Why did I love this book?
Taking meticulous notes in the face of a very daunting experience is a bit of the background to Michelle Horton’s memoir, Dear Sister. Imagine you get a knock on the door by the police to inform you that your sister is in jail. One can only imagine what went on in the author’s mind. All is conveyed in a nonfiction, "can’t put the book down" account of her sister who managed to hide the physical, not to mention mental, abuse she was experiencing by her boyfriend and father of her two children.
Michelle just accepted her sister, Nicole Abbimando, wearing sunglasses when one would question, “Why?” In retrospect, why did she always wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants? Nicole was incarcerated. Now, the question that arose was, “Who will take care of her two children?” Aunt Michele stepped up to the plate.
The stage is set in September 2017, and the scenario is Nicole shot and killed her male partner. We are taken along on a challenging road: the visits to the jails and the inability of the justice system to recognize the abuse Nicole was experiencing, appellate court sessions, and the surprising results.
Resilience is a key word to describe events and the close bonding of two sisters. If you are interested in nonfiction, run to your favorite bookstore or fire up the computer to purchase a copy ASAP!
2 authors picked Dear Sister as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
In September 2017, a knock on the door upends Michelle Horton's life forever: her sister had just shot her partner and was now in jail. During the investigation that follows, Michelle learns that Nikki had been hiding horrific abuse for years. Stunned to find herself in a situation she'd only ever encountered on television and true crime podcasts, Michelle rearranges her life to care for Nikki's children and simultaneously launches a fight to bring Nikki home, squaring off against a criminal justice system seemingly designed to punish the entire family.
In this exquisite memoir, Michelle retraces the sisters' childhood and…