Book Reviews
Reviews of Christine’s personal story are found below and the impact it has had on the readers, their perception and insight into her journey.
A personal story such as this talks through the patterns of behaviour and conditionings learnt by a child from their family. The roles that children become accustom to and the way this shapes their lives on a deeper level unawarely. It is not until later in life when the impacts are known and uncovered due to self-discovery and reflection.
Read more about this personal story and open your mind to a new way of seeing the world through another’s eyes.
If you would like to leave reviews of any of the My Secret Self series, please reach out to Christine via her social media pages. These reviews are very helpful for other readers to know what to expect and how much you enjoyed the books.
My Secret Self: Trials and Tribulations of an Innocent by Christine U. Cowin is a non-fiction autobiography written in the first person by Christine. In My Secret Self, Christine has described her early years through her teenage life living in Australia. The books follows a chronological order and is divided into chapters and sections that describe Christine’s life as a child growing up around nature and animals, her internal dysfunctional family dynamic with her parents, siblings, grandmother who helped raised her, her sexual abuse at the hands of her father and others, her mother’s reaction or lack thereof to her sexual abuse, the resulting years of isolation and desperate coping, and more. This book is the first part of Christine’s
life and mainly focuses on her early years.
I have known Christine for a number of years now & never knew about her life story until I read her book My Secret Self, Trials & Tribulations of an Innocent. Christine’s writing is raw, truthful & heart felt & I could feel her pain & confusion as child in a family of dysfunction. I am so looking forward to reading series 2 & the continuation of her life’s journey.
Reading your book has let me know who you are and I can identify with you. We all have a personal life and a history. But many of us hid that life and so people never really know people. And it’s a good thing to tell your personal story. I can see how you feel you know people. From your experiences with the different people in your life and how you have learned to deal with the complexes of others through your observation of other people. And yes you don’t know people but you do know them. You know them on a soul level, and this has left you with a lot of insight into people and life. Knowing you as a work colleague work has never given me a full picture of you however, reading your book has given me a true understanding of you and of whom you are. And I really like you and reading your book this has given me a different perspective on you as a person.
My Secret Self: Trials and Tribulations of an Innocent. A very personal, honest and candid account of the writer’s upbringing. It must have taken a lot of courage to write this book and it shows that no matter what our upbringing this is not what defines us as an individual. I look forward to reading book 2.
I found Christine’s story intriguing as we traveled through the unfolding years of her very difficult childhood, from a very young age to becoming a teenager. I found it well-written and easy to read as she describes her inner thoughts, fears and coping mechanisms with regard to the emotional and physical abuse within her family relationships. Her experiences were not written in a way as to render them depressing or repugnant, but rather in keeping the reader’s interest and to wonder about what would be next in her life.
Christine ends her book with an explanation of new-found clarity from where she’s now at in her life. I look forward to reading the next series of books taking her through the years until the present time.
This book is a million light years away from my accustomed reading list. That said, this is a warm hearted, honest and gratifying tale that delves into the life and times of a woman who has overcome hardship, turmoil and adversity. As I read this, I found myself relating to stories such as ‘Philomena’, perhaps even ‘Flowers in the Attic’ and ‘The Color Purple’ and even a nod to the recent movie ‘Brooklyn.’ This is a story of self-actualisation through hardship, and for that there is universality in her tale. This is a commendable piece of writing.
I am reading Christine’s book and I know a lot of people will relate to this beautiful book wrote from the heart. Christine is a lovely lady and a great writer. I highly recommend this book.
“My Secret Self: Trials and Tribulations of an Innocent” is a story many of us have and can relate to, but are not yet ready to tell. This raw and brave account encapsulates the layers of confusion that features in a traumatic childhood, and the complexities of relationships experienced during that time. I finished the book grieving not only for Christine’s child self, but for the process of conditioning for all children, and the ripple effect this has into their adult lives.
Thank you Christine for speaking your truth, not just for you but for everyone else as well.
“My Secret Self” by Christine Cowin is a delightful book and very well written. It flows easily because it’s so exciting and it is written with great knowledge of language and the flow of the words is brilliant. Christine has written her story in a chronological order about her childhood and that in itself is an absolute delight, even with those in her family and the things they used to do. In the background is trauma that Christine had to live through, but the background does not in any way diminish the rest of the manuscript; how she has overcome it is an inspiration to anybody who has to overcome this trauma.