The Brightwood Street Chronicles

   Deb Rhodes tells of the maltreatment and neglect she suffered as the abused stepchild of a pedophile, and the emotionally abandoned daughter of a passive, enabling woman in Brightwood Street Chronicles: Surviving Sexual Abuse in 60’s Suburbia. Rhodes’ memories are an account of childhood innocence in the ‘60s, from tree climbing and bike riding to hiding out in her backyard fort to write her first stories. These innocent pastimes became juxtaposed with frequent sexual assaults, effectively eroding her normal, childhood self.

I beg Ms. Rhodes to continue to express herself through poetry. I read the chronicles avidly, deciphering each analogy in wonder that the poised, controlled tone of Rhodes’ words was actually referencing vulgar acts of perversion. This composure is most admirable, and assures the reader that she has not been silenced by the abuse of her past. After years of being fearful to speak out, Rhodes’ experience with sexual abuse has finally been courageously documented. She hopes that this will extend a healing balm to, “women of all ages (including teens), though I believe it would also have an appeal to men who have daughters or wives, or have themselves lived through sexual abuse.”

Rhodes chronicle hits a triumphant note as one poem speaks of finally “finding her voice,” a feat surely encouraged by the women's movement that hit its stride during her twenties. Though it would be decades before she found her unique voice (and the ability to grant herself permission to use it), if not for America’s progress in the 1960s, I hate to think that Deb Rhodes and other victims of childhood rape may have forever been ostracized into silence by the stigma of abuse they suffered. Clearly Rhodes does not want pity for what she endured, but perhaps she will accept our sincere respect for sharing the conquering of such trauma, and for her chronicles that no doubt will touch the lives of more than just those whose childhoods parallel hers.

In truth, this collection can be seen as a cathartic outlet for the author, and a healing tool for other victims. In any case, Brightwood Street Chronicles stands alone as a creative and beautifully honest account of what happens when children are not valued, either by their molesters, or by the ones who should have been foremost in protecting their innocence.