Etched in Sand, by Regina Calcaterra, grabbed me at the title. That particular combination of words immediately made me want to know what the book was about. The cover is enticingly haunting and beautiful, too! As memoirs and autobiographies tend to pull me in, and foster care is a heart-touching topic for me, it didn't take me long to decide to read it.
Walk to Beautiful, by Jimmy Wayne, has a lovely ring to its title as well. And, again, the subject matter and the fact that it was written in first person were quick selling points for me. I had just finished Etched in Sand when this book came to my attention, so foster care was heavy on my heart.
The similarities between the two books include first person reminiscences of horrific childhood experiences that no child should be forced to endure, written by well-adjusted adults who are successful despite their rough upbringing. That is a lot for two stories to have in common with each other. Both are compelling, yet hard to read in some ways, because the reader can't help but feel the devastation of such severe abuse and neglect of children. Both books eventually offer hope, but it's difficult to shake the fog of despair for awhile.
There are a couple of remarkable differences that would cause me to recommend one book over the other. Let me add a caveat before continuing: A person normally tells his/her life story through the lenses of his/her own world view. A reader/hearer of that life story processes and critiques it through his/her own world view, whether that world view is similar or very different from that of the teller. My thoughts here are from the perspective of a Christ-follower. If that's not where you're coming from, your reactions to these books could vastly differ from mine.
Etched in Sand contains a great deal of strong, vulgar language. This is not something I prefer, but it doesn't usually keep me from reading about another person's life if I am interested or feel like I can learn something. Most of the nasty language is in quotes of things said to Regina Calcaterra and her siblings. Their mother was a piece of work, let me tell you. The abuse these children endured and the repercussions of that are angering and moving and difficult to imagine. Your mind kind of just doesn't even want to go there, and your heart wants to hide from it at first. But there is hope offered in what Ms Calcaterra has been able to do as an adult to facilitate changes in legislation regarding foster care and to inspire readers to take various actions to make a difference in the lives of kids in, and aging out of, the foster care system.
Jimmy Wayne wrote Walk to Beautiful from the perspective of a now-Christian man looking back on his life so far. He, too, suffered much throughout his childhood, and, though he may have been cursed at a lot, you don't see many of those particular words in his book. The country singer tells the good, the bad, and the ugly about his life, and the ultimate hope he shares is His eventual relationship with Jesus Christ. What he did as an adult to raise awareness for foster care is inspiring. He walked half-way across America, camping where he could, and meeting all kinds of people along the way. It's a great story!
The bottom line: I don't regret reading either book, but the spiritual emphasis in Jimmy Wayne's story is preferable to me--though it isn't a contest. If you can't or won't tolerate vulgar language under any circumstance, then steer clear of Etched in Sand. If you can look past it and see it as a factual detail of the author's life, the story itself is a moving one. I highly recommend Walk to Beautiful and cautiously recommend Etched in Sand.
If you enjoy Christian fiction novels and are interested in the subject of foster care, the story line of Jag Marley in my Places series would likely appeal to you. Click here to see the series!
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