A scholar transcends childhood sexual abuse
349774
When I read Jessica Sterns Terror in the Name of God in 2003, I wondered how she could walk fearlessly into terrorist strongholds to interview warlords, a practice that got her colleague Daniel Pearl beheaded. She answers that question in her latest book, Denial, as she explores fragments of her childhood that she had been hiding from herself and others.

Stern and her younger sister were barely toddlers when their mother, fighting cancer, died from radiation experiments by their grandfather, a physician who had lost his hospital privileges. He had already begun sexually grooming Jessica, taking her into the shower, causing recurrent nightmares of a sickeningly soft white slug that spoke nauseating things to her.

In 1973, the sisters were young teens, their father in Europe with his third wife, when a stranger with a gun broke into the home where they were staying, forced them to put on little girls clothes, and raped them. Police in the tranquil town of Concord, Massachusetts, refused to believe the girls did not know their assailant. The same pedophile had raped girls since 1971 with at least 44 victims around Concord, Cambridge, Natick, and Marthas Vineyard. Police never warned those communities of the danger and closed the Sterns file when their father claimed his daughters had gotten over the ordeal.

Thirty-three years later, with Jessica Sterns renewed interest, a Concord police lieutenant doggedly searched files from several towns and identified the serial rapist, who already had gone to prison, come home, and hung himself.

Stern interviews her rapists old friends and discovers a history of denial in his hometown, which had been afflicted by a succession of pedophile priests. Denial also dominated Sterns father, whose Jewish family suffered appalling brutality in the Holocaust.

This startlingly honest memoir reveals the ways that ordinary people go numb in the face of unbearable truth and shows the damage this denial does to children whose outcries are not believed.

Readers who want linear narration may struggle with her extraordinary writing as Stern draws us into the foggy, repetitive texture of her own dissociating mind. She demonstrates the irresistible power of denial, not only for victims, but also for bystanders who want to get on with their lives.

Dissociation still overwhelms this expert with intolerable sleepiness or sudden hypervigilance. Her research assistant gently points out similarities between her and his father, who brought his PTSD symptoms home from Vietnam.

Stern describes the way Islamic terrorists rape little boys on Thursday nights to shame them into becoming fearless jihadists. Then, on Fridays, the rapists claim absolution.

Both Stern and her aging father find redemption through sharing their most unspeakable memories, and she dedicates the book to him.
2856506
This is an important book in this field by an expert in PTSD, a scholarly work full of compassion and psychoanalytic insight.
2772873
This is a frank and expansive account of the early life, loves and lusts of the author, who knew he was gay almost from birth. Young revels in his youthful sexual encounters with schoolmates and grown men and takes the reader along from one eye-popping encounter to another. His exploits help him fulfill his long term ambitions in the world of fashion, and the anecdotes are the very antithesis of a misery memoir.
The content, though, will be disturbing for many British readers at least. In the UK well publicised revelations of recent and historic sexual abuse, by adults in positions of authority (including celebrities), of boys and girls in schools, church groups, and care homes, have provoked widespread concern. The harm recounted by many of the victims caught up in these events is at odds with Youngs joyous and appreciative saga of his experiences.
4043398
Traumatic experiences can permanently scar or change you. In this groundbreaking work, Judith Herman meticulously explores the impact of trauma on the human psyche, whether the trauma originates from a natural disaster, political terror, captivity or combat. Writing from a feminist political perspective, Herman also investigates traumas that result from domestic abuse, incest and rape, areas largely unexplored before the 1970s. She describes the symptoms of those who have experienced trauma, explains why they occur, puts forth a program for healing and sets it within a social matrix. This often-quoted book on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) changed the way those in the psychiatric fields diagnosed trauma. It also created a new model for treatment. As such, it is required reading for advanced psychology students, therapists, social workers and counselors, particularly those dealing with patients suffering from PTSD. While it is not for the casual reader, getAbstract recommends Herman's complex, carefully constructed analysis to people who have PTSD or know someone who does.
3165071
I bought this book as it was required for a college course.  It was hard to put the book down.  I was aware that it was about child abuse, but I had no idea to what extent the violence went to.  Dave Pelzer writes from his heart, looking back through the eyes of a child, to increase the awareness of different forms of child abuse and neglect.  Although it was very sad and emotionally riveting in certain areas, it was also about hope and survival.  For some reason, Dave Pelzer had to go through this period of darkness and feeling "alone" in the world to become the survivor who brought this "hush-hush" violence taboo of the 1960-1970's to light. It's a book I intend to read again.
1219867
Keith's amazing ability to write (and his sense of humor at times) gives society a look at how a child that is abused accepts this abuse. It saddened me to learn of the years of his abuse and how he has risen from it.  This book should be read by young and old even if they have never been abused.
1909902
Joan Wheeler takes the reader within, so that the reader feels the trauma she experienced. By doing so, the reader can understand that, not only in Wheeler's case, but also in most post-adoption reunions, no matter how they are handled, adoptees are meeting strangers who had been in on the secret to varying degrees. A "birth" mother, and in Wheeler's case, birth siblings, have memory of the child up to the point of relinquishment. The adoptive parent(s) are provided some degree of pre-adoption history and may or may not share what they know,at their discretion. "Forbidden Family" supports the need for abolition of secrecy in the adoption process and not just 18 or more years after finalization -- as well as the need for better forms of legal custody, such as individualized legal guardianships, that are truly "in child's best interests<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/CHOSEN-CHILDREN-Billion-Dollar-Babies-in-America-s-Failed-Foster-Care-Adoption-Prison-Systems/dp/B00A3VSN78/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">CHOSEN CHILDREN - Billion Dollar Babies in America's Failed Foster Care, Adoption & Prison Systems</a><a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/THE-ADOPTION-and-DONOR-CONCEPTION-FACTBOOK-The-Only-Comprehensive-Source-of-U-S-Global-Data-on-the-Invisible-Families-of-Adoptiom-Foster-Care-Donor-Conception/dp/B00LKR3KYK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">THE ADOPTION and DONOR CONCEPTION FACTBOOK: The Only Comprehensive Source of U.S. & Global Data on the Invisible Families of Adoptiom, Foster Care & Donor Conception</a><a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/THE-ADOPTION-and-DONOR-CONCEPTION-FACTBOOK-The-Only-Comprehensive-Source-of-U-S-Global-Data-on-the-Invisible-Families-of-Adoptiom-Foster-Care-Donor-Conception/dp/B00LKR3KYK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">THE ADOPTION and DONOR CONCEPTION FACTBOOK: The Only Comprehensive Source of U.S. & Global Data on the Invisible Families of Adoptiom, Foster Care & Donor Conception</a>
4655017
There are, according to UNICEF, over 300,000 children employed as soldiers in various wars around the world.  Ishmael Beah, author of this simple but eloquent memoir, was one of them.  His powerful and disturbing book shows the full range of humankind's capacity for good and evil.

His direct and unadorned language, and the contrast he draws between his happy childhood and the hellish nightmare of a savage civil war in which he was compelled to commit atrocities, make his narrative truly spellbinding. His account is also a testament to the revivifying power of love, which he found after UNICEF workers saved and helped rehabilitate him.

My only criticism is that this book ends too abruptly, with him leaving Sierra Leone for Guinea.  From the book jacket, it is clear that Ishmael Beah accomplished much with his life since leaving Africa.  I would like to have read more about his life in the United States.  I hope he writes again.

This account of a child at war is sad enough to break your heart, but it is inspiring to know that Ishmael has survived. I hope someday no children will have to fight in wars. Better yet, I hope someday no adults will either.
2351713
This work is a very informative look at defining spiritual abuse, comparing it with other forms of abuse (like Child Sexual Abuse, Domestic Abuse and Verbal Abuse). It presents hard research done with survivors in the UK, but it matches what I observe in my work in the United States. It presents a map of the process of abuse. It presents a historical context for the modern rise in spiritual abuse and offers thoughts about the continuum of abuse that can happen in mainline churches all the way to cults. It is co-written by a researcher and a therapist and offers therapists the core issues that need to be addressed in therapy to help the survivor heal. This book is a first in that it takes on spiritual abuse that occurs in main stream Christianity. A must read for survivors and those interested in helping them.  Karen Wanjico
4419010
Anna J. Michener has written one of the few honest, complete autiobiographies with relation to the subject of child abuse; not only by her parents but at the hands of an unsympathetic, emotionally blind society.  This account is of overwhelming social importance; America right now is one of the many, many countries in the world that has not made any steps to ensure that children share equal and full protections under law as their 'adult' counterparts.

I found the scene when she had just arrived at the detestable 'juvenile hospital' and spent days floating in front of the windows, allowing the light to stream in-between her fingers to be aesthetically spellbinding.  The ensuing prose shows us the outlines of a highly intellegent, creative mind that was so poorly appreciated by the people she had been dependant upon. Reading this book left a strong impression in my mind; I escaped the fate of being 'sent away' to a virtual concentration camp like the one described in my teen years, but know many that haven't.

As an abused child, it has taken a great deal for me to come to terms with the fact that what was done to me; and all of the cruelty, violence, and humiliation acted upon the youth of the entire world was indeed wrong, undeserved, and is worthy of being fought against.  I hope that this book can impress readers upon those lines; that people won't just say "oh, I can't beleive that actually happens to people," and then go on with their lives when the fact is that this is happening all around them, they've just been taught not to recognize it for what it is.  The blindness and cruelty that allowed the horrors which Anna J. Michener experienced need to be exposed; to be spoken of in order for these problems to be fixed.
610426
This book is a heartfelt and passionate treatise on child abuse, especially by mothers. Or rather, it is a prelude to a treatise: I am hoping Dr. Knight will expand it, with more examples and case histories, of both abuse and recovery, as well as the stories of abusers and THEIR (some of them) recoveries. And also more on the different ways being abused as a child affects individuals' lives as adults, including those who are affected subtly and those who, outwardly, do not SEEM to be affected at all.

The section on "How do we PREVENT child abuse?" is really a series of questions. I would like to know about successful approaches and programs, even if they are only a LITTLE BIT successful.

I feel that Dr. Knight's book provokes more questions than it answers, AND THIS IS A GOOD THING! Answers here (Dr. Knight does have some) are difficult. The subject needs to be raised and discussed much more than it has been; all of us need our awareness elevated of this epidemic that affects so many and is acknowledged by so few. Perhaps that is the start of an answer.
1831926
A Child Called "It" moved the world to appreciate the extent that child abuse can take . . . and the need to do more to stop it.  Over 2 million copies of that vivid memoir have been sold.  In that story, Dave Pelzer described the role his brothers were forced to play in his abuse.  Younger brother Richard was a particular problem as he would tell lies about Dave that led to more beatings by their mother.  But Richard would also leave food for the starving Dave.

In A Brother's Journey, Richard tells his perspective both on what happened to Dave, his guilt for his role, and how the family functioned after Dave was taken away to a foster home.

In limited ways, Richard was selected by their mother to replace Dave as the butt of her alcoholic rages.  Although his abuse was horrific, it failed to be as bad as Dave's.  Thank God for that.

But the interesting part of this book is the insight it provides for psychologists, social workers and the families of abused children concerning the impact of abuse on the more favored children in the family.  Most books about child abuse don't get into this aspect of family life, and I found the added perspectives to be very revealing and interesting.

Naturally, no one can read this book (or A Child Called "It") without wondering how a grandmother, a father, neighbors or the school could have permitted this to go on so long.

The lesson seems to be that if you suspect even the possibility of abuse, you'd better do something.  What you see is probably less than 1% of the problem.

Professionals can learn from this book the importance of on-going observation and the need to build trust in those who are suspected of being abused.  The abusers will have terrified the abused with all kinds of lies to keep them quiet . . . and not seek help.

One of the most fascinating parts of this book is Richard's description of how hard it was for him to realize that he could stop his mother physically.

You will be haunted by the two occasions when Dave reaches out to Richard and the family . . . and how those turned out.

If you are looking for a story to top A Child Called "It", you will be disappointed.  If you want to better understand what you learned from A Child Called "It", I strongly recommend that you read this book.
1837699
This is an excellent study for those who have suffered sexual abuse.  It is very thoughtful and tastefully written and I've found it to be helpful in healing the hurts experienced.  I highly recommend it.
1463690
This story of sexual abuse of children in the name of religion is directly written and emotionally unforgettable.  That it occurred in the recent past and is still being hushed up is truly horrifying.  It is a well crafted book!
655866
Hannah Shah's memoir of life in a strict, unforgiving and abusive Muslim household is as remarkable as it is compelling. That Shah --- not her real name, for reasons that become obvious --- endured such an unimaginable childhood and adolescence stands as a testament to each person who helped her escape the cruelty of her family, to her own spirit and courage, and ultimately, to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

The eldest daughter of the local imam (Muslim spiritual leader) in a Pakistani community in northern England, Shah discovered early on that the slightest hint of disobedience --- especially from a "useless" daughter --- would result in serious and painful repercussions. But the beatings she suffered as a toddler paled in comparison to the sexual abuse her father inflicted on her for 10 years, starting when she was five years old. Though her mother and perhaps one or more of her siblings were aware of what was going on, everyone looked the other way. After all, her father was the leader of the Pakistani Muslim community, and as such he deserved honor and respect. And of course, his wife and other children also were afraid of him and of what he would do to them if they confronted him --- or worse, reported his actions to the authorities.

For days at a time, Shah's father would lock her away in a filthy, rodent-infested cellar after raping her. There, she would try to escape to the "lavender fields" of her childhood imagination, a place where the "loneliness birds" took her whenever she needed to seek refuge. Little did she know that she would one day discover a place of refuge that existed not in her imagination but in reality --- a reality that she only began to get a glimpse of as she started to visit the homes of her school friends, whose parents not only had conversations with them but also showed affection for them. What she witnessed was a far cry from what her father had told her and the Muslim community about the wretchedness of the hateful "whites."

Through the kindness and concern of some of those whites, at 16 Shah found the means and the determination to leave home on the very night that her father had arranged for her to travel to Pakistan to marry one of her cousins. Her escape brought shame upon her family, a "sin" that was punishable by death. For years, she was forced to move every few months as her father, brothers and other Pakistani men hunted her down with the intention of killing her. Their hatred reached a crescendo when they discovered that Shah had done the unthinkable: She had converted to Christianity.

Shah's anonymous account of life under the hypocrisy, abuse and strict control of her Muslim father was eventually publicized in newspapers and other media, and as a result Shah became acquainted with other Muslim women and girls whose stories are similar to hers. Today she maintains a website through which she ministers to others trapped in oppressive or abusive situations.

THE IMAM'S DAUGHTER is one of those books in which the importance of the message far outweighs any missteps in the writing. Fortunately, there aren't many missteps. Yes, the book gets off to a slow and uneventful start, and yes, some of the chapter-ending cliffhangers are maddening, since both the next chapter and the one after that still leave you hanging. But those are but small glitches in the overall context of a story that had to be told --- regardless of the consequences.

  --- Reviewed by Marcia Ford
79894
Strassman is a scientist willing to venture beyond the academic/industrial complex.  Implicit in the book is a professional memoir as well that should be valuable to all academics doing controversial research.  In a country so attached to its drug hysteria, he offers a plaintive and sensible route past our defensive clinging to "normality."  Still, it is sobering to see how fast enlightenment passes back into routine.  Don't say he didn't warn you.
4379218
Speech pathologist and trauma expert, Na'ama Yehuda  is what I would call a "child whisperer" and a healer as she so intelligently and sensitively illustrates in Communicating Trauma. Using clinical underpinnings and case stories, Yehuda presents the interface of self-defining communication and the emotional and behavioral consequences of trauma. Her book fills a much-needed void in the clinical literature and, in doing so, she expands the healing possibilities for all children going forward by creating the link between childhood trauma and communication disorders. This is seminal work.

Communicating Trauma is an important, necessary, much-needed and hopeful book. Further, it is an excellent resource and reference for all clinicians and can be helpful for many parents as well.