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A powerful, heartbreaking, and redemptive account of a boy who endured a childhood of poverty and abuse in an American Southwest trailer park named Cloud 9.Abandoned by his father at age two, Rick Sylvester lived with an abusive mother whose struggles as a member of the working poor led her to drugs, alcohol, theft, and prostitution--and eventually attempted suicide. Rick battled depression, anxiety, and PTSD as the chaos, neglect, and unpredictability of his childhood seemed to doom him to follow in his mother's footsteps.Well into adulthood, Rick stumbled through unemployment and divorce, using drugs and alcohol to numb the pain until he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Miraculously, though, he overcame the odds and today is a happy husband and father. How did this happen? Rick's answer is this:'It was the Lord.'A message of hope to those who are drowning from an undeserved childhood, Leaving Cloud 9 speaks to millions who grew up poor, feeling ignored and hopeless, and who need the healing power of God. This indelibly American story conveys the steadfast love of Jesus and his power to deliver us from the most devastating of pasts.

Aisling Creegan's childhood was dominated by an abusive, alcoholic mother, who tortured her at every turn. From insults and beatings to being threatened with a butcher's knife, Aisling endured unthinkable suffering at the hands of the woman who should have loved her unconditionally. Yet, in the midst of this trauma, Aisling relied on the one person she knew she could trust – herself. Possessed of an incredible imagination and remarkable resilience, Aisling found escape in the little things in life. Her power to imagine an alternative world enabled her to hold on and make it to adolescence and the freedom she had longed for since childhood. But the scars of the past take time to heal, and when Aisling suffered a breakdown it took her on a surprising path to freedom – and forgiveness. I Am Someone is an extraordinary memoir about female cruelty and – ultimately – female strength and endurance.'Searingly honest … brings you straight into the inner world of someone pushed to the limits'Lynn Ruane

Winner of the 2022 Memoir Prize for Books - Caregiving category​ ESS Public Sociology Award​ Recommended Book in Domestic Violence by DomesticShelters.org How do you go about caregiving for an ill and elderly parent with a lifelong history of abuse and control, intertwined with expressions of intense love and adoration? How do you reconcile the resulting ambivalence, fear, and anger? Welcome to Wherever We Are is a meditation on what we hold onto, what we let go of, how we remember others and ultimately how we're remembered. Deborah Cohan shares her story of caring for her father, a man who was simultaneously loud, gentle, loving and cruel and whose brilliant career as an advertising executive included creating slogans like “Hey, how ‘bout a nice Hawaiian punch?” Wrestling with emotional extremes that characterize abusive relationships, Cohan shows how she navigated life with a man who was at once generous and affectionate, creating magical coat pockets filled with chocolate kisses when she was a little girl, yet who was also prone to searing, vicious remarks like “You'd make my life easier if you'd commit suicide.” In this gripping memoir, Cohan tells her unique personal story while also weaving in her expertise as a sociologist and domestic abuse counselor to address broader questions related to marriage, violence, divorce, only children, intimacy and loss. A story most of us can relate to as we reckon with past and future choices against the backdrop of complicated family dynamics, Welcome to Wherever We Are is about how we might come to live our own lives better amidst unpredictable changes through grief and healing. Questions for Discussion (https://d3tto5i5w9ogdd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/11140346/Cohan_Discussion.docx)

Tell Me You're Sorry, Daddy is the moving true story of one man's horrific campaign of abuse against his own daughter, which continued for more than seven years of her childhood, and has had effects which continue to this day.32 years after the abuse began, Caryn Walker finally saw her father in court in 2011, charged with 24 counts of abuse against her. As she awaited the verdict, she looked at the man who robbed her of so many years, who never showed any remorse, and realised that she was the one who was strong, she was the survivor. Caryn knew that it was time for her to tell her full story - and that of her dead sister, Jennifer. Against all the odds, she fought. And she won.

Profoundly moving, wise, and ultimately redemptive, an inspiring personal memoir of hope and forgiveness, and an unforgettable testament to the healing power of Angels.Growing up in the suburbs of Dublin, Aidan Storey was the youngest of seven, a much-loved, happy child who enjoyed family life. But there was one difference between Aidan and his friends: When everyone left, Angels visited Aidan. Unafraid of the beautiful, luminous spirits that watched over him, it wasn't until much later that Aidan realized not everyone could see what he could—and not everyone shared his exceptional gift for healing. In this remarkable memoir, Aidan vividly recalls how the presence of Angels sustained him through years of great turmoil when his happy, carefree world turned into one of misery and torment. As he recalls the sexual and mental abuse he suffered at the hands of two teachers in his Christian Brothers primary school and the isolation which followed, Aidan tells how the Angels helped him find his way back to life and, through the power of divine healing, taught him how to bring light and love into his life and the lives of many others.

'She'd done more to belittle, undermine and scar me, with her ten years of scorn and hatred, than Starling with his brutal physical batterings or any of the others with their attempts at forced sexual contact. But no-one gets jailed for what they say, even when it amounts to deliberate mental torture…'As Paul Connolly struggled to leave behind his painful, humiliating childhood in the notorious St Leonard's children's home, the ghosts of his past would not let go. The paedophiles and sadists had damaged so many kids. Some had died, from suicide or heroin. Others, like Paul, had emerged, battered and illiterate, to try to find a place in the world. When a fall from a roof shattered his boxing ambitions, he survived in a brutal underworld of routine violence, before eventually building a career as a celebrity fitness trainer, working with the stars of fashion and film.After Against All Odds became a surprise bestseller, everything changed for Paul. He found himself speaking at the House of Lords, appearing on TV and getting involved in projects with abused kids and illiterate adults. But a rare heart infection almost killed him, and the old demons still haunted him.Four years later, Paul has made a new world for himself, centred on his young family and a successful training business that mends broken bodies, builds confidence and changes lives for the better. His story is a remarkable tale of endurance and survival - vivid, disturbing, but ultimately uplifting, as the beaten child who was once told'You're rubbish; you'll never be worth a thing'becomes a man with the heart to love, live and embrace the future.

When Rose was warned by her mother to keep away from men who hid behind bushes and did unspeakable things to children, she was very careful to check behind every bush. But when her parents encouraged her to go on frequent trips with family friend, Uncle George, that was different wasn't it? Rose loved to be filmed dancing, until he showed her the film, which looked rude. Suddenly, Uncle George was asking what Mummy would say if she saw it. He said he'd keep it secret, as long as Rose did everything he expected and as his demands grew, so Rose was plunged into a terrifying and painful world. Only when she reached mid-life, and with support, was she able to face what had happened in order to find hope for the future. Written almost entirely from the child's perspective, this remarkable true story gives unique insight into how abusers gain control of children and their families, and why children often cannot speak up.

Unwanted and neglected as a child, abused by neighbourhood perverts beginning at six years old, and then by loser boyfriends during her adolescence and beyond, Cathrine Ann became pregnant at fifteen, was pimped out by her rich uncle at seventeen, was jailed at eighteen, and lived as a prostitute in her thirties. But today she is the founder and president of a multi-million-dollar company, Consumer Connection Inc., and a star inspirational speaker. How did that happen? Beautiful Buttons is a rough, raw, candid, and surprisingly funny testament to the resilience of the human spirit—an inspiring and empowering self-portrait of a life lived and redeemed. “What an inspirational story!”—ROBERT HERJAVEC, The Herjavec Group, and star of Dragons'Den and Shark Tank; “... truly amazing!”—LINDA LINGLE, Governor of Hawaii; “... a living testament to the notion that hard work pays off...”—MARY FALLIN, Governor of Oklahoma; “... Outrageous... compelling like a train wreck... shocking!”—CHATELAINE (selected as Top Pick)

It had been years since I had seen any of the children with whom I had grown up. When I left the children's home, I promised myself that I would have nothing to do with them, I was sure that my only chance of living a good life would be to put the past behind me, even though that meant saying goodbye to some of the people I loved the most - as well as the ones I hated...it turned out that six of us had died, several by slow suicide in the form of heroin abuse, and at least two by faster means. When two police officers arrived out of the blue at Paul Connolly's door, he learned the shocking news that, out of the eight children with whom he shared a dormitory in care, only two were still alive. The revelation unearthed painful memories of a childhood that, until this point, Paul had tried desperately to put behind him. Abandoned at two weeks old, Paul came of age in the infamous St Leonards's Children's Home in East London. The children there were routinely abused, often over the course of many years. All were underfed and unloved and told that they would amount to nothing. Angry and frustrated, Paul channelled his rage into boxing - but when an accident shattered his ambition to turn professional, he found his true calling and became a successful trainer, even working as a consultant on the pilot of a top model's fitness video. Paul has finally found peace and fulfilment beyond anyhing he could have imagined all those years ago. He has found happiness with his wife and children and now helps to heal broken bodies, build confidence and transform lives - but he will never forget his past and the unnecessary victims of broken society...

Kenneth and Patrick Doyle grew up in a family of nine children in Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Though the home was dysfunctional and all the children suffered at the hands of their parents, Kenneth and Patrick were singled out for horrific abuse at the hands of their mother. Starved, beaten and sent out to steal, their story is a catalogue of abuse. It also implicates the authorities, who had pages upon pages of reports on their situation, and yet never stepped in.

In 1997, Alix Chapel's world was to change forever when her husband Billy suffered a mental breakdown. After ten years of marriage, Billy's breakdown forced him - and Alex - to face up to the truth of his tormented childhood.Unbeknown to Alix, Billy had been living with a terrible burden: he was ruthlessly and shockingly abused as a child, and he had carried the mental scars into adulthood. When it all became too much for him, Alix, his devoted and loving wife, stood by him and helped him to work through the pain and begin the healing.

Michael Seed should have received what every child deserves: love, care and attention, and the chance to be just what he was - an innocent young boy. Instead, from as far back as he can remember, Michael's childhood was nothing but a daily ordeal of unspeakable neglect, misery and abuse from a father whose tyranny of fear stole Michael's formative years from him and drove his wife and Michael's mother to suicide. After years of silence, he now feels ready to tell a story that, though shockingly painful, is a testament to one human's remarkable ability to triumph over the most appalling of circumstances. Living under the'care'of his adoptive parents, life for Michael was hell from the start. Long before his school days, the only lesson he learned was to try and avoid being noticed by his alcoholic father. If he managed this, there was a chance of escaping the daily beatings and extreme verbal abuse he only assumed was part of normal childhood, and it would only be his mother that would receive whatever violence was meted out that day. More often than not, though, Daddy would find time to ensure that both Michael and his Mother felt his wrath together. Then, one awful night, Michael realized that the abuse was escalating to another level when his father began the sexual abuse that would continue for years. The abuse did not stop at home. Once he began school, Michael once again fell victim to terrible bullying and a teacher who violated him repeatedly. After his mother's death, he was sent to his grandmother who, it turned out, was prepared to show no mercy. Michael, it seemed, was destined for a life of inescapable misery. Yet, despite the horror of these years, Michael was ultimately saved by his own will to live, and the books which inspired him to move on and seek a better life. This is the remarkable story of an individual who, against all the odds, managed to preserve his own dignity and finally escape the horrors of a stolen childhood.

Kind and loyal, Elva was a shy young girl from a typical English seaside town who was swept off her feet by an older, handsome Italian bodybuilder. It was all she had ever wanted; the promise of life as a loving mother and devoted wife.But a dark secret from her past left her vulnerable to Bruno's brooding, possessive nature, and behind closed doors, Elva's family idyll turned into a reign of terror of both mental and physical abuse for her and her children.Their daughter Natalia speaks for the first time about how the family suffered, about her escape onto the streets at 17 and her traumatic struggle to survive alone. Natalia finally persuaded Elva to run away along with her youngest son and for the first time, Elva found the happiness and confidence that had always eluded her. But it was not to last. Giving way to Bruno's requests to see his young son, Elva returned to the marital home, where Bruno mercilessly stabbed her to death.Against the odds, Natalia found the courage to stand by her father even after he'd ripped the family apart. During often harrowing visits to Rampton high-security psychiatric hospital, she learnt to love Bruno for the first time. Her fascinating journey led Natalia to honour her mother's memory, finding a way to live with forgiveness and unconditional love.

'When I was a little girl I used to look forward to him coming home, as she was never nasty to me in front of him. I think that's what made it worse - it's like I preferred his abuse, but in reality I was just relieved that I wasn't receiving yet another belting...'This is the true story of one little girl's fight to survive while growing up in a home filled with violence, abuse and neglect. In this insightful and heartfelt account, Sue Owen reveals what happens when a child cannot rely on the family home to be the safe and respectable refuge it should be. Neglected and bullied by her step-mother throughout her formative years, and abused by her father in her teens, Sue somehow survived to tell the tale and have a family of her own. Determined that her own children would grow up in a happy, loving and stable environment, Sue began facing her demons through counselling. Yet it wasn't enough: she was still haunted by the past, and knew that she would never find peace until she confronted her tormentors. Taking her father to court, Sue began a battle which took her extended family to the brink of destruction as they all tried to come to terms with the awful truth. This is Sue's story...

In a series of unflinching vignettes laced with heartbreak and often with humor, Places in the Bone gives an unforgettable account of loss and survival, childhood secrets banished from memory, and the power of language to retrieve the missing parts of oneself and one's past. Woven together with unmistakable lyricism, Carol Dine's narrative moves back and forth in time and place—from the childhood bedroom that fills her with fear, to a hospital room after her surgery for breast cancer, to an adobe hut in a New Mexico artists'colony where she escapes and finds her voice.This voice, it turns out, is a chorus—a harmony of cries, both anguished and triumphant. Among them we hear a young girl speak about the abuse by her father; we hear the tormented reflections of a mother who, for several years after a divorce, loses contact with her young son; and we hear the testimony of a cancer survivor. Through it all, we feel the determination, courage, and creativity of a woman who has spent more than two decades confronting her past, her body, and her identity. Despite her struggles, Dine finds positive influences in her life, including her mentor, Anne Sexton, who recognizes the fire in her words, and Stanley Kunitz, whose indomitable spirit provides enduring inspiration. More than a story of personal loss, the memoir moves us with its humanity, its unnerving wit, and its defiant faith. As the fragments come together, we experience Dine's joy in living and her reconciliation with the past that allow her to renew bonds with her son, her sister, and her mother. In page after page, we witness the power of art to refigure a body, to transform suffering, and ultimately, to redeem.

How bad does it have to be for a mother to leave? It would have been easy to say that Kay O'Gorman just continued the cycle of her own neglect and abandonment, but she thought that too easy an excuse. It would have been easy to place the blame on her own traumatic childhood, on the early death of her mother, on her domineering but charismatic father. To escape this background, she married early but, like many such marriages, it was not a happy union. She hoped that children would change things, but they did not. Her circumstances grew ever more desperate. Kay fled. She formed a new relationship, but her sense of guilt at having abandoned her children oppressed her to the point that she herself developed problems with alcohol. It took a long time, but finally she sorted out her life. In Where's Your Mama Gone? she writes with unflinching truth about her past and the motivations for her actions. It recalls an Ireland of casual cruelty, all-powerful authority figures, sexual ignorance and non-existent choice.

'So there I was - a twenty-one year old black female university student walking down a suburban street with a gun, no shoes and murder on my mind. I was going to kill the past. I didn't know what else to do with it'Stacey Patton today is a vibrant and impressive young woman with a promising career in journalism. Yet her childhood was a battleground of bullying, abuse and mental torture. Abandoned by her birth mother, Stacey was placed in the New Jersey foster care system and was apparently lucky to be adopted by a hardworking, God-fearing African American couple. Yet something else was going on in this immaculately kept home - punishment in terrible ways, physical, emotional and sexual. Her mother was tyrannical and her father, either so in love with or in fear of his wife, turned a blind eye to the abuse she heaped on their love-starved little girl. Stacey survived by channelling her energy into her school work and her education raised her from the shackles of her unhappy home. Drawing parallels between her own childhood and the treatment of black slaves brought to America, Stacey Patton weaves the moving story of her own painful upbringing with the shameful slave history of America.

'This is a story about how I was saved by love at a time when most people considered me beyond rescue,'begins Victor Rivas Rivers in this powerful chronicle of how he escaped the war zone of domestic violence -- too often regarded as a'private family matter'-- and went on to become a good man, a film star, and a prominent activist. The Cuban-born author begins by recalling when he was kidnapped, along with three of his siblings, by his own father, who abandoned Victor's pregnant mother and took the children on a cross-country hell-ride that nearly ended in a fatal collision. This journey of survival portrays with riveting detail how, instead of becoming a madman like his father, Victor was saved by a band of mortal angels. Miraculously, seven families stepped forward, along with teachers and coaches, to empower him on his road from gang member to class president, through harrowing and hilarious football adventures at Florida State and with the Miami Dolphins, to overcoming the Hollywood odds and becoming a champion for all those impacted by domestic violence. Though at times Victor's odyssey is heartbreaking and disturbing, A Private Family Matter is ultimately a triumphant testament to humanity, courage, and love. Profound and poignant, it is a compelling memoir with a cause. Victor Rivers's way of thanking all the angels and advocates who made a difference in his life is by trying to make a difference in all of ours.