I can still hear the excruciating, high-pitched clashes of my heart shattering into millions of gruesome shards after reading Back Doors, a moving memoir written by Alejandra Marquez. It vividly describes her personal journey of rediscovery and the quest for the truth - the truth behind everything - after witnessing the sight of neglected animals and their brutal environments at a circus. I felt deeply pained at her description of the chained elephants, the shrieking monkey, the pacing lions...

   My heart ached, and I got that feeling that you get right before you cry; the tense sensation of being whipped, the oxygen knocked right out of you, your lungs unable to take full breaths. I felt so utterly saddened by these helpless animals, but as I kept reading, I felt stronger. The author held such a positive, confident attitude, and she passed that strength onto me, the reader. I felt like a wrestler when I read about her personal efforts, things like becoming vegetarian, to help making a difference for other tortured, neglected animals out there. It helped to know that she was taking measures to help prevent animals like the ones she saw at the circus that day from suffering. It was like the shards had been collected and taped back together, forming a new heart; a heart more knowledgeable about neglected animals, a heart deeply moved by an author's story, a heart moved even more deeply by her message.

  "From that day on, I began to ask questions... I began searching for the truth wherever I could. It was as if I was being introduced to the world all over again, except this time I entered through the back door, as I had at the circus." Much like the author, I like to ask questions. Even if I don't say them aloud, I always have questions about everything. I also have a strong bond and love for animals, so this memoir especially touched my taped-shard heart. I am forever grateful to Alejandra Marquez for opening up this topic to readers, and I wish that her message comes across every soul that reads her words.