EDITORIAL REVIEWS
Comments, reviews from editors and professional reviews.
BookLife | Publishers Weekly
Caldwell's memoir, a debut, opens with a gut-wrenching prologue: a gun against her temple, the trigger pulled—twice—and life stubbornly refusing to end. From this near-death moment, Caldwell reports a life scarred by poverty and domestic abuse, beginning with a childhood raised by a schizophrenic and abusive mother, Marygold, whose own trauma stemmed from sexual assault by Caldwell's grandfather, himself schizophrenic. This generational cycle of pain casts a long shadow over Caldwell's life, illustrating the corrosive legacy of untreated mental illness and sparing no reader from its most disturbing truths.
Rating
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A-
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A
KIRKUS Reviews
An emotionally raw, unflinching story of overcoming childhood abuse, neglect, and trauma.
Caldwell recounts growing up in an abusive home and discusses the failures of the American foster care system in this harrowing coming-of-age memoir.
In the book’s prologue, the author recalls, in characteristic hyper-detail, a failed suicide attempt where the safety mechanism of the gun she held in her hand “engaged by a fraction of a millimeter.” This disturbing episode sets the tone for the rest of the narrative, which offers a raw, unvarnished account of Caldwell’s childhood and adolescence (the author describes living in a “paradoxical state of survival and despair”). Connecting her personal story to her family’s generational trauma, the book begins with a family history that centers around her grandfather’s physical and verbal abuse.
Rating
Get it
Bookish Book Review
Most people imagine survival as a matter of physical endurance—food, water, shelter. Science backs this up: the human body can last about three weeks without food, three days without water, and three minutes without air. But what about the survival of the psyche? How long can a child endure neglect, chaos, and the constant pressure of instability before something inside fractures? Adriene Caldwell’s Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines confronts this question with brutal honesty, though never with gratuitous detail.
Rating
The Bookish Award Winner:
The Bookish Reader’s Pick
OnlineBookClub.org
We first meet the author holding a gun to her head. She is determined to end her miserable life. But fate has different plans. The gun clicks, but no bullet comes forth. She tries again. The gun clicks a second time. She doesn't understand. Why can't she end her life? She knows the gun worked. She had test-fired it herself. Thus begins the story of Adriene Caldwell. [...]
This book was well written with great editing. I found only 1 grammatical error. The only thing not to like about the book is the past she had to live through. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a way to find closure with the past. This is a well-written memoir. I give it five out of five stars.
–Review by Joy Jarvis
Rating
5 starts out of 5
OnlineBookClub.org
Adriene Caldwell’s Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines is a deeply moving and honest memoir that speaks to the resilience of the human spirit. From the very first chapter, it is clear that this is not a sugar-coated story meant to inspire in clichés. Instead, Caldwell shares the raw, sometimes painful details of her life, while also showing how strength and growth can come from struggle.[...]
Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines is a heartfelt memoir that will resonate with anyone who values resilience, authenticity, and the search for inner strength. Adriene Caldwell’s story reminds us that while life may push us to our limits, we always have the choice to stand tall and remain unbroken.
–Review by Chiranjeevi kalal
Rating
4.5 starts out of 5
READER REVIEWS
Read comments, reviews, and praise from other readers.
Your story is incredibly powerful and raw, with a compelling voice that draws the reader into the depth of your experiences.
—DANIELLE CABRAL
Your story is incredibly powerful and raw, with a compelling voice that draws the reader into the depth of your experiences.
—ELENA TURNER
This message needs to get out there to as many people as possible. This gives hope to people in the same situation.
—SALISA BROWN
I can honestly say I have not read a manuscript that fast or thorough in a long time. It caught my attention and kept it through all…pages. It is well-written, honest, and heartbreaking all at the same time. In my opinion, your manuscript has the potential of books like Educated and The Glass Castle.
—KIMBERLY CHRISTOFFERSEN
Your story is incredibly powerful and raw, with a compelling voice that draws the reader into the depth of your experiences.
—ELENA TURNER
It is a tale of trauma and triumph over tribulations. It is a remarkable story of survival that will encourage the hopeless. From the moment I opened this book, I could hardly breathe properly as I read through the horror and brutality that this young child, Adriene had to suffer through her formative years.
—HELEN ODEY
I'm sure it would be helpful to other students as well. Your first-hand account of what children growing up in poverty endure, including in food deserts and government-subsidized housing - and on top of that, growing up with parents who suffer from untreated mental illness - has helped me see the issue of trauma from a more well-rounded view, of how the systems in place have failed families and have perpetuated trauma. It has also helped me understand better what parts of our system need to change. In addition, the in-depth view you provided helped me develop a deeper understanding of how trauma can play out in behavior, especially the more I see the symptoms that were described in the evaluation from your adolescence in patients I have seen in my clinical rotations. This is one of the reasons I feel drawn to working with justice-involved adolescents - I would say the majority of them come from extremely difficult upbringings - and after learning your story, I have so much confidence and hope that they will find a way to overcome those obstacles and make a different, healthier path for their lives, just as you have! Yours is a story of new beginnings and a true example of resilience in the face of overwhelming adversity.
—APRIL GONZALES,
INTERN IN THE TTUHSC PMHNP (PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER) GRADUATE PROGRAM
I felt like I was living your life vicariously through you and I shattered several times… so if that’s not a testament of how vivid this whole journey was…I don’t know what is.
—SALISA BROWN
Literally one would think that some of this is fiction because no one would want to believe that life can be this cruel. No one can accuse you of making anything up cause you got receipts. My jaw was on the floor for most of the book. I inhaled this book and didn’t want it to end. Worth the read.
—PRISCILLAH BANCY
This trauma memoir is powerful in its unflinching depiction of childhood trauma, family dysfunction, and emotional scars left by violence and loss. It captures a raw, unfiltered emotional journey from innocence to survival in a very personal way.
—LISA LAURO
Your openness and unashamed honesty in connecting with fellow survivors is truly commendable.
—ELENA TURNER
“Unbroken: Life Outside the Lines” is one of the most gut wrenching and heartbreaking stories I’ve read. The tale narrates the disturbing life of Adriene in the hands of her abusive/mentally unstable mother. This narrative particularly provokes me because it’s written based on the authors, real life experiences. I feel pain that a child could experience things as disturbing as this. I commend her tough spirit. She’s resilient and invincible.
—HELEN ODEY
In this raw and unflinching prologue, Adriene takes us to the edge of despair, where the weight of life feels unbearable and escape seems like the only option. Yet, in a moment of divine intervention, a glimmer of purpose emerges from the darkness. Her story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, the mysterious ways of faith, and the possibility of transformation when all hope feels lost. Adriene’s journey will grip your heart, shake your soul, and leave you breathless for more. This is not just a story—it’s a lifeline for anyone who has ever felt broken but dared to keep breathing.
—LISA LAURO, WRITER & EDITOR
I just wanted to tell you thank you again for sharing your story with me - it truly helped me decide the path I want to take as an NP.
—APRIL GONZALES,
INTERN IN THE TTUHSC PMHNP (PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER) GRADUATE PROGRAM