Jonathan Anthony Burkett AKA John Blake

Jonathan Anthony Burkett AKA John Blake was born in 1987. He is a bright writer inspired by many, as he continues to struggle in life. Devoted for achievement in his lifetime, he is willing to take any test. He told himself, that he would never give up no matter the trials and tribulations. He decided to write to help him move towards a bright future for himself; and because he knows that’s what his Grandparents want for him.

Neglected But Undefeated

The Life of a Boy Who Never Knew

 a Mother's Love...

By Jonathan Anthony Burkett

I wanted to share this review on Friday so those who read it will have the opportunity to spend time over the weekend thinking... thinking about a little boy who never knew a mother's love...

Now, my father was killed while my mother carried me, so you could say that I never had a father's love...

But, you see, Jonathan's mother was living in the same house at the time...

This is the story of a little boy who was pulled out of the arms of loving grandparents, brought to America, and lived in hell thereafter... It is not a story that is easy to read... But if you care about children, you...simply...must...

"I was just staring at her, knowing what was coming, and I was right. She began walking away while tell me to wait right there in the living room for her. Next thing I knew, she came back with an extension cord that had been connected to the television..."Stretch out your hand," she then told me.
"Why?" I asked.
"You don't need to know why. I'm your mother, and what I tell you to do, you must do it without any if, ands, or buts," my mother replied.
"I stretched it out, and then immediately--whop! The pain was unbelievable. The sting had me going crazy and screaming. I put my hand between my legs as I tried to fight the pain. Tears began coming out of my eyes like crazy, and I couldn't even think of what I should do to get myself out of this.
"She ended up hitting me about ten more times, which made me drop to the floor because I was in so much pain, and then she sent me to my bedroom and told me to stand in the corner until she told me I could move. When I looked at my arms, I saw that my skin was swelling up with the imprint of the extension cord on it.
"And hour later she came into my room, turned off the lights, and told me good night.
"Can I go to sleep now?" I asked.
"No. Bad boys deserve to be punished, so you're going to stand right there in the corner until you drop down and die," she replied.
"I don't know what time it was in the middle of the night, but I got tired of standing. So I sat down right there in the corner and then fell asleep.
"In the morning, when she saw me in the corner sleeping, my mother didn't even say good morning or ask if I was all right. She just began beating me, saying, "Didn't I tell you to stand in the corner?"
~~~

Jonathan's story of abuse makes up the majority of this book. It was obviously cathartic for him, and may be for many others. But it is clear that God was watching this boy. I don't know how he survived, he did and the ending of his book includes a beautiful testimony.

Jonathan began to write to relieve some of the tension of his life. I'll be sharing a couple of those this weekend, so please come back. The most memorable thing for me is when his grandfather called to speak to Jonathan and his mother did not allow it. His beloved grandfather died shortly thereafter, but nobody told Jonathan, explained anything to him...He had lost the one person in his life who had provided him unconditional life.

Kicked out of his home quite often, it was fortunate that Jonathan was well liked by the people around him--his friends would take him in. But he often walked the streets... Jonathan was a child from rape and his mother never let him forget it, often calling him by his real father's name while she beat him. He did have a stepfather, but he was not strong enough to deal with what was going on...

This is an extremely well written biography, so well written that there is nothing to distract readers from the horror of this boy's life. But, then you read his strong words... he is "Undefeated!" This book needs to be read; this story needs to be shared... Even if you cry while you read most of it, like I did...

 

By Glenda Bixler