Child molestation is nothing to play with and child molesters should not go unpunished, regardless of who they are and who they are related to.

Too often the abuse goes undetected, as is the case with Sydelle, who it appears was knowingly left in the hands of pedophiles who not only abused her body, but nearly destroyed her mind.

Ms. Richard began writing Dear Mama in 1999.

“As I wrote, I realized there were a lot of unresolved issues and feelings I had bottled up inside,” she wrote in her intro- duction. “I stopped a number of times because it was too painful to continue.”

Luckily for many readers, she didn’t stop completely. Her riveting tale of the abuses she suffered makes the reader ask the same question she asked herself, “Didn’t anyone see the sign?”

Many readers will come away feeling as though those responsible for seeing the signs were also responsible for allowing those signs to exist at all.

Sydelle was a child, a young baby, expected to do things and subjected to some things that even adult women would have problems with. To have her childhood stolen is defi- nitely a tragedy and her heartwarm- ing account- ing of the abuses and neglect are enough to move readers to tears.

Low self-esteem, insecurities and pity are just a few of the “obstacles” Sydelle needed to overcome if she was going to lead a healthy life, in spite of her past.

“One of the most important lessons I have learned through- out all of my sufferings is that it is not my fault,” she writes. “Things didn’t just happen because I was a bad person.”

And an invaluable lesson she has learned is that “God is in control.” With that knowledge, the tormented little girl who was made to be a woman, Sydelle was able to mature, to end her battle with fear and self-doubt and begin living a healthy life.

Her testimony will be of benefit to many readers who take the time to hear and under- stand her pain as it is detailed on every page.


If you have a book you would like reviewed, contact Cheryl at csmith@dallasweekly.com