Even Blue Birds Sing

by Karen Buyno as told by Lisa Kobayashi

Also available as a Kindle eBook. Click here.

Moved by newspaper reports of a family’s tragic plight, a prominent couple donated $50,000 to a Maine Family Crisis Services center. Even Blue Birds Sing recounts the true events behind those media reports, details that were not reported until the publication of this book, events that will cause you to question everything you thought you knew about domestic violence, the protection of children, and justice in America.
Lisa is a mother and the wife of a man who wants to kill her. She escapes through the assistance of an underground railroad of sorts, but what she doesn’t count on is a twist the law takes in declaring her one of America’s Most Wanted. Now she must evade not only the man who wants her dead, but also a justice system intent on sending her to prison.
This is a tale of a mother who sacrifices everything to ensure her son’s happiness. She wants to tell him what happened, if only she could….

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Karen Buyno

Educated in Maine schools, Karen Buyno has a degree in zoology/medical technology and advance certification in cytogenetics. For over thirty-six years, she worked in the first clinical genetics lab in Maine, writing scientific papers, supervising operations, inspecting labs in other states, and developing a micro method for fluorescent in situ hybridization in cancer diagnosis to direct therapies. As part of the Eastern Maine Medical Center’s first Innovation Team and in conjunction with multiple clinical partners in central and Down East Maine, she chaired a panel of scientists interested in promoting personalized medicine.

Free to pursue other interests since retiring in 2011, she began writing creatively and taught herself to play violin. Mrs. Buyno now plays with the Florida Philharmonia Orchestra, chairs a book club, and participates in a writer’s club. Married, she currently divides her time between enjoying the couple’s five children and nine grandchildren, music, and writing.   

 A Preponderance of Praise 

“A story of intergenerational trauma, in turns harrowing and triumphant. This book is a celebration of a mother's love, despite all odds and many obstacles, and a shocking tale of how badly we, as a nation, fail our children and abuse survivors.” ~ Melanie Blow, executive director, Stop Abuse Campaign

 “A riveting emotional rollercoaster. Such a heartbreaking true story you won’t be able to put it down.”  ~ Carole Brown, CORE Registered Paralegal (National Federation of Paralegal Associations)

 “An important reality for far too many women and children.” ~ Mary Dezember, Author of Wild Conviction 

 “A legal battle between a cruel abuser, uninterested in caring for his son against a safe, protective mother who sacrificed everything including her body to keep her son safe. It should have been the most lopsided battle possible and in our broken custody court system, it was. The abuser won custody and banished the mom. The media, court, and prosecutor assumed the mother was risking her life, her freedom, and her safety in a baseless vendetta against the father. They should know maternal instincts are about protecting children and not bogus alienation theories.”~ Barry Goldstein, Domestic Violence Speaker, Advocate, and Author of The Quincy Solution: Stop Domestic Violence and Save $500 and Scared to Leave, Afraid to Stay: Paths from Family Violence to Safety

“Karen Buyno's crushingly beautiful story of trauma, intimate partner abuse, and custody loss depicts the stark realities faced by countless abused mothers who go through similar Kafkaesque legal nightmares in their attempts to protect themselves and their children. Her incredible narrative is punctuated by statistics that are painfully familiar to domestic violence advocates and that deserve to be brought to the attention of the general public. Her powerful story provides a clarion call for deep reform of the flawed system charged with protecting our nation's most vulnerable members--battered women and their children.” ~ Dr. Mo Hannah, Professor of Psychology, Siena College, NY

 “A real-life drama that highlights another dimension of cruelty by one person against another. It knits the connections between early childhood abuse, with the probabilities of future victimization. The story will move your heart, while bringing about the strongest, natural indignation about America’s struggle with domestic violence and a personal need for taking action.” ~ Arthur Jette, Chapter Leader, Maine Chapter, Parents of Murdered Children

 “Everyone and I mean EVERYONE needs to read this book—to understand the insanity of the courts when it comes to custody/visitation with a dangerous parent, and also the depth of a mother’s love. This is a brutal book about a brutal subject, made beautiful by this survivor of multi-generation terrorizing finding and raising a clear, honest, and original voice.” ~ Patrisha McLean, Founder/President of Finding Our Voices: Survivors Breaking the Silence of Domestic Abuse at www.findingourvoices.net 

“Karen Buyno’s powerful narrative is raw, disturbing, and heartbreaking. It will leave the reader shaken and profoundly moved. I happen to serve on the board of CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children. CASA was founded to help judges make the wisest possible decisions in the best interests of the child. That certainly did not happen in this tragic case. Lisa suffered such injustice! You will cry, you will be furious, and you will applaud the courage of truth telling as you read this important book!” ~ Frances T. Pilch, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus in Political Science, US Air Force Academy; Author of Domestic Violence: Tragedy and Hope and INVISIBLE: Surviving the Cambodian Genocide

325 pages, 6 x 9 Paperback ISBN 13: 978-1-63821-486-1

eBook ISBN: 978-1-63821-487-8