Beaten by Nuns
K.A. Walker
Publish America, 2006
www.publishamerica.com
ISBN: 1424135877

In Hamilton, Montana, she was a child when her father took her out shooting. Her first effort sent three bullets at quite a distance through the same hole in the bulls-eye he set up. From that moment on she was expected to freeze her butt off and be the sharpshooter as her dad and his male friends went hunting. She would kill the animals, they would drink the beer. There is nothing quite like father-daughter outings to bring a family together.

Several years later, she interviews for a job, when two background interrogators ask her questions about where her father is, his Teamster membership, and his ties to Hoffa. Irrelevant to her obtaining the job, she asks why this line of inquiry? She learns there is a warrant for his arrest in California on forgery charges, though she thinks this is nothing like his activities in Jersey. There he enforced his strict Irish Catholic code of conduct, as he had three requirements of her or else he will not walk her down the aisle.

This is a fascinating, sad yet hopeful anecdotal tale as K.A. Walker bares her soul, with specific incidents of her strange relationship she had with her father. The entries are amusing, yet they contain a gloomy undertone, so that the audience deeply understands this dysfunctional relationship. Yet with all that had happened to her, she remains optimistic and forgiving; serving as an inspiration, that even when it seems hopeless, there remains a glimmering light for those willing to love first, even if it feels unrequited.