Title: Barefoot Angel
Author: Pegi Handley
Publisher: McNaughton Publishing
ISBN-10: 1646400011
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 482
Review by: Aaron Washington

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In Barefoot Angel, author Pegi Handley writes about mistreatment, abuse, and parental cruelty as she tells of her experiences with agony and soreness. One can tell that her heart ached for years. Her foster parent’s mental abuse and mistreatment damaged her for years. She imagined the worst and felt as if the world was ending so many times. The sad tone and sombre mood in the author’s words reveal just how terrible mental enslavement can be. Just like physical abuse, mental abuse can do a lot of harm to one’s personality and general well being. Your self-esteem becomes low and you feel worthless every time you interact with your abusers.

Pegi’s case was unfortunate because the people who mentally abused her are those who were supposed to love and protect her from any harm. It is one thing to be mistreated by strangers, it is another thing to face abuse from people you look up to as your parents or guardians. Pegi Handley is an outstanding writer. One could see her skills even when she narrated her sad tales. Her character and individual qualities are what made her survive the brutality. Pegi beat a lot of things as I see her as a hero because of how she fought back the suffering she underwent. It was so painful as I read about some of the situations she faced. One thing is however evident – Pegi is a conquerer.

Pegi endured hunger and starvation, diseases such as TB and partial deafness. She survived the fear of mental institutions and the negative energy around her. It is a pity that the trauma Pegi went through as a child influenced some of the things she did as an adult. Only a few of us could survive the first eleven years Pegi lived. Things were tough and she fell into desperation and uncertainty so many times. Not many average girls her age can go through the distress she underwent and emerge a winner without giving up. Things at the foster home were never good. Her foster mother was the devil herself and little Pegi had to live through the terror she created.

One major take-away in the book is that every cloud has a silver lining. Dark clouds pass and so do difficult times. Reading this book will motivate you to persevere in some situations, as there will be some light at the end of it all. It gets easier; it always does. If people like Pegi can survive the abuse and cruelty, so can you. Reading this book will give you the strength to face your obstacles. The book had so many gloomy moods but the good thing is that the end was not as depressing as anyone would expect.

I like how the author presented her story. Her aim was not to get pity from the readers but to give confidence and hope to anyone who is going through difficulties. Barefoot Angel is a great book to read especially when you feel disheartened. There are many encouraging words for anyone who is in anguish or pessimistic about their life’s situations.