I Let Him Go

Such a moving and heartbreaking book.The respect I have for Denise is so immense. Such a strong incredible and loving mother and lady whose whole life was changed in an instant by sickening evil.I remember when the news first broke of cute little James going missing and the days that followed when all of us prayed for his return. I have most of my family in Liverpool and London and all of us and everyone of our relatives and friends and all the world was hoping for James to be found safe. The case still haunts me to this day. Nothing in the world can undo the terrible events of that day but I hope Denise finds some little comfort in the fact that she seems like she always was the most loving mother and should never hold herself guilt for the evil that stole her precious James that day. What Denise and Ralph experienced and have had to live with every day since is so harrowing and desperately sad. I know it broke them apart as a couple but I hope one day Ralph and Denise can find some comfort in their grief now with their new families. I know Denise has a loving family in Stuart and the boys and I wish them all the very best in life ahead.This book is full of so much love and warmth and raw human emotion . It is a beautiful account of a bond of love that never dims and a raw grief that burns deeply into your heart and mind. Denise lets us know about the real James. The cute happy little toddler we all got to know from the media images.An inspiring book in a way from the love and goodwill the world showed to Denise in those dark dark days and that has never changed.And even in the despair and helplessness Denise must feel and the injustices James's family have been put through by those evil killers and the judicial system that has long sought to protect them.Denise and everyone in her family and relatives have my deepest respect and compassion. A strong lady who deserves justice and some hope in all the pain she has lived through.A riveting book and beautifully told.

‪I Let Him Go was a difficult read in places, but I can only applaud and feel deep admiration and respect for Denise Fergus in sharing her story. Over the years so much has been written about her which is simply untrue and here she has been able to set the record straight. She has only ever fought for justice for her son, and put everything else aside and attempted to have a happy life with her husband and children. She is a remarkably brave and inspirational woman and this book has only proven that further. ‬‪I am just a few months older than James Bulger would be now. My mum and me would go shopping each week to the Strand shopping centre where the abduction took place, even days before it happened and James’s resting place is just down the path from where my grandad’s is. Even as a young child I was told and was aware that this resting place was for a very special boy. Whilst there aren’t many people in the UK that don’t know about this case, there’s certainly nobody in Liverpool that doesn’t know about it and I think everybody (at least those of us with feelings and sanity) shares in the disgust and disbelief at the government cover-up still to this day to protect these two evil killers, one of whom continues to find himself back in prison. How is it justifiable to let this man read evidence from Denise and see her via video link and yet she must remain oblivious about his protected life? At times the book made me shake with anger at what I was reading, but ultimately the message to be taken is how much work is still to be done on changing the law and that is what Denise will continue to fight for and I find it extremely admirable. ‬‪This is a highly emotional read throughout that brought me to tears multiple times. Denise talks with searing honesty and having watched her in multiple interviews, and only days ago on Loose Women, I found myself reading this book with her voice in my head. Denise talks about meeting Ralph, falling in love and having James and despite heartbreak with delivering their daughter who had sadly died, they went on to have James who just sounded the most delightful child (however Denise does point out how incredibly mischievous he could be!) At times I could have been reading stories from my own mum so similar were they to the mischief I used to cause at that age. It’s even more heartbreaking reading about her joy at being a mother to James when I knew what was coming up in subsequent chapters. Reading about those scenes, the disappearance and then the arrest of two children and then their trials just filled me with dread, made me feel sick and just made tears stream down my face.‬‪It’s remarkable to read about how Denise coped and got through a time no person should ever have to face. The strength and determination shone through and it was wonderful to read about how her life was effectively saved when she found out she was pregnant with Michael. I loved the parts of the book where Michael spoke about the love and protectiveness he feels towards his mum, and about how they as a family talk about James everyday. How she met and fell in love with Stuart is wonderful too. Denise has said she doesn’t want James to be remembered as a murdered child but to be remembered for the happy and loving boy that he was, and that’s certainly what I have taken from this book. The love she has for James, her family, her children and her husband just shines through throughout the whole book and I feel incredibly happy that she has been able to achieve this within her life after such a tragedy. Despite not knowing Denise personally it’s hard not to be affected by something like this that happened so close to home. ‬‪The story of James Bulger is one that people will never forget, but I think it’s important that people really support Denise and her family in raising awareness and in following her campaigning work and to sign petitions where they can. To sign a petition takes not even 5 minutes but it can have such a huge impact on what Denise is fighting for. Look her up on Twitter, follow the case and put your name to the fight. It can be achieved and with the determination of people like Denise and her family it will one day be achieved. She also has a charity set up in James’s name and I am already thinking of ways that I could perhaps fundraise for it and make some small impact. I love everything that it stands for. I know that a small portion of proceeds from the sale of this book will go towards it and so I highly recommend that people go out and purchase this book. Yes it is an emotional read but it is so much more than that. Denise and her family are remarkable people and through the writing of this book she has ensured that the memory of her beautiful son will live on and that he will never be forgotten.

Loved the honesty in the story.

You might think you know a story just as I thought I knew this one as it had been widely covered in the press. And I always remembered it -- even though it's been years, for how can one forget that precious little face? Or the horror of the photo where the two perpetrators are leading that sweet trusting baby away -- KNOWING their intent is criminal and perverse! Each time I saw that photo in the media I found myself wishing I could reach through and grab little James from their grasp and return him to his mommy! So I thought I knew the story, but hearing it from the mom's perspective and the family is MUCH more intense. It brings you back to how it must have felt as a mom knowing your toddler was right there at your side -- and then gone in an instant. The panic that sets in along with the thoughts of hope interspersed such as "He surely hasn't gone that far, he's just a little guy..." It was as if I could feel what I'm sure was just a fraction of her anguish as she frantically searched for her beloved baby. And hindsight being what it is, we know that precious moments were lost because he was being led away by evil minded boys and yet it seemed like common sense to search the shop, to stay in the location of last sighting. This book was captivating in terms of holding my attention and interest even though I knew obviously that precious James had been killed. It is well edited, not sensationalistic in focus and very heart wrenching. My frustration with the system that put far too much focus on the comfort of the accused is obviously shared by many. Yes these two were kids but at 10 years old you CERTAINLY know NOT to take a toddler that isn't related to you and you absolutely know that harming a baby and making him fearful and crying for his mommy is just plain WRONG! The fact that Venables went on to commit further despicable crimes show that he is incorrigible and needs to be behind prison walls for a long time to come. He has had far too many chances!

Vor wenigen Tagen hörte ich das erste Mal vom kleinen James. Es ist unfassbar traurig, was dem kleinen Jungen angetan wurde und damit seiner Familie auf Lebenszeit. Wenn man im Internet liest, kommen nur Worte über die Täter. Immer in Verbindung. Ich wollte mehr über den kleinen Engel wissen und habe dieses Buch gekauft. Ich habe jetzt 100Seiten gelesen und glaube nicht, dass ich noch mehr verkrafte. Ich liege jetzt mit meinem Sohn, der in vier Wochen drei Jahre alt wird, im Bett und weiß nur, dass ich ihn nie, niemals, nie aus den Augen lassen werde. Nicht so lange er noch so klein ist.Ich wünsche Denise und Ihrer Familie alles Glück der Welt und werde den Kleinen James im Herzen behalten.

I recieved the book un México, amazing book, amazing mother, James Will be always in our hearts and thoughts ❤️

Buen libro. En determinados momentos duro de leer por lo tremendo de la historia. La madre, una gran mujer, consigue su propósito, desvelarnos como era el precioso James