Does 100 5* Rankings Mean A Great Book? Let's Talk About Audience; Content Open Feedback to Author John Borgstedt, A JMPO Response!

My mother was a tall woman, over six
feet in height, and slender. My father was
 a bit shorter, but he was a stout-built,
 powerful man with a temper. Within
 a short time after my arrival into their
 world, they made it very clear that my
 conception was an accident and a
regrettable
 mistake. Alcohol and drug abuse by my
 mother during pregnancy created a pre-
maturely born and jaundiced infant
 with severe bouts of the colic. Thus, from
 the moment of my birth, my destiny lay
 in the hands of an angry, deceitful, and
 dangerous mother void
of maternal love for me.
~~~

I honestly don't remember how I learned of this book, and went out and bought it... But instead of posting a review, I am sharing my thoughts here as part of my thoughts on what a book should include...

Frankly this book sounds like what I might have written right after I went on medical leave for job burnout. incomplete and directionless...

It does provide a chronology of events, which I "want" to believe are true (or else it is a scam of some sort???)

The writer includes a statement that he has just finished his autobiography.

No, in my opinion, he did not...

I am willing to call it an outline, a chronology, a listing of time/places of his life... but not a finished book...

As soon as I read it, I went out searching for more and found enough that I thought this was a true story, just not done well...

But this book already has 100 5* rankings on Amazon. Unfortunately, I agreed with the low votes this time! 

Now, since the book was published, there have been additional things done in support of the book. But that doesn't change the book, does it?

And it doesn't mean that 100 people were right to give it a 5 rating... Let's be fair about this...

The author said it is an autobiography. I've already said what I would call it...but there are some additional comments besides a listing... that allows empathy or, should I really say, sympathy...

But my question to the author: Who is your audience? Christians? Peers? Children being Abused?

And what is your purpose in Writing? Essentially, you've written what you call an autobiography and it includes an accounting of a miracle you experienced...

Soooo... Some Christians probably praise it, right?

What will peers say? How about, Yeah, right! What will children being abused say? Yeah, right!

What you have said to your audience, in my opinion, is that you went through over 20 years of Hell before God saved you and set you free...

Does that mean that every peer, every child being abused must pray and expect a miracle? I will say to you, having been abused as a child... Yeah, right!

Upon completion of tests and evaluations, the results stunned the prosecuting attorneys.

 “John Borgstedt is not mentally capable of withstanding a trial.” 

“What?” the attorney gasped.

 “What do you mean ‘not mentally capable of withstanding trial’?

 He didn’t have any problems here!” 

“Well,” the doctor said slowly, “that is confidential between doctor and patient. But, if you want to take him to trial, I guarantee with one hundred percent accuracy, he is not competent to stand trial.” The diagnosis of “incompetent to stand trial” translated into eminent release from Vernon State Hospital due to the statute of limitations running out. Thus, soon an assistant to the District Attorney arrived. His demeanor was friendly and straight to the point. “Look,” he said quietly, “This is what we’re willing to do. Five years incarceration in the state penitentiary.”

 “No,” I replied. My defense attorney, summoned to explain the benefits in this offer, sat down beside me. 

“ohn,” he said. “I think you better take the five years the state has offered. You will go to prison, but your time in jail up to this point will count as time already served.”

~~~

One evening a staff member jumped on me, and I was badly beaten. Conditioned to receiving physical pain and abuse from early childhood to now, the beating did not seem out of the ordinary. However, his arrest and jail sentence surprised me. For me, harsh physical punishment was just a way of life. Following that incident, I received extra special attention to quell any threats of lawsuit. They did not realize that, for me, the beating was normal living conditions and lawsuit was not in my vocabulary!

~~~

...From jailhouse orange jumpsuits to prison whites and hands and feet shackled around the waist, forewarned me of things to come. Only then did they lead us to the bus for the trip to the prison. Even the transporting of prisoners was different then any I had experienced before. The only sound was the rustle of chains as we got on the bus and sat down. No one spoke. No one moved. Similar to the quiet before a raging storm, silence hung in the air like a death sentence over the busload of convicts. The bus stayed off main highways, rather taking back roads every mile of the way.  

Texas Department of Corrections John Borgstedt TDCJ ID# 837915  

Unlike most, I was already conditioned in survival training, as we became the property of the Texas Department of Corrections. Similar to a tortured animal...

~~~

As you can see, there have been activities, including the one above, since John wrote his first book. Should he keep selling, marketing that book, as is? Well, sure, if he wants to give his testimony to church people around the world.

But what about his Peers, Those Children Being Abused, Atheists, Street kids...and all the other children who have similarly been hurt by people who are supposed to be responsible? What about those who are already dead and will never have heard a word of love...

If you, the writer, doesn't keep your audience in mind, what difference does it make if thousands of Christians buy your book, put it on their shelf, and exclaim about the miracle that occurred to this nice young man...

I don't plan on posting a review on this book...so I'm quite willing to say, this is Just My Personal Opinion...

I have seen and known when children have been taken away from parents on less than what John experienced... I find it hard to believe that in over 20 years, not one professional social worker, doctor, nurse, or law officer did not question what had been physically done by the parents to John. If there were such people, why not include them in the book and the results???

When a psychiatrist was told John's story, he declared him incompetent...I find it hard to believe that the lawyers involved did not pursue his incompetency ruling and discover what had happened to John...

Believing in God forces me to question Why? Would God allow a child to be punished for over 20 years just to then perform a miracle?

Does God plan to continue performing miracles for all the millions of other children who have been abused? I really don't think this is going to happen, even though I'd be praising God if He did...

John, I think you must reconsider your story. If not one single person attempted to help you during your life who could help, must we believe that the entire system is so corrupted that this would happen to others, probably right now?

Why wasn't your grandmother able to be heard and what she said acted upon?

Do you really, right now, after the brilliance of love came to you during the miracle, still forgive and have no intent to try to deal with what happened to you legally? Why? Who is going to hear you? Who are you speaking to? Those children who are abused in silence by parents who tell them not to tell, who don't even have bruises to prove their sexual abuse until through an examination...what good will your book do if they never read anything else but that it takes a miracle... Can they also be filled with God's love and never want justice for what happened to them?

What happened to your sister? Did she not talk to anyone to try to get you out of the endless cycle? 

John, you shared your own feelings and we felt your pain. But sympathizing or, even, empathizing is an insufficient, very lacking end to your story, in my opinion. I believe in miracles...but I believe in justice and efforts to end and/or legally ensure those who are part of these acts are punished...

Who is the audience for your content as written? I would never be part of the 100 or more that gives this book a ranking of 5... But that's Just My Personal Opinion, of Course...

Now, a final thought that came to mind? Have you asked God about what He wanted you to write? Is this His desired response for giving you His miracle... These don't feel like my thoughts, but I won't say they are a message from Him... Or, maybe...