And Finding the Courage Within - My Story of Love

Taylor is HEARTLESS to all the Armstrong children, not to mention her own daughter, Kennedy!! This book being written and published so soon and the horrible content about Russell is only going to HAUNT THESE KIDS for the rest of their lives. THIS BOOK IS A FORM OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE TO ALL TAYLOR'S VICTIMS! (children). And how is she helping DV victims?? She gives no guidance or steps to actually benefit battered women. And what if she abused Russell like many believe. Her UNSTABLE, AGGRESIVE BEHAVIOR certainly makes one wonder. The most disturbing part for me is how happy and proud of herself Taylor is so soon after such a tragedy. Her present behavior is very telling. Not the grieving widow for the loss of someone she constantly reminds us of how "in love" she was with him!! She is not humbled or anything one usually witnesses in a D V victim! Shame on the publishing company for this gross mistake. I, as well as many, will never support anything they are associated with from now on. Lastly, Taylor received threatening tweets on her twitter account a few days ago. The FBI was involved to investigate said twitter threats according to RADRONLINE. Security would be "beefed up" to protect Ms Armstrong. Miraculously, the person was, caught in less than 24 hours, BUT, it was a "mentally unstable" teen from, get this, New Jersey. Just about exactly where Taylor's Book Launch took place today! Can you say, Taylor lied to get people to attend the book launch? The problem with this CON is that people contacted the Los Angeles FBI, Police Department, etc., to verify this story. NOT one of these offices had any knowledge of the threats Taylor had received, BUT ALSO, the FBI DOES NOT INVESTIGATE CYBER THREATS ON TWITTER ACCOUNTS!! Taylor's most recent CON was an epic FAIL! She is busted, AGAIN! Since she is founder and President of an IT company, she is obviously very knowledgeable about computers and all the technology involved to manipulate a twitter account, computer/cell phones to reflect just about anything she would want to reflect. You know, like how she could SEND HERSELF MEAN TEXT MESSAGES SUPPOSEDLY FROM RUSSELL! Taylor we all know you can easily fool Lisa and send yourself text messages posed as Russell! Only problem is, we are on to you, people are a bit more computer savy than Lisa! Taylor's "con jobs" are getting rather sloppy lately!!

I cannot believe anyone would take this woman seriously for one minute. She is aggressive (please see seasons 1&2 of the HW of BH). There is not one shred of evidence about her being hurt. Why didn't any doctor report this. Also this DO -(not psychiatrist) should have reported the so-called incidents. But how can he - there were no incidents. If anything the two of them were beating each other up. All I saw this last season was aggression and nastiness and manipulation with the poor me junk. I doubt very much that Taylor left Russell; I think it was the other way around. Taylor should write a book about what she is a grifter and a con artist, who made his other children
feel like 2nd class citizens. Taylor insults every woman, child, man who has suffered abuse and she should just go away quietly, however I think she will probably wind up in jail long term at one point. Also Kyle - please note a women doesn't have to stay with a man when she is getting a salary from Bravo and all of her supposed GF's are rich and were willing to help her. Not only is Taylor nuts, but her gf Kyle has been sipping some weird kool-aid. I certainly hope Child Protective people look in on how this drunk/pill-popping/hysterical fool is raising Kennedy. God bless Diane Dimond for her review and for speaking the truth as it really is.

I borrowed this book from someone I know because I didn't want to spend money on it after seeing all the bad reviews. One thing I noticed though in all the reviews both good and bad on tv and in print, is that no one actually reviews the book. So all opinions on Taylor aside I'm going to review the book.

This is my first review but that's because this book is so horrible and no one else is actually reviewing the content of the book I felt it needed to be done. Hiding from Reality is something I would best describe as eye vomit. Something that makes me sick to look at for too long with out cleaning up. To be honest I couldn't read the whole thing. I wanted to take a red pen and correct it and mail it back to her with an angry letter telling her how damn disrespectful this was to women of abuse or any 5th grader who has their mom read a book report before they hand it in to their teacher.

You don't have to buy the book to see it. You can just read inside the book here on the store. The first thing I noticed was the over use of unneeded adjectives and adverbs, which makes everything sound over dramatized and strange. The next thing was the commas and run on sentences. She used way too many commas and then didn't end her sentences when she needed to. She also started a bunch sentences with but. I believe she started 3 sentences in a row with and. Hung was used instead of hanged. It just goes on. I feel like she was trying to sound really profound and smart and in the end just made herself look really stupid.

This book is not inspirational. I find it really disrespectful. The fact that she couldn't even take enough time to find a decent editor to make sure it was correct before it was printed shows how much she cares about abuse victims. The only way I would buy this book would be if the money would go to a fund that would send taylor to an English class. I can't believe this was published. I know there is some English teacher out there somewhere who just wants to cry seeing this printed. If you want something inspirational about abuse read A Child Called it.

This is not a book that should inspire Victims of Domestic Violence. Having worked with DVV and their children for years, this book is a huge travesty to victims that have survived. This woman is walking on the bodies of all REAL victims to climb a ladder of success. Give to your local domestic violence shelter the amount of money you would have spent on this book, please.

The author, Taylor (Shana) Armstrong (Ford, Taylor....)is a social climber and manipulator who saw the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills show as the opportunity to assist her desperate attempt to gain fame and wealth. Her introduction during the first season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills best sums it up, "I may look like I have it all, but I want more". From the beginning of the series, inconsistencies between the truth and her version of events in addition to her fabricated lifestyle came to light, causing many to question her honesty. Her drunken erratic outbursts and sober contradictory statements depict an insecure woman who thrives on creating conflict and enveloping herself in the middle as a contrived "victim". Later, unsubstantiated claims of abuse at the hands of now deceased husband, Russell Armstrong were made by Taylor. Russell became highly distressed due to his concern over Bravo's potential character assassination as well as lawsuits related to business dealings, that he ended his own life.

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. That Ms. Armstrong is exploiting the subject of domestic violence for her own financial benefit just months following Russell's tragic suicide without regard for his children depicts her true moral character. If you are interested in helping victims of domestic violence, please contact a reputable organization. If you are in an abused relationship or know someone who is, please seek professional help and do not rely on claims made by or advice by the author.

I have read the book, and there are MANY inconsistencies between what is written within its pages, what has been well-documented to this point, and what has been claimed in the "author's" various versions given both on RHOBH and her recent media tour. There can be only one truth, and Ms. Armstrong insults her readers by assuming they will ignore this fact out of sympathy for her. Sorry, but this reader here didn't just fall off the turnip truck, and it wasn't lost on me that the fiction begins on the cover with her most recent alias.

I did not like shelling out cash for this pathetic exercise in narcissism, in that I see it as blood money. I did however want to see for myself how far Ms. Armstrong would go to make some last ditch Bravo Bucks at the expense of a man- the father of her child, who is not alive to give his version of the story and set his side of the record straight.

I'm sure there are people out there who will read this book and take its story as gospel truth. As P.T. Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute". "Taylor" is hoping to take this one truth to the bank.

I watched RHOBH religiously. I am also aware of the terrible reviews Taylor's book received. Why did I buy it? I do feel like she was going through something, and her husband committed suicide. I am more intrigued by what his demons may have been. I am not even halfway through the book, I get to the chapter about vegetables and pizza. I did read somewhere that Russel threatened to kill her for not putting vegetables on their daughter Kennedey's pizza. However, in the book she recounts the incident happening when she made pizza for Russell's sons, before Kennedy was born. Now I feel cheated by this woman. Too bad.

I am stunned that this book was published. Her stories change with time and don't hold up in comparison to timelines of her publicity seeking past activities. Her aggressive behavior that has been filmed time and time again entirely contradicts her claims of being timid and afraid of conflict. I believe that they didn't have a healthy marriage but that is clear from her own words about how she came to choose Russell and her ridiculous spending that would be an issue for any couple. I also believe that she had no trouble provoking her husband into a fight as she has repeatedly demonstrated with the other women on the show.

The piece that I am most stunned by is the fact that she claims she is able to process this tragedy and have the clarity to write a book that is supposed to help others mere moments after her husbands suicide. Anyone who has been abused knows from experience that it takes at least a few years to have any sense of clarity about events to truly put things in their place and mend their self esteem, not moments after someone's death.

More stunning even is that she claims all of this clarity in the wake of a suicide. I have two families in my life who have dealt with suicide and even 25 years later there is still serious damage in spite of having done therapy and work to deal with the issue. Russell's suicide is going to have very serious and long term repercussions for all of his children and that should be of utmost importance and focus for this woman.

This woman is desperate and has a history of being a con artist. She learned some lingo and stories during her volunteer work but anyone who has been thru any abusive situation can see right thru her stories. They just don't ring true.

It's atrocious that this was printed and that she continues to heap the damage onto Russell's children and family. She has absolutely no history of medical or legal documentation to support her claims and it simply isn't feasible. May she go to hell sooner rather than later.

Taylor says that she has written this book to help abused women, is she donating the proceeds from the sale to a battered women's charity.... I think not, she is lining her pockets at the expense of her husband's suicide, how crass is that! Do not bother purchasing this book, poorly written, a waste of money!

Nothing like the large sweater hiding her hands in the "innocent little girl pose" to perpetuate her silly lies. I thought this book was supposed to be "empowering" and saving lives? The cover is as twisted and fake as her stories. The book is drivel and insulting to all women who have escaped the cycle of violence.

Taylor should be thinking about Russell's children (her own, and his with an ex) before she went ahead with this. Sadly, she can say anything she wants now that he is no longer here to defend himself. Her words would have credence if she told her 'story' while Russell was still alive. Unfortunately she only separated from him to get herself back on the Housewives show (the network apparently washed their hands of her and Russell with all their lawsuit threats, etc.). And the abuse only came to light after he was dead. Hmmm. There are time lines all over the internet showing that most of stories Taylor is telling couldn't possibly be true based on appearances she made and places she went. Couple that with her impeccable timing of this book and well..you be the judge.

How exactly will this 'save lives'? Taylor is basically saying keep your mouth shut if you have a financial gain, and there were so many reasons she couldn't possibly leave. So how is that saving anyone? It's encouraging people to stay in their bad situations out of fear, in my opinion. Seeing her on shows and interviews only reinforces this because she has a million excuses why she COULD NOT LEAVE. How does this help anyone? Least of all the little girl she put in danger if her stories are remotely true.

From what I've seen from Taylor and read in this book she is obviously someone in desperate need of attention, and feels she is entitled to some kind of high priced wealthy lifestyle. I would not recommend this to anyone.

So sorry, but this woman is a fraudster. Shana Lynette Hughes Ford Taylor Armstrong? No, her name was Shana Armstrong before she changed it to Taylor for the purpose of sounding more upmarket. She threw a $60,000.00 birthday party for her five year old child, purportedly on money stolen from investors (check it out in full living color showing her throwing the party and talking about the cost- on Real Housewives of BH episodes); she is deeply in debt after having lived her life on other peoples hard-earned money which was never returned to them - and for which many have now filed lawsuits against her. Plastic surgery erased her real face; botox keeps it expressionless. Huge blubber lips replaced her real lips, further obfuscating the face of Shana Hughes.

It appears the titanium mesh implanted under her eye is part of her plastic surgery which is reported to have taken place at the same time she started talking about a mesh implant, not b/c of an injury sustained in a fight. She has several stories about when/where/how her jaw was allegedly dislocated- and the stories don't match up at all; as if she forgot each version after she told it. She tried passing herself off as Taylor Ford, heiress - a despicably dishonest ploy to gain access to people with money.

This woman is a fighter - she is shown on camera on a RHBH episode screaming and cursing, threatening physical injury on her enemies - saying "...I'll pull some Oklahoma on you!". This harsh, crude, coarse woman is not who she would have you believe. Someone should check out her claim that she is contributing money to a womans' abuse organization. I doubt the truth of her claim. If she is involved at all in a womans' abuse organization, it's a sure bet that she's drawing a huge salary, keeps it for herself, and hopes this book will add to her personal coffers.

She may have had knock-down fights with her now deceased husband, but after seeing her on many RH episodes, it's clear that she is no shrinking victim, that she loves a good fight herself, and that her accusations levied against her deceased husband are specious at best.

The victim picture on the face of this book is an insult to intelligent readers. It appears she believes victimhood brings in a lot of money. I hope she does not fool many people.

Taylor Armstrong is a scam artist and a liar. DO NOT buy this book. It will do nothing to help battered women. Taylor just wants money because her cash cow killed himself. It's easy to make all these accusations when the person isn't here to defend himself or give his side of the story. Taylor is a manipulative LIAR.

Hiding from Reality is a great name for this book - there is not much reality to be found here. Most of the "facts" in this book can be checked and found to be falsehoods, half truths and outright lies. You will find there are no police reports to support any accusations, there are interviews Taylor Armstrong herself did which contradict things she has said in this book, and there is information readily available in county court records which show her to be an outright liar. It is a pity that anyone should have to fact-check a memoir, but with this one, it is written so poorly, the reader is literally honor-bound to do his or her own research to see if the things in this book pan out. When one reads a phrase such as "Pit bulls can't swim", one really has to wonder exactly whom Ms. Armstrong (she does not deserve the Mrs.) thought would be the audience for this book - illiterate yokels with no concept of the world around them? And if so, would that not be wholly insulting to the victims of domestic violence she purports to help? As a survivor myself, I picked up this book hoping for a fresh perspective from persons you do not normally hear speak out on the issue - the rich and famous. After reading, I found there exists no perspective at all, save a self-serving one, the woman was a grifter pretending to be rich, and she has no business being famous, lest she inadvertently become a role model for soulless gold-diggers everywhere. Taylor Armstrong has done nothing with this book except to prove that even with a ghostwriter she is a terrible author, lacks any insights that would be helpful to any human being let alone an abuse survivor, and should never have gotten a book deal while there are so many *real* authors out there with something important to say who would get on the NYT Bestseller list on their own merits, without their PR flacks buying out bookstores to achieve that end, as Ms. Armstrong's team has clearly done, because poorly written books do not generally find a large audience without help (see "Dianetics"). It is my fervent hope that Armstrong's fifteen minutes are almost up - if I am forced to witness her cloying smile flashing into her exaggerated tearless grimace and back in seconds once more on my television, I will have to go Elvis and fire a .44 into the plasma screen. She is a thoroughly disgusting human being, if she is even human, about which, I have serious doubts. Buy this book at your own risk. To do so is to line the coffers of a liar, a thief, and quite possibly, a murderer.

I guess she could not defend against all the comments refuting her assessments, so she pulled it. I REALLY read the free Kindle preview which qualifies me to comment on the very first paragraph of the book in which Taylor talks about her Bel Air neighborhood, Escalade, and personal assistant. I bet she still has all those things in addition to her expensive celebrity lawyer and expensive celebrity shrink in spite of her claims in interviews about being practically broke.

And I don't want to see ANY negative comments, like "This ain't a real review" or "You didn't even read the whole book" or "You are just a hater." You get my drift.

SAVE Your MONEY! Dont buy this book,I always thought a victim of domestic violence is someone who does not have a way or the means to get out the relationship. If this is all true,This lady had every ability to get out of the relationship, she had money,friends who were willing to help her. She has said many times on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that she has put up with Russell because she likes her life in Beverly Hills.. she always mentions "Oh I feel so lucky to have this wonderful life, Im just a regular girl from Oaklahoma". She said this at her daughters birthday party, and she also said this last season at her charity foundations party. She is constantly proclaiming what a fabulous life she has, all the while she is getting tuned up by Russell?? Lets get real! shes over there suporting this charity for battered and abused women,all the while this was happening in her own house, and she didnt know how to get out of the situation??? GIVE ME A BREAK!!! I just dont believe her, and yes she says she has a titanium mesh implant in her face, well we do not know what happen, Russell is not here to tell his side of the story. Remember she has been caught lying all before this happened,She lied about what her real name is,she lied about being related to the Ford family, she lied about Adrienne being her daughters God-mother. I agree with everyone who calls her a con-artist and a desperate social climber that is the only thing about this woman that makes sense!

If you buy this book you will be supporting domestic ABUSE FRAUD This does nothing to help real victim and may encourage more women to Lie about their spouse something that happens more then we know already.
Taylor wants to see herself as the Patron Saint of abused women but she is only Hurting them by Lying she is a disgrace to The DV community I cannot believe her "charity" ALLOWS HER TO BE THEIR SPOKESMAN knowing she is lying about her abuse
they should be shamed of themselves for having her I wouldn't donate a dime to them knowing this grifter is associated with them
Taylor changes her story so much what she says in the book is not what she claims in the Media
she wants us to believe that a PUNCH to her eye that broke her orbit didnt swell didnt bruise yet the lasik surgery did all the Damage Come On Taylor we are not THAT STUPID

Dont buy this book dont put Money in the pockets of this Liar and grifter

Ignore the bad reviews. No doubt Shana (aka Taylor) is less than a brilliant author. Yet the book is moving, disturbing (down right upsetting at times) and thought-provoking. With all the details she gives in the book, I'm surprised so many people doubt Taylor's word. It strains the credibility of her detractors that they would really think Taylor fabricated all this, given the number of people she claims were privy to her husband's abusivness. Too many witnesses are named for Taylor's story to be bogus. It is sad that credibility issues are hijacking the dialogue. The focus here should be on abused women and children. A number of factors conspired to bring about a two star rating for this book:

1) Possibly the people who watched the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills who were Russel fans are disgruntled that his name is being smeared while he is no longer here to defend himself.

2) People are taking the word of internet gossip columns and tabloids. Some of their information about Taylor actually came from The National Enquirer.

3) Overreaction to inconsistencies about dates and times that could be attributed to faulty recollection.

4) Insecure women hating her because she is beautiful and exploiting her "girl power" for fame and money.

5) A simplistic understanding of human nature that causes people to think strictly in terms of good guys and bad guys - the white hatted coyboys vs the black hatted cowboys - and a failure to take modern psychology seriously. Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew and other high profile quacks have discredited the science of psychology, and enouraged a hard-nosed, cynical attitude towards human nature.

6) The obvious correlation to Casey Anthony that at least one reviewer specifically mentioned. Point six could be the subject of a book or a doctoral thesis. I think it is very possible that the name changes, the lies (alleged lies at any rate)and imaginary stories (if any of them are imaginary) are part of a real condition that results from abuse. She and Casey have both been diagnosed with PTSD. Mere coincidence? I suspect not. Dr. Keith Ablow, struggling to find a "diagnosis" had to make up a term for Casey - Identity Suppression Syndrome. The term is self-explanatory. And what did Taylor say about her name changes? She said she was Hiding From Reality. I was a special ed teacher for a few years, and dealt specifically with the emotionally handicapped. These kids were not born the way they were. It is true that some people are born with biochemical disorders, but only in rare cases do really troubled people come from perfect households. I think the obvious connection between Taylor's story and Casey's is NOT sitting well with reviewers - even though they don't mention this connection. In their heads they are saying "Oh no, Casey whom I love to hate, might really have been abused, and then I would feel guilty about hating her." Really I think the similarities between the two - if there are any - are very superficial. I don't think the two women are anything alike.

I think the book drags until you get about half way through and then the plot thickens. It would however make an excellent TV movie. Average books make great movies! That's what they say. This one gets five stars from me just because Taylor's story is so very important.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE CASEY ANTHONY CASE SEE standingupforcasey dot com.

I watched Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and I never missed an episode. Throughout, Taylor seemed a contradictory character and when Russell committed suicide I was motivated to curiosity over what had really been brewing underneath their shambles of a marriage. Thus, when Taylor penned a book I was anxious to read it. Big mistake. I feel this book was ill timed and who will ever know if what she recounts as factual is indeed the total truth? Russell isn't here to contest anything she writes or says. It was poorly written too, that's for sure, (but then again I wasn't expecting literary craftsmanship). It amounts to "her side of the story" and from what I've observed on TV, she's a crazy mixed up confused little girl. I don't think all of that is Russell's fault either. Read it if you must, but be forewarned you won't gain more information than you already know and what she does offer as a behind the scenes look can never be proven as fact. A friend asked to borrow the book and returned it the next day. I asked her, "You breezed through it that fast?" and she said, "No. It was a crap story to begin with and I can write better than this in my sleep." So there you have it: a bad piece of fiction.

Shana Hughes is the author; she tried to pass herself off as a Ford heiress. This is a woman who has lived a lifetime of lies and expects you, the reader, to believe every word she says against a man who cannot refute. There are two sons that love their daddy very much who I imagine have been extremely hurt by this woman and her lies. I am a little concerned that she put this all on paper, because now the facts can and will be refuted by photographs, past statements, etc. If you want to read factual, proven lies told by Shana herself pertaining to the alleged abuse, please google Stoopid Housewives and see for yourself. There is a timeline there.

Women typically stand up together and unite when they hear of a women being abused. Does it not seem strange that barely any women believe in Taylor's stories? Besides Taylor being caught in many lies, I find it most interesting that she is receiving barely any support from the women and yet she still continues with her stories.

This book is a pathetic attempt, written literally hours after his suicide, in an attempt to continue receiving more money to fund her lifestyle.

Pathetic and disgusting.

Shana continues to vilify a man who cannot defend himself, since he helpfully already killed himself. This woman cannot sink any lower, yet she keeps finding new depths of lowness. She is like the green scum that stays in the bottom of a bucket. I would say skip the reading and instead use the book for toilet tissue, but I'd hate to see any trees die for her self promoting, self-serving sham of a book. Save your money and time, this woman has scammed so many people out of their hard-earned money,already. She is a sociopathic liar and media whore.

Read the preview on my Kindle and five minutes in, sat there wondering why did I bother to even look at this claptrap? This is nothing more than a chronic victim making excuses for being a social climber and retelling of what her psychiatrist must have told her to displace responsibility for her own poor choices. Save yourself the boredom and childish "self reflection". If you think purchasing this literary work is going to make a difference, send the money to a local women's shelter instead.

Where does one start? This 'book' or should I say mental patient diary, made me want to vomit. And not because of her stories, but because it is so contrived and rehearsed it's like a collection of various womens stories. And this makes sense as she worked with battered women and stole all of their real abuse stories, weaved them into believable little tidbits and fed them to various people in her life. If you read anything, read about Shana Taylor Armstrong on the web, and you will get the real picture.
In short, she is substance addicted thanks to her phony psychiatrist Dr. Sophy, and is herself spiraling out of control. I hope someone steps in and takes care of her daughter, and gives her daughter a better role model than the one she has now. What kind of protective mother hauls her 5 year old around on book tours where she is forced to hear all of these horrible stories about her father? I can't imagine why Dr. Sophy is condoning that, but he thinks he looks god on TV, so there you have that.
Junk, swill, look for this woman to share a rehab story next and blame that on Russel too.

I borrowed this book from my sister because I love the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I was really hoping that there was something redeeming in it to raise my opinion of Taylor, especially after watching her meltdowns and mean behavior on the show. I just can't reconcile the victim she portrays herself to be in the book with the verbally abusive and maniacal person I saw all season. In the book she portrays Russell as a madman who threw every living thing in the pool and recorded her every move, but on the show she went to Vegas and saw the Chippendale dancers, went out of town quite a bit and left her daughter with Russell, and even the other housewives doubted her accusations. I just didn't read anything that convinces me that Russell was physically abusive, other than her claims. She says that she loved Russell so much, but in the first season she said that their marriage was 80% business and 20% love. It just seems to me that she is portraying herself as a victim who wants people to feel sorry for her but I just can't. If she loves him so much then why write this book saying all of these horrible things about Russell? What purpose does it serve? How does this book help anybody? God bless Russell's children and immediate family because this book should have never been published.

I tried giving Taylor the benefit of the doubt; however, besides being written with the skill of a third grader it is completely contradictory to statements she has previously made in public about her abusive marriage. I am upset that the time I spent this morning reading her "memoir" is time I can never get back. She is obviously, at the VERY least, spinning this story very thin or, more likely, completely lying. Either way the result is insulting to the intelligence of the reader.

Please do not substantiate this lying grifter's claims, nor minimize the tragedy of DV, by buying this book- a woman who is benefiting from claiming to be victimized without any medical or law enforcement proof that she was a true victim. Why would the publishers want to align themselves with this criminal? Name changing, scamming, it's all on the web if you look. I love watching Real Housewives as my brain candy at the gym, or after a hard week at work, but I cannot watch RHOBH anymore, along with others. This woman is making money off a tormented man who was under investigation, along with "Taylor," for fraud. She outed her sister in law on national television yesterday for a substance abuse issue in response to a comment made by her - not cool. Don't go near this book. Do your research, start with the first Diane Dimond Daily Beast piece published this summer, and another published just this week: [...]

Appalling that she stands to gain from exploiting - and lying about - a dead man. Perhaps he did hit her - then it was her responsibility to protect her child, leave the home, and report it to authorities (CA state law)! Especially as she claims to passionately represent an abused womens' shelter! And more....UGH.

So incredibly sad.....that she has to use this avenue to generate income to support a wannabe lifestyle and social circle she did not belong in to begin with. I agree with the last comment regarding a portion of funds going to "her" charity....that is laughable!! Rather than buy the book.....donate your money to a charity that helps women and children in domestic abuse relationships.

It's appalling to see this woman getting published with her fictional accounts of her UNreal life. Taylor Armstrong, aka Shana Hughes, Shanna Taylor, and Taylor Ford, is the one who is actually hiding from reality OR at least, hiding HER reality from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills viewers (and now, from those reading her fabricated life story!).

Taylor (or Shana) was apparently grifting alongside her late husband as they attempted to get unsuspecting people to invest large sums into bogus business ventures. After discovering what the truly REAL Taylor is made up of, I can hardly believe that Bravo would keep this person on their show. IF I DO see her on the next season, will be boycotting the show's sponsors!

I feel badly for anyone who spent money on this farce of a book but I feel even worse for her daughter, Kennedy. Someone needs to intervene or Taylor will surely create a train wreck out of her daughter's life just like she has for herself.

The sand is shifting from under Armstrong's make believe castle.

This book was disturbing to say the least. I read the reviews, and decided not to purchase this book. However, I was still interested in reading what had everyone upset. Not that we believe EVERYTHING that happens on Reality TV, but I would think that there would be some resemblance of the Taylor we knew on the show & the Taylor we were learning about in the book. She claims that she "loved" Russell, but on the show she clearly states she married him for money. So, there is a domino effect with her credibility, in regards to why she would really stay in such an abusive relationship. Instead of further information, or details, we basically just got a bulleted list of 'all the times Russell attacked her'. I can't stand the reviewers on here that say "If you went through abuse, then you'd know she was telling the truth"-- that's total BS. What excuse do you have for those of us who HAVE witnessed abuse, and still don't believe she's being 100% honest? I, myself, was witness to plenty of verbal & visual abuse & have been molested, yet I am still able to take responsibility for my own actions & choices. Throughout the whole book, I kept thinking that this woman needs to take responsibility for her decisions. It was evident that she didn't want to leave the Beverly Hills lifestyle & continued to stay, b/c she thought Russell was sitting on a $14M Trust Fund. I do believe that she suffered some abuse, but she certainly shouldn't be still blaming her parents for her childhood. Hello, HER MOTHER GOT OUT!! It's not like she didn't have a good example of what to do, yet she still blames her mom for being "sad" & struggling. Also, it's really hard for me to believe that she had so many good friends who knew about her abuse (when most victims don't tell during the abuse), plenty of resources through 1736 Shelter, and no one did anything??? Especially the incident where Russell beats Mark & Jennifer... I don't know what Pit Bull is going to sit around and let you pound on their owner, and not do anything, let alone 2. I love pit bulls, but they will protect their owners. There was just so many inconsistencies, throughout the book- articles, interviews & RHOBH. I do believe that Taylor may have gone through abuse w/Russell, but her lies about other things, trying to manipulate things & the likelihood of others make this entire work seem like fiction-- and poorly written fiction, I might add. If you have to read this book, please just borrow from the library.

So my original comment was deleted, fascinating.
I wrote that I found it interesting that the only review 5 star review was from someone who signed up just to review this garbage. On the day it was released. The book reads like it was written by a fourth grader. Throw in some jargon she learned while doing her research at 1736, and there you go - the tripe that is this book. Let the man rest in peace. He isn't here to respond to this slander and assassination of character.

On a side note, Taylor stated that a portion of the book proceeds will go to her very own 501c foundation she set up in her name. Translation, The profits will be eaten up by admin costs to the 501c that she creates.... I demand an audit on this. She has a history of funneling funds into trusts (which she doesn't mention in her book).

Taylor, if you read this: it's not that we don't know what domestic violence is, or can't fathom the position you allegedly were in... Therefore don't 'understand'. Frankly my dear, those who lie or cause more difficulties to the women who were truly in that situation do enormous damage to them. You aren't saving anyone. Well except for your potential 3rd husband if he can read.

There was a lie of a snowball, tossed it down hill and husband Russell was killed by the avalanche. We can't pretend that the snowball wasn't created by Taylor for her to garner sympathy.

This book should have been called 'making up reality'. File under fiction.

So my original comment was deleted, fascinating.
I wrote that I found it interesting that the only review 5 star review was from someone who signed up just to review this garbage. On the day it was released. The book reads like it was written by a fourth grader. Throw in some jargon she learned while doing her research at 1736, and there you go - the tripe that is this book. Let the man rest in peace. He isn't here to respond to this slander and assassination of character.

On a side note, Taylor stated that a portion of the book proceeds will go to her very own 501c foundation she set up in her name. Translation, The profits will be eaten up by admin costs to the 501c that she creates.... I demand an audit on this. She has a history of funneling funds into trusts (which she doesn't mention in her book).

Taylor, if you read this: it's not that we don't know what domestic violence is, or can't fathom the position you allegedly were in... Therefore don't 'understand'. Frankly my dear, those who lie or cause more difficulties to the women who were truly in that situation do enormous damage to them. You aren't saving anyone. Well except for your potential 3rd husband if he can read.

There was a lie of a snowball, tossed it down hill and husband Russell was killed by the avalanche. We can't pretend that the snowball wasn't created by Taylor for her to garner sympathy.

This book should have been called 'making up reality'. File under fiction.

So many discrepencies in her words. She is saying she is doing this for abused women, but she is just putting more money in her pocket until her 15 minutes are up. And what is she doing for her daughter? Parading her around on TELEVISION after her father killed himself? He has two other children, and is not here to defend himself. Men that hit women are scum, but women who lie about it aren't far behind.

this book was inspirational and uplifting. Taylor Armstrong is a beautiful women on the inside and out and the courage she showed and the things she went through changed my outlook on a lot of situations. it was such a good read

This woman is disgusting and should be ashamed of herself. IF the abuse were true, she has some balls blaming others on the show for putting herself and her daughter in danger. She had her friends offer their home to her and she did not take their offer. WHY? Because she would be on her own with NO money. I think it is sickening that there are many, many thousands of women that did not have a VERY privileged life that ACTUALLY get abused seriously on a daily basis and they cannot become a millionaire from writing their story. Why? Americans don't want to read an abuse story from a nobody, and that's just the way it is. I did not buy this book and I hope you do not either. There are just too many inconsistencies to even believe it is true.

I was surprised by all the negative comments this book has received given crazy events surrounding Taylor Armstrong. I decided to check it out for myself. First, I truly believe Taylor wrote this book herself. There are misspelled words, grammar errors and accounts all worded very simply. The near juvenile writing is forgivable - the material in the book is not.

Taylor's story of abuse and violence at the hands of her deceased husband Russell is at times hard to be believe. It is even harder when she contradicts herself in interviews or gives different accounts on TV from what she has recorded in this book. She does a poor job of explaining her motives of joining a reality show and staying in a relationship she feels so "scared" about being in. None of her stories can be substantiated by anyone else. On the Real Housewives tv-show reunion she gives an account of her deceased husband hiding in the bushes at a friends home. When Taylor's friend offers her help in leaving the marriage, Taylor states her husband jumped out of the bushes and physically attacker her and all the friends present. She says her friends did not press charges so there are no police records. Really?

Domestic violence and spousal abuse is a very serious issue not to be trivialized by reality TV nor become the basis for someone to use as a money making scheme. I do not know what happened in Taylor's personal life but this book and the many contradictions in it raise questions about her credibility. For me personally I do not believe a word she says and feel that this is more an opportunity to raise her profile and make money to pay debts. Absolute garbage - do not waste your money.

I will admit that I watched Taylor on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and had at first decided not to buy the book. Lately, watching her on tv, I felt sorry for her. I thought perhaps I was being judgmental and should give her a chance. So I read the book.

Taylor who was born Shana, has changed her name for opportunistic reasons. It is clear that she has issues with alcohol and telling the truth. I was surprised at her weak attempt to fool her readers. She constantly contradicts herself. I sincerely believe this book is a lie. I feel stupid for being naive and wanting to feel sorry for Shana aka Taylor. I am not convinced that Russell was abusive in any form and think it is horrible that she has made the father of her child out to be a villain.

I would never recommend this book. It was a circle of lies and is a slap in the face to any woman that has been the victim of violence or abuse.

If you have followed the author on her reality TV show you will see that much of what she has written has already been discounted on air. The book is a scam and poorly written, at that. Don't waste your money.

Horrible that the store and anyone else involved with this book and this sorry excuse for a mother are making a quick profit out of stomping all over a dead man's grave. He hasn't even been gone 6 months and Shana Ford has already written, published, and been on a non-stop media tour to hawk her garbage. This is a SELF SERVING book, it is not helping anyone but Shana Ford's pockets at the expense of her dead husband. It is so convenient that the book and all the allegations came out only AFTER Russel's death, when they were separated for months before his suicide. Maybe the fact that he is not here to dispute her lies and fabrications had a little something to do with it. Do your research on this woman before you give her a penny of your hard earned money!

As a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills viewer, this woman's stories do not add up. Everything from her name changes, to her claiming one of the other Housewives was her daughter's godmother (she wasn't) to living a life she and her husband could not afford and using scammed money to do it. She is being sued for scamming people out of their money by MMR. You should read The Daily Beast articles by Diane Dimond [...] and [...]

I had a friend from college who was abused by her boyfriend. Black eyes, busted lips, bruises and once a broken arm. She finally left him and is now an attorney and advocate for abused women and children.

There are better, more credible books out there to help abused women. This is not one of them.

I enjoy reading biographies but buying this book is an insult to battered women everywhere! Taylor Armstong is the biggest phony who is trying to capitalize on being a VICTIM! I have a friend who knows Russel's family and they are appalled at her quickly written pack of lies! She will desperately do anything for a minute of fame. She is a negligent mother and was a horrible shrew of a wife. She was horribly cruel to Russell's first two sons. Russell was a hard working man who tried to placate her desire for wealth. do not give this woman a penny! Donate to your local shelter instead!

Edited to Add: Before buying this book, go to this blog and see how Russell's best friend feels about the things Taylor says.
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She obviously thought she was on twitter as one of her alter egos and she tweeted to herself about what a great book this is and how inspirational it is. I'm sure most of the good reviews are from her posing as someone else.

She is so delusional, it is very hard to believe anything this woman says. The way she is dragging her dead husband's (and her daughter's father) reputation thru the mud is disgusting. Everything about her repulses me.

Lies, lies and more of 'em, one after another, this work of fiction would be amusing if it weren't so down right tragic....

My heart goes out to her innocent daughter & the 2 sons Russell left behind, how will they ever make sense of this tragedy when this woman hasn't told the truth since 1974?
Do not buy this book.