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Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
I just finished reading Confessions of a Catholic School Dropout by Patti Lavell. I’m not sure whether I should be laughing or crying so I did both. I was shocked at the things that happened to the author. She was the only girl in a family of four boys (one of which had already passed on). Apparently her mother wanted another boy so she dressed Patti like a boy. Mother and daughter never seemed to understand each other and her mother, Betty, was either insane or just plain mean. One of Patti’s brothers began raping her at age four. When she finally told her mother, the woman didn’t react. Patti attended a Catholic school where beatings were the norm. On one occasion, Patti was brought on stage in front of a called school assembly and beaten with a huge paddle. The beating was so severe that it left her with three broken fingers on one hand and a large bruise on her ribs. At times Patti did act in an inappropriate manner, but I suspect some of that came from her personality and most of it came from the sexual abuse she experienced at home.
Confessions of a Catholic School Dropout is Patti Lavell’s story. Despite the mistreatment she received, she still has a unique sense of humor. I have a question for the doctor that treated Patti when a teacher beat her. Why did you do nothing? Most people that had suffered through the trials she faced would not be able to laugh about them. Lavell makes people laugh. She has a unique manner of telling anything and leaving the reader laughing. There is a message in this book for all of us. Being a Christian is more than sitting in a pew or showing up once a week for an hour. Patti Lavell’s story is entertaining. I’m not sure what Patti Lavell does for a living other than write, but she should be a stand-up comic. Kudos to the author!
