The Parrot’s Perch

A Memoir

By: Karen Keilt

Narrated by: Teri Clark Linden

The Parrot’s Perch opens in 2013, when Karen Keilt, age 60, receives an invitation to testify at the Brazilian National Truth Commission at the UN in New York. The email sparks memories of her “previous life” - the one she has kept safely bottled up for more than 37 years. Hopeful of helping to raise awareness about ongoing human rights violations in Brazil, she wants to testify, but she anguishes over reliving the horrific events of her youth.

In the story that follows, Keilt tells the story of her life in Brazil - from her exclusive upper-class lifestyle and dreams of Olympic medals to her turmoil-filled youth. Full of hints of a dark oligarchy in Brazil, corruption, crime, and military interference, The Parrot’s Perch is a searing, sometimes shocking true tale of suffering, struggle - and survival.

Karen Keilt lived through the darkest days of Brazil’s military dictatorship. In her courageous and compelling memoir, Keilt narrates an emotionally honest reckoning of her desire to find true happiness. Forbidden by her wealthy family to even mention her imprisonment, torture, and rape, Keilt is forced to make a change that will affect the rest of her life. Seen through her testimony to the Brazilian National Truth Commission at the UN, listeners become witnesses to both her vulnerability and her quiet strength.

©2021 Karen Keilt (P)2021 Spotify Audiobooks

Could have been better

An intriguing story, at times compelling, but not well told. There should have been at least some information about the political situation in Brazil at the beginning of the book, instead of making the reader slog through interminable clichéd chapters about life in America. The reader’s voice sounded like a breathy teenager.

Inner Strength

Karen writes her heartbreaking story about love, heartache and survival.
In the Parrots Perch, Karen writes about her life in Brazil, raised in an affluent family, with connections in the States. Karen’s world is turned upside down by the corrupt Brazilian government? Why?
I totally recommend reading the Parrots Perch.

A Rare, Fully Realized View of Torture

For a long while, I've taught a course on torture at my university, and so I've more than 100 books on torture on my shelf, including at least a score of memoirs. I think this is the first memoir based on torture I've read that so acutely puts torture into the context of a whole life; and not just the life of the direct victim, but the indirect victims who are family and friends. In this sense, this book is a rare gem to show as it does that torture doesn't end when a victim is released. The despair and pain that are central to the act of torture itself stain so many lives, so long afterwards. I recommend this book, highly.

An inspiring story of strength and resilience

The Parrot’s Perch is a deeply vulnerable and raw memoir that showcases Karen’s incredible resilience and inner strength. She dives courageously into her past, sharing her harrowing experiences with remarkable honesty and an inspiring outlook on life. Karen’s story is not only one of overcoming unimaginable hardships but also one of prioritizing herself and her family, no matter how difficult the circumstances. Her resilience shines through every chapter, making this a truly moving read. I've already recommended this book to friends and family and encourage anyone looking for a powerful, inspiring story to give it a listen.