Happy Release Day!
Girl, Uncoded: A Memoir of Passion, Betrayal, and Eventual Blessings by Brandi Dredge
True Crime, Memoir, 284 pages
Published October 22, 2024 by She Writes Press
For fans of true crime memoir comes a gripping tale of one woman’s harrowing and spiritual journey of resilience after she learns that she was a victim of a sex crime—and her husband was the culprit.
At sixteen, Caroline longed to meet the man who owned the apartment she was hanging out at with her teenage friends. The one they said was a stripper—a fact that intrigued her. From the moment she finally saw Gary Richard, she craved his attention; and once their eyes met, he was all she wanted.
Months later, she was dismayed to discover that she was pregnant. But she had Gary Richard, she reassured herself, and he was all she needed to be okay. A belief that didn’t change even when she held their week-old son in court, watching her boyfriend face charges for stolen property. This was her family, her life—so when Gary Richard’s lawyer suggested a ploy to show the judge he was a changed man, she married him. At seventeen years old, she became a wife.
Over the next nine years, Caroline’s identity and dreams of a fairy-tale life became twisted by adultery, betrayal, poverty, court cases, and lies. And then, one evening, the reality of her marriage finally became clear to her after a sergeant revealed she was the victim of one of her husband’s crimes—statutory rape—and her son’s DNA was the evidence the prosecution needed to convict him.
My thoughts about Girl, Uncoded ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)
First line—"When you tell your story, you must start from the beginning. I heard those words—start from the beginning—one cold December morning as I sat across from a sergeant with the sheriff's office and prepared to give my statement."
Girl, Uncoded is a tale of a sixteen year old girl who made a decision and chose a path that affected her for the rest of her life. Her life is unimaginable to me and it was hard to see her struggle with all of the bad things that happened to her. Finally with self-healing, and with the help of a lot of good people who came into her life, she was able to turn her life around.
This was a very well written story that I am sure was hard to write. The reader takes on all the highs and lows with Caroline and struggles right along with her. Even though it was sometimes hard to read, it ends on a positive note of redemption and healing.
If you like to read memoirs, this would be a great one to read. You will be rooting for Caroline all the way. I enjoyed this story very much!
I received an ARC of Girl, Uncoded and this is my honest opinion of the book.
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About the author
Brandi Dredge is a mom, encourager, and author. She shares her story with the hopes that what she went through will bring encouragement to victims and/or individuals who could benefit from knowing about God’s favor and blessings in their lives. She enjoys swimming in the deep end of mystical thoughts, wading in emotions to pen poetry, and sipping a strong cup of coffee. She is a member of The National Association of Memoir Writers and resides in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Connect with Brandi
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