Reviewed for Readers’ Favorite
Dancing with the Devil: Extended Edition is a memoir of the life threatening relationship of the author, Amy C Norman. She and her two sisters were born and brought up in a nurturing family; however, during her early teenage years, she got attracted to a very wrong crowd. To impress these people, Amy drowned in the world of alcohol and drugs. She moved out of her parents’ house at the age of 16 and got into a relationship with a guy named Dean, who was four years older than her. Thus began her seemingly endless and horrifying journey of insults, sexual abuse, physical and mental violence, and never-ending mind games! At the age of 18, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Kate. Although she knew nothing about parenting, her maternal instincts developed, and she knew that she would protect this angel with all her heart. Dean’s violence did not stop, and he did not see any problem in torturing Amy in front of Kate. Amy cried and pleaded to Dean but to no avail. The birth of her second child, Jake, triggered something inside of her, and she decided that she had to stop this inhumanity and acts of cruelty for the sake of her children. She began plotting his murder and her escape plan.
Dancing with the Devil:Extended Edition is more than the memoir of a woman reminiscing her painful and violent relationship. This is the depiction of the strength of a mother, who is willing to go to any extent to provide a respectable life for her children. Amy presents a real life example to the millions of bruised and scarred women that there is hope for them if they decide to put a stop to the madness of the men in their lives. Her story has the capacity to leave the readers feeling appalled by the violence of Dean, amazed by Amy’s survival instincts, disturbed by the impotence of the legal system, and blessed by witnessing the unconditional love of her parents. After enduring enormous mental and physical torture, she came out stronger than ever, and this is the message that this book has the potential to convey to the millions of people, who are in the similar circumstances.
