Color Me Butterfly: A True Story of Courage, Hope, and Transformation [Paperback]

APOOO Rating: 4

Color Me Butterfly by L. Y. Marlow covers four generations of abuse, hurt, and pain. It displays the strength of women when they have nowhere else to turn. These women pressed through decades of domestic violence. We first see Eloise, from a small town in North Carolina, as she meets a wonderful man, (so she thought) Isaac, who moves her to Philadelphia. She later tries to understand how she found herself in Philadelphia, with five children and Isaac never home. His abuse grew drastically and he began to do unthinkable things to her and the children. But Eloise stayed...for the children.

Her daughter, Mattie, grew to resent her father. She vowed to get out of the house as soon as possible and never let a man touch her the way her father did. She fell for Roy and was pregnant before she graduated high school. They were married only a few weeks, and Roy already showed that he was just like Isaac. Mattie tried to leave several times but decided to stay with him. Again, for their children.

Mattie's daughter, Lydia (author of the book), grew up knowing that the men in her life were abusive. Stuck in this generational curse, she found herself pregnant by a man so similar to the men that she wanted to stay away from. She named her daughter, Treasure, and did everything she could to make sure the generations of abuse stopped with her.

Marlow brings to light many stigmas in the African American community, such as, domestic violence, mental illness, and the issue of color. You find yourself hoping for better and wanting to see the women succeed. Each woman's story was so intense and you then realize that this is true. This is really someone's family history. Marlow does a great job with capturing the feelings of each character. In the end, you feel apart of their family. It is a great book club read.

Donnica Copeland
APOOO BookClub

After reading this book, I find myself in a perplexing struggle. While I truly applaud Ms. Marlow for sharing her family's story, one that most people never talk about, I find it very hard to understand the level of forgiveness throughout this story. I know to forgive is divine but as a human being I don't think that I could forgive the cruelty that was imposed by Issac on his entire family. He started this downward spiral and 4 generations suffered for it. I thought Rollie was right on in the way he felt towards his father - I applaud his honesty.

This book invoked many emotions in me, particularly anger, but this is how I know it was a good book; one that should be read. Despite the choices we make, good or bad, WOMEN are never given the deserved credit for being as strong and enduring as we truly are. The women in this story were strong and determined, each in their own right, regardless of whether or not you agreed with their decisions. For me, Mattie was the true heroine of the story.

Thank you for writing this book. My eyes and my heart have been opened even more.

This is an amazing book. I loved how it wound through 4 generations of a family. It was also great that there were some photos in the book, it was one more way you are able to get to know the family and their story. I couldn't put this book down and read it on my lunch hour and both my 10 min breaks at work. When I finished the book it was great to know Lydia and her daughter had found freedom!

I wish I was in a book club to discuss it with others! I can't wait to recommend this to customers and book clubs of our bookstore. Every woman should read this book!