The Butterfly Garden: Surviving Childhood on the Run with One of America's Most Wanted

I thank Mr. St Clair for his bravery in writing his story and sharing his abuse so that many other people can benefit from his knowledge and experiences. I did not find the book was a five star book only due to some writing issue I felt existed within this book, but the overall story and content was excellent and humbling to read. I sometimes felt like a child was telling the story, which may have been an intentional rhetoric device, but I found it to be a flaw for me. As a while however, the book was wonderful and the story uplifting and powerful.

I read this book and it was very touching and very moving. The author at the end of the book leaves a lot of doors that still need to be open and cleared up. It is an unsolved mystery to many who read this book. It left me guessing what really happen to Chip St. Clair. Who was the mystery boy in the photo? I just wonder if that was his brother and that his dad had killed him in fit of rage. Both his dad and mom have lived lies all their life. Both were very sick people. Anything could have happened to that boy in the picture. This book is a must read for any man who had been abused as a boy. I was abused as a boy and understand totally what Chip went through. It is a very sad book but a story that should be told and I am glad that Chip told his story because most men who have been abused as children keep it inside them and it eats them up like cancer. If you want to read a "true story" then buy this book. Maybe you will come up with ideas of what happened to that boy that he talks about in his book.

I took this from someone else cause I felt the same way, "It was an interesting story but the end left me with many unanswered questions." Also, what the hell is up with the family. Not so much the mom and dad (cause they are crazy in their own right), but to the Aunt (dad's sister). Who would cover this up? If someone in my family was on the run and I knew where they were at, I would totally turn them in.

I read the book because I saw a friend of mine reading it. This guy's life is pretty insane. He is a good writer and goes into detail about the trials he faced growing up. Definitely a good read for anyone interested in autobiographies.

I read this book from cover to cover in a day and a half. As a survivor of extreme child abuse I related to the despair and loneliness he experienced as a child. The book directs you to a website [...] Unfortunately, the site does not exist. I was disappointed as I would love to learn more about St. Clair and his continuous efforts to improve himself and his outlook on life. He so easily could have allowed the horrific actions of Leslie and David to consume him until his dying day. He is a survivor (and a winner) in every sense of the word.

The author had a terrible childhood and I deeply commend him for his ability to rise above and overcome all his experiences. At the same time, the writing completely spoiled the book for me. I found the prose florid, and at a HS level in its sophistication. If you are a reader who only enjoys excellent writing, you may want to give this one a miss.

I have had many trainings on abuse but this took you on insight of abuse and the trams years after.

Well written and easy to read. I bought it on my Kindle. It was a very emotional and moving story. I highly recommend it in this day and age to show the differences with good and evil and the choices we make in life!!

I saw this guy's story on a true crime show on TV and immediately wanted to read the book. However I found it somewhat of a disappointment. It is really short at the price and it didn't really tell me a lot more about the character's life than the TV show did. Surely a man who lived for years with such a dysfunctional couple of parents would have more to tell? What there is of it is interesting but for the price I can't help feeling it should have been a lot longer and given a lot more detail.

I saw the programme on the CI channel on tv and think this marred the reading of the book for me, in some way! But it was a very enjoyable read and you didnt want to put it down. It was a fine testament to how a human can overcome adversity.What dreadful people his parents were/are!!