Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter

Wow! Full of heartbreak but equally filled with hope and powerful insight. A great read.

What a fascinating and emotional glimpse into this life! I have never been enlightened as to this side of the story, and I was shocked at how easily I could identify with Melissa's thoughts, feelings, fears, and goals. I feel like we have a tendency to somehow remove the faces we see on the news and place them in some kind of alternate reality that does not match or touch our own; but it is a rude awakening to find that these things happen in OUR world and they touch the lives of people just as human and fragile as ourselves. This was a powerful and thought-provoking book and I trust that it will bring more awareness and support to those in similar circumstances.

6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

It doesn't matter who you are, you will benefit from reading this book!!!

Shattered Silence opened the door for many discussions and discovery. It is one of those rare books that leaves you forever changed. By reading Melissa Moore's story I was able to see my own life more clearly, take responsibility for myself and let others take responsibility for their lives as well.
Told with unusual candor, Melissa brings every aspect of her life to the table and we all sit with her and digest the banquet of life...the good and the bad...all of it. I felt the pain and the joy of her life as I went from page to page. But when I closed the book after reading the final words, I felt hope and personally inspired.
The beauty of the book and of Melissa's story is how she listened to her natural "knowing" and although things seemed desperate at times, she triumphed over her personal adversities. Not only did she triumph, she was courageous in telling her story so that her pain would create something different. This is an incredible book filled with hope and healing. Something we ALL could use in our lives.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Shattered Silence is Eye Opening

This was an awesome book. This young women is an inspiration and she is very well poised. I had the honor of being in her presence for a radio interview. I bought the book on Friday Oct 2 and had it read by Sat Oct 3. Thanks for writing this book Melissa. It will be a great source of comfort and hope for many.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

NOT a good book; NOT interesting; NOT worthwhile reading

I bought this book and was very disappointed in both the content and the style of the writing. Not a good book at all. Don't waste your money.

2 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Empowering & Inspiring!

A very inspiring book created from the author's experiences that many would consider a 'hopeless' upbringing. It's beautiful to experience Melissa's triumph over childhood events and relationships that once 'shattered' from secrecy created the space for her to blossom as a rose and truly experience the beautiful dance with life she now experiences. The authors effectively place the reader in Melissa's shoes in an amazing way such that the reader comes away empowered to be the light and love that genuinely creates peace and joy in this life's journey! Thank you for your willingness to risk and be your inspiring contribution in my life and thousands of others!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

One of my favorite memoirs!!

I loved this book so much I just couldn't put it down! Most of her childhood was so tragic, it made me cry and I don't often do that with books. Honestly, I am embarrassed to say this but I felt like one of those judgemental people who say "well the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". Well after reading this book I realized I was completely wrong. Melissa sounds like such a wonderful person, she is her own entity which has nothing to do with what her father is. Reading this I almost felt like I knew her personally and felt her pain. This is such a great book, one of my favorites ever!!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Amazing page-turner will make you wonder how many kids are growing up confused about what is normal. Inspiring, but not preachy. A must-read for everyone.

Melissa Moore's father was emotionally explosive. He killed animals. He enjoyed controlling other people. But she was almost grown before she realized her father's behavior (and that of other abusers in her life) was not normal and that she did not have to endure it. It was difficult for Melissa to determine good from evil because her father wasn't all bad all the time. There were good times with her dad, and he did provide some of the necessities of life. So her feelings were mixed. But she also knew something wasn't right about her father's behavior. Later, when she learned of his heinous murders, she would have to untangle herself from her emotional attachment to a father who wasn't the man she thought he was as she overcome the grief and loss of a father who never would be. Hers is not only a story of shattering the silence and overcoming embarrassment. It's a call for other victims to break the grip that abusers so skillfully put on them by shaming them into silence. Unlike most books on abuse, Melissa's approach is refreshing and her story interesting. She tells the negative but doesn't dwell on it or lace it with undue bitterness. She focuses on the positive, but does it in a realistic way. Anyone, whether they know a killer or not, can gain valuable perspective on relationships and how to spot behavioral red flags through these pages.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Very Insightful

Melissa Moore has discovered and now writes about what all of us probably have to learn. There is inside of us something that she calls "the knowing." Regardless of any environmental factors, we can all choose. We are all led in that choosing if we will pay attention to the voice inside of us. Ms. Moore tells experiences of listening and not listening--how she was protected around a serial killer and how she ignored the voice and wasn't protected. A very interesting read. One to ponder after you're done.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Hooked on Silence

Shattered Silence is told in the perspective of someone who experienced the brutalities of having a killer around blindly. Melissa Moore spends her life questioning her feelings towards her dad knowing they were not right but not knowing what it was. Later to find out the very man she looked up to for many years for advice was killing innocent women and getting away with it. The story throws twists that make it seem like at times she could be living a normal life, but looking what it leads to just makes it seem like her life is that much harder then before. This being said the many obstacles that have made the author who she is today make the book well worth reading. Making even a hard life seem easy for some, and others question how could someone that has been through so much in their life still have a drive to live. I didn't like the fact that she spends most of her story leading up to the events in her life that were most crucial. It made the story drag on longer then it had to be. But above that I liked the way how she didn't put the whole story in a cluster. The beginning started slow which gave me doubt, but once I read on the story kept me in. I think anyone should read this book because it shows that anything is possible weather they want to believe it or not. It shows that someone can get through anything because the whole book isn't based on her dad being a serial killer. She goes through her whole life and from what Melissa says in her life is a rollercoaster that never wants to stop. Over all I would give the book a 4 star rating, for hooking my attention and keeping me hooked all the way through the end.

Almost A Life-Like Experience-A much read

Shattered Silence is a story of Melissa's Moore life from a confused child to an outraged adolescent to an accepting adult. She is the daughter of a serial killer who experiences difficult times that she feels alone with no hope for her future. A major message in this book is to take control of your own life because you are the only real advocate stopping you from doing anything. What I liked about the book was how detailed and almost life like it was. It also gave me insight and made me thankful for how thankful I am that my life did not turn out as horrible as her life. A part I disliked strongly was when Melissa wasn't able to confide in her mom her problems because her mom told her to not tell her anymore and looked the other way. Everyone should read this because it is a very insightful experience to 'see' into the life of a serial killers daughter and what you saw through her eyes. Overall, out of a scale of 1-5, five being the best I would rate this book a 4. It doesn't really talk much about what her father did but of her 'bad' experiences in life.

Compelling Non-Fiction

I picked up this book in the psychology section at a local Barnes and Nobles bookstore in my area and I was immediately reeled in. I read some reviews and quickly realized I had to read this book. From the beginning I realized I was immediately in the author's head seeing things from her perspective. I enjoyed the book because although you read about all the unfortunate events in Melissa's life, you're filled with constant hope and led to a happy ending. I shed a tear at the end but a tear of joy and compassion. Her journey made me feel compassion. I read this book in a week and a day (from Sunday August 10, to Monday August 16, 2010). I especially recommend it if you have ever experienced anything dark in your past, and it doesn't have to be as dark as the author's past.

An Eye Opener!

When we hear about tragedies such as murders in the news, we often hear from the family of the victim, but never from the accused family. This book is absolutely amazing in shedding a light of a topic nobody bothered to care about or even bothered to ask about. The family of the person that commits these crimes are the victim to. They have to live with the legacy of what happened.

For anyone who feels bound by their anger, guilt, hurt or pain because of what a loved one did to you, I also recommend "When God Stopped Keeping Score." I thought that the book was just about forgiveness, I soon learned, it was about so much more than that. It was about how you should deal with friends, family and yourself and more importantly, how to keep these relationships strong when things go wrong.

Having read it, I feel like a better person. Maybe because this book spoke to me and not down to me. I have read a lot of books that was written like I didn't know anything. What the author of "When God Stopped Keeping Score" does is talk to you like a friend. I needed that. You will understand why when you read it. "When God Stopped Keeping Score" is available here on BN.com. It is on sale here on BN.com.

WoW!

I could not put the book down. I read her story before I read her dads (by Jack Olsen). I found them interesting to see both sides of their stories.
I do have to say she is a brave person! I admire her courage! I hope her writing this book helped anyone else that has dealt with the same situation.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested on the serial killings subject. John Douglas is a profiler for serial killers and he does good books also on serial killings.

SHATTERED SILENCE

I felt the book was very sad. How families are torn apart by secrets. How you find out your whole childhood was miserable for the wrong reasons. We all as children want to hope our parents will love and lead us in the right direction and then we learn it was all a lie.

What a brutally honest account

A wonderful, truthful, riveting book. Melissa is an honest, at sometimes painfully honest writer of her life story. It is easy to feel what she is feeling when she is writing. Hard to put down. One of my favorites of the year.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Not what I thought by the tittle name..

I expected to read a shocking insight story of having a father who was a serial killer. Granted there was an odd thing or two the dad did & he was a little bit of a dead beat but over all he protected them & showed them love to the best of his sad personality could. I feel this is an over discriptive book about details in her life that had nothing to do with anything, like the random paragraph of her brother keeping a crawdad that had no reason to the chapter or book. If you are looking for a story how a positive person stays positive then this is a book for you, she has amazing will & conciousness. If you are looking for more of an intresting story of an unimaginal life I would not pick this first.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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