Title: Whisper of Hope, Cry of Despair
Author: Vicky Bedi
Publisher: PageTurner Press and Media
ISBN: 979-8-89174-018-1
Pages: 76
Genre: Biography
Reviewed by: Lisa Brown-Gilbert

Read Book Review

Offering a stunning, guided journey through her family’s tumultuous history, author Vicky Bedi’s Whisper of Hope, Cry of Despair brings the unforgettable and often heart-wrenching biography of her immigrant family and their experiences into stark focus.

Emigrating to the United States as Slavic immigrants during the early twentieth century, the book starts out with a chapter focused on her father’s experiences. Based on the horrific events surrounding author Bedi’s paternal grandfather, Eli Bedi, who settled with his family in Madeira Pennsylvania. Working as a coal miner, Eli Bedi became a victim within his own family dynamic when he was shot twice one fateful day during an argument in the family home. While initially there was a prognosis for his survival, unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries two days later, leading to a pending murder charge against his wife, Florence Bedi, which was considered quite a unique scenario at that time. In addition, adding to the trauma of the situation, Florence Bedi’s step-father was charged as well, as he handed her the gun she shot her husband with. As a result, while already reeling from shame, fear, guilt and the loss of both parents, the children of Florence Bedi, Victor and Gabriel Bedi, were sent on an orphan train to an orphanage, where they suffered abuses from the nuns and priests there, sometimes beaten with belt buckles.

Next the chapter refers to author Bedi’s mother, Laura Hayna, the oldest of ten children. This chapter explores her mother’s experiences in life which in some instances were just as disheartening as her father’s. Born to Constantine and Caroline Hayna there were instances where the children were exposed to experiences of an unhappy alcoholic father who enacted instances of violence, and sexual abuse on his family. Also, the family was poor and the children were forced to work.

Moreover, the remainder of the book covers chapters including Mom and Dad, Gram and Me all of which tell of not so fond memories of a family rife with dysfunction, stemming from both sides of the family tree, with much of it, due to traumatizing life experiences and negative emotions.

I found Whisper of Hope, Cry of Despair by author Vicky Bedi to be an enrapturing read, and  while it did present some very dark aspects of human nature it also demonstrated how it is possible to move on with life even with so much dysfunction in a family history.  Altogether, this book puts forth a memorable history of an immigrant family, who struggled within their own family dynamics with abusive experiences and violent behaviors that caused future branches of the family to experience and view life from a conflicted viewpoint having to accept that family history is not always sunshine and roses. Additionally, I found the inclusion of pictures, family trees and newspaper articles to be a fantastic addition to the book, keeping the read all the more fascinating.