Published: April 13, 2011
Words: 55,420 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781458113368

Short description

This is a true story and not easy to read. It’s about children hurt by their own parents. It’s a story of a father who manipulates the legal system, welfare system, relatives and police, a father who controls his wife, dominates, intimidates and starves his own children. And it’s about a sister and brother in law with the guts, will and wherewithal to stop him.

Extended description

This is a true story and not easy to read.
It’s about children hurt by their own parents.
It’s a story of a father who manipulates the legal system, welfare system, relatives and police, a father who controls his wife, dominates, intimidates and starves his own children.
And it’s about a sister and brother in law with the guts, will and wherewithal to stop him.
It’s about not doing the easy thing, the common thing, and turning away, and it’s about the long, hard, expensive fight to do what’s right. (Read more) This is a true story and not easy to read.
It’s about children hurt by their own parents.
It’s a story of a father who manipulates the legal system, welfare system, relatives and police, a father who controls his wife, dominates, intimidates and starves his own children.
And it’s about a sister and brother in law with the guts, will and wherewithal to stop him.
It’s about not doing the easy thing, the common thing, and turning away, and it’s about the long, hard, expensive fight to do what’s right.
It’s a success story, too, (if that’s the right phrase) about a family torn apart, about parents prosecuted, convicted and jailed and children given another chance.
It’s the story, too, about the line between what we can and can’t do, about damaged children who, once saved, as adults, return to their abuser.
It’s the story of a flawed justice system that, for all its errors, all its faults, in this case, did what we hope it will.
It’s about what the words—family, love and responsibility— really mean, and, most of all, it’s an example for those of us who care about kids enough to do more than talk about it.
(Less)

Tags

child abuse, memoir, family history

Available ebook reading formats

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Reviews

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Review by: teresajoy on March 30, 2012 :
I wanted to like this book, I really did, but I just couldn't. I think it could be a good book, with some good editing and proofreading. The author needs to tell the story and let the reader decide how to feel about what is written, instead of constantly telling us what we are suppose to feel ever few sentences. Let the story tell itself, don't force it along. There is also an extreme overuse of exclamation points, which is something that annoys me, and again I feel as if my feelings are trying to be manipulated by the author. The story comes across as very whiny and you feel as if there are some things that aren't being said. Many things just don't make any sense. This is something that feels like it has been written in an email and sent to a good friend from someone who just needed to vent. It would make an excellent email, but not a great book. I think most of these things could be fixed with rewriting and editing.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Sharon E. Cathcart on Aug. 20, 2011 :
I have a friend who is fond of saying that our families know how to push our buttons because they installed them.

This is quite clearly the case with Amelia Bradford's family. Like me, she has a sociopath for a brother. Also like me, she has a family who keeps insisting that she should continue to give-give-give to help her brother as he is in constant trouble with the law and ripping people off financially all over the place.

Unlike me, she keeps giving in.

While this book is about dealing with a sociopathic family member on some levels, on others I truly think it should be an object lesson on setting and keeping solid boundaries against toxic people.

I took off one star because the book is formatted as one giant chapter, which was somewhat off-putting in a work of this length.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Melissa Snow on July 17, 2011 :
I started this book yesterday morning and finished it last night. My heart really broke for the position that Amelia found herself in time and again. I highly recommend!!
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

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