Blog Archives
Destiny Lives on Fairhaven Street
Violence. That’s all C.J ever knew as a child. From the brutal bullying by boys at school to his father’s fiery fists of rage, his life was nothing short of a nightmare. When his abusive father and traumatized mother divorced, C.J shed his childhood nickname and began searching for the real Chris. It is at this time he meets Danielle, the girl next door. With an instant attraction, their worlds collided and erupted into a magnificent world of love and trust from the start. Danielle became a beacon of hope that guided Chris through the most challenging years of his life, a time when he was discovering who he was and who he wanted to be. However, Chris ended up moving to Michigan, ripping him away from Danielle just as their young love blossomed. Can Chris move past the trauma and distance to win Danielle?
Author C.J. Hudson thrusts the reader into his world of pain and belittlement by his father and bullies at school. The scenes of abuse were hard to get through, and I absolutely hated C.J.’s father for how he treated him, but that also shows the author’s writing is descriptive and moving. This impassioned story reads like a journal written by the author to his sons about his childhood life and how he met their mother. I was able to connect with the author, and I enjoyed being able to read about his thoughts. I understood his reasoning for not liking certain things like his real name or something as minute as oatmeal.
C.J.’s and Danielle’s relationship made me smile because she loved him for who he was. Reading about how Bob, C.J.’s uncle, treated him was heartwarming and, I must say, the best part of the author’s memoir. It brought a smile to my face when C.J. began to feel the real love and get the right parental guidance. I don’t know why I was surprised by the ending of the author’s memoir, maybe because a part of me was rooting for him to win Danielle back.
Destiny Lives on Fairhaven Street is an inspirational memoir of trials and triumphs. Readers will follow as the author finds the strength to survive the things that life throws at him and watch as he tries to build a better life and legacy for his own sons.
Pages: 258 | ASIN B0BHTP7FH9
Destiny Lives On Fairhaven Street
Used to an environment of violence and lovelessness, a young boy named CJ went about his days in resignment and acceptance that this is the life he will experience until his last breath. In school, he was either bullied or ignored. At home, he and his older brother got beat up by their alcoholic father, and their mother was no exception to the treatment. When CJ’s mother decides to end the marriage, he meets the person who will change the course of his life forever, Danielle. Their blissful three years as friends-to-lovers end when the divorce of CJ’s parents leads him to Michigan, leaving Danielle with only a heart-shaped pendant, and his promise to return. With eight years between his departure and arrival back to the love of his life’s door, CJ recalls his journey and the lessons he learned along the way.
Destiny Lives On Fairhaven Street is a compelling memoir of CJ’s journey from a fragile and abused boy to a strong and empowered man, all through the power of love. The author’s story tells us that we are the masters of our own fate, and no matter what world we live in, we can choose to be different. From the very start of the story, we are immersed into the harsh world the author lived in. CJ was expected to be just like his father by everyone around him, but in the end, he promised firmly to himself that he is going to break the cycle, and with the proper drive, he was able to prove it. It may look like a typical story of perseverance, but understanding CJ’s experiences and seeing how it affected him in the present, his life is very admirable. He saw the good during times of hardships and he was still able to build a life he envisioned.
From the beginning, I found it endearing that he told his story in a narrative manner to his two children, because I felt that it gave the book a conversational feel. Although there are some events that are unimaginable for some readers, such as the abuse, I was able to grasp just how heavy these parts are with the way the author described it. Furthermore, this may not be the first time I read a book that features domestic violence, but the fact that these stories are publicized is crucial in our world today, and every single one of these stories must be heard.
Destiny Lives on Fairhaven Street is a captivating and motivating memoir that will push its readers to believe in three things —love, fate, and hope. I highly recommend this to people who are going through a lot in life and are looking for a sign to continue on, because CJ is living proof that we can be triumphant. I hope this memoir can help readers to accept that we deserve this one thing, no matter how we measure it —happiness, and that we must not be afraid to seek it.
Pages: 258
LITERARY TITAN 