Following her escape from an abusive relationship, author Cara Brookins resolves to give her four children a fresh start. An idea that initally seems far-fetched, for the five of them to build their own house from the ground up, soon begins to seem like a real possibility as they begin drawing house plans and watching how-to videos. Brookins alternates between chapters describing the exhausting and inspirational building process and chapters detailing the distressing life they were leaving behind.

Brookins' and her children's strength is incredible. I find it impossible to imagine undertaking an initiative of this size when I can barely wrap my head around the amount of work involved in finishing my basement. Though it was exhilarating to read about Brookins' massive home-building project, be forewarned that the chapters dealing with her previous relationships are dark and chilling. Kudos to the entire family on their achievements. ( )

Cara Brookins grew up in poverty, had some brutal experiences in school (bullying directed at both herself and her brother) and went on to marry 3 times, twice to men who for very different reasons, abused her. Once free of these men she took stock of her situation, saw how shell-skocked her children were, assessed her finances and decided to build her own "Dream Home" with the help of YouTube and her kids!

The book alternates chapters from the past and near past -the build. We get glimpses of her life with her abusers, and descriptions of how she was inspired to build her own home, and then, the actual building of the house. Along the way we meet her wonderful parents and watch her children change from frightened victims to strong, resilient individuals.

For me the chapters that dealt with the abuse were the most effective. Here the writing works best as she conveys the fear and hopelessness she felt. She tries to explain why she "stayed" with her abusers, and how she attempted to protect her children from the abuse, if not the damage of what they witnessed. Others can judge her choices, but not unless they have walked in her shoes.

The chapters that deal with the building of the house start well, with the source of her inspiration for the house and her creative means of obtaining financing. After that I found myself frustrated/bored by the details of pouring foundations and installing plumbing. Her realization that she hired idiots did not cause her to fire them and hire competant professionals. This caused her to waste so much time and money, not to mention incur serious injury, and still she did not seem to learn her lesson. On the other hand, the amount of actual work they completed, guided by YouTube videos, is impressive.

There are descriptions of how Brookins used a personal form of meditation to calm herself, and although I found her "visions" odd, if they helped her survive and move forward then good for her! I would have loved some pictures but understand how she would want to guard her privacy. There were also times when she was so clear on details (what her toddlers was playing with while they were all working, on which days he needed to change his muddy clothes, where he slept this day as opposed to the other day) that I assume she was keeping a journal/diary. Other wise, not many people would remember that stuff so clearly!

The author does not discuss whether or not she sought professional help for her children, I hope she did! She does let us know what the were up to now which was nice.

All in all this was an interesting read. I found some portions dragged and felt that Brookins left out a great deal of info, her choice, but it made my sense of her experience feel incomplete. ( )

I FOUND THIS BOOK TO BE A LITTLE BEYOND BELIEVABLE. A DIVORCED WOMAN WITH 4 CHILDREN, A JOB, FREELANCE WRITER, ETC BUILDS A TWO STORY LARGE HOME WITH MINIMAL HELP EXCEPT FOR HER OLDER CHILDREN WHO STILL ATTEND SCHOOL. ( )

Cara Brookins is the author of a number of children's books. But Rise: How a House Built a Family is her own story.

A victim of domestic violence, Cara found the strength to leave that relationship. But years of uncertainty and fear had taken a toll on not just herself, but her four children. The home they were living in was full of bad memories and the abuser knew where they were living. In an attempt to heal herself and her family, Cara came up with a plan - they would build a new home for themselves. Not simply have somewhat build it for them - but actually do the work themselves. If they built a house, could they rebuild their family?

I was fascinated by this idea. Brookins herself is the narrator of the audiobook, which gave the book so much more depth. Hearing someone tell the story of their own life is very powerful.

Can you imagine building a house from the ground up with no previous experience? What would you do? Cara turned to YouTube videos and they went from there. The trials and tribulations of building a house with your children would be near impossible for many. Cara did it while still working full time as a computer analyst.

The descriptions of the abuse, (psychological and physical) danger and fear that the family lived in is hard to hear - but it is more than overshadowed by the strength Cara and her children draw on. Rise is one of those triumph of the human spirit stories that I love to read - uplifting and inspiring. ( )

This story is like The Little Engine That Could but for grown-ups. Take some optimism and courage and you too can build a house with your four children despite having no prior experience. Except I would say most of us could not do what Cara Brookins and her family accomplished which is what makes this real life story so incredible.

After surviving failed marriages that included domestic violence and mental illness, Cara Brookins is looking for a fresh start. With their current house filled with bad memories, Cara and her children set out to build their dream home. The book alternates between chapters featuring the home building process and memories of the past and what led to their motivation to take on the enormous task of construction on a home with no experience and limited money and resources.

This book is inspirational and really showcases the love between a mother and her children. The older kids should be especially commended for all of their hard work and dedication. I can't imagine spending all of my free time for months doing manual labor while all my other friends were having fun.

I won an advanced copy of this book in a giveaway and that is my fair and honest review. ( )