Mary Lynn Plaisance Presents The Book of Pilar Grace - A Startling Glimpse of America...

...It's already two minutes Pilar, and you not at the table, yet." Her Aunt Dill's voice got louder. No one could hear her yelling in the remote area where they lived. She saw her Uncle Jack was off of the trawl boat, walking to the house on the long wharf. Dill never called him.

"I'm coming right now, Aunt Dill." Pilar ran fast and passed in front of her Uncle Jack. When she entered the front door, as soon as the screen door slammed shut, she got one smack with the strap on her butt. Pilar's sack of school books fell to the floor and she began crying as she held her butt from the sting of the strap.

"You late... after you said you wouldn't be late. Stop crying! Want another whip on da butt? What did I always tell you about that crying? Shut up, Pilar. Want another whip on da butt? I'll whip that butt of yours til you can't sit anymore! You hear me?"

Jack entered the front door. "Dill, put da strap away and get supper on da table." He took Pilar by the arm and pulled her panties down. She had a red strap mark across her butt. "I told ya more than one time not to mark the child, Dill. Don't mark her at all! Look what ya did." Jack turned Pilar around to show the strap mark to Dill like she was a piece of new furniture that had been ruined. "Ya knew what happened the last time you marked her legs. Da boss was here and it's not good for business. You hear me? Pick up da strap!"

Pilar was shaking with fear seeing both of them mad at the same time. That had never happened before. She was wondering why he didn't want anyone seeing her with marks or bruises. It wasn't good for his business? She didn't know what his business was. He was always on the trawl boat but it never left the water...

Pilar knew very well to do what she was told. She picked her school books off of the floor and put the school sack on her twin bed, going immediately to sit at the table. She sniffled as she ate her friend chicken and gravy.

"If your mama wouldn't have just left you here and run away, I wouldn't be having all this trouble with you."

Dill always mumbled those words when she was mad. She always blamed her sister Nora for leetng herself get pregnant. Pilar heard those words hundreds of times, but never asked any questions for fear of the strap. This time she asked, "Then, why my mama left me with you, Aunt Dill?"

"Why? You ask me why? I told you to never talk about your mama in this house. Your mama is dead to me, so shut up asking about her."

"I know," Pilar answered still sniffling from the hurt on her butt. "But, I'm twelve now. I'll be thirteen on Valentine's Day. Tomorrow. Why she left he here if you didn't want me?"

...Dill, shut up! You talking too much. Just shut up!" Jack was madder at Dill now than before. Pilar was shrinking in her chair hoping not to get whipped again for making Dill mad...

She heard the screen door close while Jack yelled at Dill, "Clean up that mess ya made and don't ever hit Pilar again with that strap! Ya hear me?"

!!!

She finished tying her shoe laces. "I can't believe he gave her a hit with the strap." She grabbed her school sack, shoved two biscuits in it from the table when Dill's back was turned, and quickly went out the door. As she passed by Jack, she said nothing and went to where she had to wait for the school bus. She could see it on the old bridge...

The bus stopped and the driver told Pilar, "Good morning. I hope you have a good day. Here I brought you a candy." He was always nice to Pilar.

"Thank you Mr. Riggs."

She took her usual front seat behind Mr. Rigs next to the window and kept quiet. Pilar was the only child he picked up on that side of the old bridge along that lonely back road. He knew they were poor and he heard others teasing her since she was in first grade. He made it clear to the rest on the bus each year, that the seat behind him was for Pilar. Mr. Rigs was the only person she felt safe with...

The Book of Pilar Grace

By Mary Lynn Plaisance

We all know the tragedy of human trafficking around the world. Criminals have found that they can make more money with sex slaves than many other options. They consider it business and have little, if any concern, about the humans involved--except to take care of them enough to keep them in good shape for their clients...

When I contacted the author for permission to use some of the pictures in the book, she shared concern about her being so mad when she wrote the book, that she may have gone too far in writing the potential true story of what happens to those victims who are caught in the reality of human trafficking. 

In fact, the devastating reality in the life of Pilar Grace was so very hard to read. From the time she was old enough to realize what was happening to her, she was an unloved, abused child that knew only fear. The pain of a strap hanging near the front door of her home was often used, mainly by her aunt. Pilar Grace lived with her aunt and uncle, and was told that her mother had become pregnant when young, gave her baby to her sister and left town...The only thing that Dill was willing to share with her was a Black fur hat that her mother had left behind. She held it close to her constantly...dreaming that her mother really did love her and would find her...

I believe it is important to read about the facts, the reality of what occurs through human trafficking. The first few chapters are extremely graphic. My one thought was that I hoped the whole book wasn't as revelatory. It wasn't! If you are unwilling to learn about what happens to many of our children, then don't buy this book. But if you are concerned and care about children, please take this opportunity to learn more so that you can help in any way you can, including warning your children and teaching them about seeking help if they are faced with any type of abuse...  

That day, the day after her latest beating at home, the day after her uncle Jack had hit his wife and warned that Pilar was not to have her body marked since it was bad for business, the day before her birthday...and the day that some of the boys on the bus started picking on Pilar, a most beautiful thing happened...Pilar gained a friend... Her name was Becky...

When the boys had started on Pilar, Becky chose that day to strike back at the boys. She had learned long ago to aggressively stand up for herself. Although her parents were not bad, still they showed little love for Becky and that day, Becky came up and sat on the same seat with Pilar. Stumbling through the awkwardness, Pilar was both scared and thrilled to think she might have a friend. Becky took an interest and soon Pilar was sharing just like she read about in the many books that she had borrowed from the library. At least her aunt had never stopped her from reading, so she had learned much from the stories, but had not known a real and true friendship... In fact, Becky talked Pilar into skipping school on her birthday, something that scared Pilar, but it turned out to be one perfect day...before Pilar disappeared...

"Becky, you're going to the principal's office...
"Me? He told me he was going to rape me...right
here on the school bus...
Becky whispered to Pilar, "If he ever puts his hands on
me, I'll cut his hands. I mean it."
"What's rape?"
"We need to talk the minute we get off this bus..."
~~~

For her birthday, her uncle invited her to go with him to the boat, where she was going to help him now that she was 13. He led her to a beautiful room like she had never seen before and she was thrilled when he said she would sleep and stay in this room from then on...

That night she was terribly raped by the boy on the bus who had been taunting her... She knew it was rape because Becky had explained rape, sex, and more about things she had never known about...

Now she had a "schedule" in that beautiful, hate-filled room, as one man after another visited...

And in the moments in between, she wrote in a book she found in the room, a black book which she used to, in her mind, clean out all thoughts of what was happening to her...

Dear Black Book, "Help me! I'm tired of being abused and I'm about to give up. Becky told me about sex, I bled enough from cutting myself and I have enough of being a sex slave to every man in a suit, but I cut to cope. They use me like the broom I use to sweep the dust off the porch. I'm not dust. One day I want to be a princess in a gown of gold. Can't you hear me screaming? Aunt Dill was right. No one can hear me screaming. Help me Black Book! I'm only 13!     Pilar Grace

She had begged her uncle to bring her book, Princess in a Gown of Gold, and was so happy when he agreed to get it. That book had helped her through her abuse because it told about a poor girl that had been abused, but who had run away and married a prince...

It had always helped her at home, but here in her jail room, beautiful as it might be, she could no longer dream of becoming a princess. She only dreamed of awaking and being out of her nightmare!

And then it happened...

Becky had found her and they escaped by hopping a train to New Orleans! That was also the night that Becky's life turned into a nighmare as she saw the fancy bar where her father worked, and later saw him kill a young girl... He had sent Becky to the boat, where she could still see what was happening...and as she had passed a window, Pilar had seen her and later reached out to her wherever she was held on the boat...

The terror of the first few chapters were lightened when Becky and Pilar got to New Orleans. Suddenly, everything started out differently, as if destiny had taken over and had led them to where they needed to go. Suddenly their lives were like a fairy tale... Serendipity led the two girls from then on into what seemed to be a magical home, where they were welcomed and loved, each step taking them closer to what their lives were to be...but only if the evil that followed them was...gone...

Wow! From a startling bit of reality in the lives of two young girls, comes a magical tale that evolved as if God had said..."Enough is Enough!" The author has woven each step after step as into a tighter and tighter web that could only be solved in one way... 

The wise lady, Sonja,who had welcomed the girls in New Orleans, knew they were both damaged and she lovingly explained:

Don't confuse a broken person with an evil person. A broken person can be fixed. An evil person cannot...Evil people can't do good because it's not inside of them. You cannot make a bitter grapefruit grow from a sweet apple tree. It's an apple tree."

This book faces the evil that is right now in America and around the world related to physical and sexual abuse of children and teens of both sexes, as well as adults. But the important part of the book was that evil can be defeated...and that broken people can be fixed... Plaisance has written a magical book for all of us who have been broken in some way--letting us know that destiny is ahead, in front of us, waiting...I've read several books by this author, but this is my favorite and is right there for selection as a personal favorite for 2018. But, remember, it is your choice--you must choose to read the reality of evil happenings to find the magical ending to your story...  


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