Too Soon Old

On a winter's night in July 2012, Kathy and Ralph Kelly received a phone call no parent should ever have to answer. It was the Emergency department of a Sydney hospital, telling them that their eldest son Thomas had been in an altercation and that they were to come at once. Thomas had been coward punched by a total stranger within two minutes of getting out of a taxi in Kings Cross, on his way to a private 18th birthday party of a friend. Two days after that first phone call Kathy and Ralph were told that their son had suffered catastrophic head injuries resulting in brain death. They were advised that there was no other option but to switch off his life support. He was 18 years old.

Opera isn't normally thought of as a path to success in the world of jazz and blues, but it's the route (with some detours) that Marina Crouse took to become one of the most notable rising talents on the San Francisco/Bay Area music scene. Her early classical training is reflected in her powerful vocal style, and that excitement drives Crouse's debut album Never Too Soon, which balances blues tradition with contemporary urban funk. Crouse's volcanic voice echoes the emotional power of such classic R&B divas as Etta James, Koko Taylor and Big Maybelle.

No one could have imagined how as a child Beverly Engel could have managed to become who she is today—an internationally known expert on abuse recovery and the best-selling author of twenty-two self-help books. This is the raw, candid story of how she made her way in the world in spite of her mother’s neglect, unreasonable expectations and constant criticism; in spite of being sexually abused, first at four years old and then at nine; and in spite of being raped at twelve.