Incest happens. It's an unfortunate fact of life, but it still happens. Susan Kesegich was a victim of incest for many years until her mother got the courage to leave her father and move them to a safer environment. Many people cringe away from the dark side of life and try to hide behind the cookie-cutter monotony of suburban life. Twisted Roots of Evil rips you right out of your Mercedes and drops you smack dab into the pit of fear.

In the most rural part of Georgia lived the Sprague family; Hubert, his wife Louise and their five children. Hidden away in the depths of poverty along the back roads of Georgia, this family might have been your typical American family -- as long as the average family includes a father who refuses to work (or bathe), a mother who is beaten daily and almost killed several times a year and children who live in so much fear that they would rather wet the bed than risk waking their father and bringing attention to themselves. Among this family dwelt a monster, one so insidious that he was able to infect his son with the same disease, and one so devious that it took decades before justice was done.

This book is from a small publishing house and, like many such books, it is in need of additional editing. Some of the descriptions are too wordy, thoughts are repeated several times in a row and sometimes things could have been phrased better to make the thought clearer to the reader. However, Kesegich's voice rings through loud and clear in this book, and the reader is able to feel the pain, horror and humiliation that these children were put through. Kesegich's passion for justice is only equalled by her love for her mother; the love she had for her mother was so strong that nothing could break it. Surprisingly, Kesegich never held any bitterness toward her mother. Instead, she was able to forgive her mother for the choices she made and most importantly she understood why her mother made them and did not judge.

Most people would rather sweep the ugliness of life away and not think of all the evil that men do. It's that type of thinking that allows these things to continue. If no one speaks, no one will know; if you know and don't do anything about it then nothing will change. It's up to everyone to do their part to make sure that children are safe and protected. By telling her story to the world, Susan Kesegich has done much for children everywhere.