you might like to see."  She came back with this book.
Of course the stewardess was Cherie Morgan and the book was Devastated.  She gave one to each of us, hoping that we'd read a little and give our opinions.  I was the only one of us three who kept reading it. I actually bought a copy.

The plot grabbed my attention immediately.  What would you do if you found out that your father had been arrested for possessing child pornography?   That's the plot and it's a true story.  It happened to Cherie Morgan.

This book is self published and is badly in need of an editor. Ms. Morgan sometimes gives way too much back story on her own life. It's interesting, in a way, but not always pertinent to the plot.  In fact, the book really ends up being the story of Cherie Morgan's life rather than the story of how she dealt with the issue of her father's crime and arrest.  I wanted to know more about how she dealt with it. I wanted to know more about the investigation and the trial. I wanted to know how she felt about having left her children in the custody of this pedophile for so long. How did her children feel about it?

Cherie Morgan is a pretty interesting person and certainly had an interesting life.  I'd like to see her re-write this memoir and make it more about dealing with her family crisis. Or I'd like to see her write a memoir about her travels and her many adventures and occupations.  Either - or.