Once Innocent

Once Innocent
Author: April Baraszewics
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2012-11-12
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1479748269

In this heartfelt memoir, April goes into great detail about the physical, psychological, and sexual abuse she and her young siblings suffered at the hands of their father. At the age of three, April was tortured, beaten, belittled, and abused by her alcoholic, and drug addicted father: a father who beat, and played mind games-games that left her fearing for her life. She learned how to survive by silence and silence alone. April slept in a corner in her bedroom, her clothes raunchy with urine. April did everything she could to be a good girl so her father would love her, but all she got in return was a beating to reassure her father she would remain silent and not speak a word to anyone. No other family member knew of the abuse April was suffering nor did they care. April had no one to turn to; all she had was her prayers, prayers that her father would fi nd her a good child and love her. This memoir will walk you through each struggle as April fi ghts for love and happiness and survival. This memoir speaks the truth about child abuse-and the choices we are all faced in order to survive.

No More

No More
Author: Brittney Robinson
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 154
Release: 2008-07-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780595622825

What difference did abuse and neglect make in Tommy Ray's life? What does it mean to grow up and survive in a sadistic, abusive environment? No More offers a personal glimpse into the horrors of child abuse. No More explores child abuse the way no other book ever has-brutally and astonishingly. It will give the reader a glimpse into a world that is horrific and real. It will also give the reader some insight about children who commit violent acts. This book eloquently demonstrates how seemingly insurmountable adversity can bring forth surprising courage and strength, even in the worst conditions.

Soulspection

Soulspection
Author: Michelle Borel
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 120
Release: 2016-09-07
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 1491735597

In most cases, our hard times serve a purpose. The difficulties we live through help us aid others as they suffer through similar circumstances. Soulspection is a collection of poems written by a woman who has been through much but gained even more. Here, she shares her emotions, her fears, and her failures. Michelle Borel believes that creativity links us to the Creator. In her words, she rejoices over the power of being a woman. She talks about self-respect in Fool No More. In Free, she celebrates the power of baptism. Blinded by the Look tears away the faade of physical attraction to the beautiful soul within. Writing in a variation of styles, Borel uses her words to paint pictures and evoke emotion. She whispers to her readers, telling them they are not alone in their pain. To live this life to the fullest, time must be spent on introspection and retrospectiondown to the very depths of your soul.

Daddy's Prisoner

Daddy's Prisoner
Author: Megan Lloyd Davies
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2009-10-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 184983055X

In April 2008, the world watched in horror as the news of Josef Fritzl made worldwide headlines. But for one British woman the story was not the stuff of unimaginable nightmares. Alice Lawrence knew all too well the torture suffered at the hands of a father whose depravity knew no bounds. She too was kept prisoner and repeatedly made pregnant - and it was only after the death of one of her babies that she finally found the courage to escape. Born in 1970, Alice grew up in the impoverished backstreets of an industrial Northern town with her parents and seven brothers and sisters. She was first raped by her father when she was 11. From the age of 15, she was made pregnant six times by him in an effort to secure additional state benefits. All bar one of her pregnancies failed, but her daughter never made it through her first year. The death of her baby was the spur to Alice bringing her father and abuser to justice. Finally, Alice can tell her deeply moving story of recovery from abuse.

Author: Judi Emm
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 516
Release: 2005-08-01
Genre:
ISBN: 1420861077

Olivia is a young girl from a working-class family background; she comes from a small countryside village, nestled away along with other villages, in the Hope Valley area of Derbyshire, in England. The story follows the events through her life over two decades. Beginning in 1967 as she is brought by an ambulance to a hospital, in Manchester, England, when she is losing an aborted baby, and she endures an inhumane and horrific experience at the hands of a sadistic doctor. Olivia's life then begins to moves forward when she joins a happy 'Hippy-Movement' crowd, before entering into a controversial marriage to a man many years her senior. Then a short time later she experiences with her husband, a very traumatic car accident, where at the hospital the attending doctor's prognosis, predicting that her life will soon be coming to an end!! But her body, soul, and willpower insist on fighting for her survival. A few years later she enters into a second doomed marriage. And in the following years that pass, Olivia's life seems to turn into a big 'ROLLER-COASTER-RIDE!' Now always filled with sex, drugs and rock & roll, as she clings to this wild, and crazy, hedonistic-lifestyle for her own emotional security. Until many years later, when taking an overall, view and stock of her life, which now seems to becoming so totally, out of her control, she finally decides that it's time for her to jump off, all of these fast-fun-filled-rides, which are taking her to nowhere. So after much soul-searching about what she does now really want in her life, she decides that it is time for a reconciliation with her second husband Alex. They decide to go to start a fresh new life, when they go to live together in North America, leaving all of her past behind her in England. So now finally at last Olivia, begins to enjoy the much-needed love of her husband and family, which deep down she had been craving for most of her life. Suddenly from somewhere one night out of the blue in the year of 1987, a deep, dark, hidden force in her life returns, turning twenty-long-lost-hidden-years, into a "FULL-CIRCLE!" Motivating her now to visit the world-down-under in Australia, forcing her to now confront and deal, with her dark, secret, hidden past, which tragically ends, with sad, dramatic consequences! "WHO IS OLIVIA?" The writer has portrayed in this woman's fiction novel a person that is as far removed from anything in Hollywood as possible! She's just an ordinary girl, who could be living next door to you, or anyone-else in the North of England. The life of Olivia has been portrayed and written in colourful, vivid, imaginary, and detailed true to life form so that the readers can visualise Olivia, as a real true to life person, that they could possibly identify with in part. While at times understanding and feeling that some of the things that happened in her life, could also have possibly happened in their own. But no matter what trauma, hardship, heartache or crisis arrives in Olivia's life, she not only challenges it, grows from it and flourishes, she is also very determined to survive it all, whatever life throws her way. And the readers will soon realize, that no matter how tough Olivia's going gets, she will never give up, even when she feels that her world is crashing as it begins to crumble down all around her, she will keep on striving until she perseveres. Yes Olivia is a true survivor and will always manage to keep on swimming, until she reaches and gets herself across to the other side of the shore! So come on you ladies--- And make yourselves very comfortable for this controversially, absorbing story, about the reality of a woman who could be you, or one of your friends!!!! As Olivia dares u-all to take this positively exciting and emotionally charged 'ROLLER-COASTER-RIDE' with her, hoping you can hang on until the end, as you deal with what her life has in store as it turns into a 'FULL-CIRCLE!'

Déjà Vu’ Desires Part 2

Déjà Vu’ Desires Part 2
Author: Dr. Marrissa R. Dick
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 664
Release: 2024-09-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1663266069

Devina, unsure if she’s awake or dreaming, stumbles upon the man of her dreams in Barbados. While she grapples with the surreal nature of the encounter, Tyberius, steadfast in his faith, is certain that their meeting is a divine intervention, marking the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Meanwhile, Greg and Maxine's relationship spirals out of control, and she has two life-altering experiences that cause her to lash out at God. Keith is being prepared to become a warrior for the Kingdom, and their mother, Queen, finds herself seeking comfort in the arms of her husband’s best friend, Dr. Martin McGuire. They are all seeking comfort as chaos and fleshly desires enter their lives. God sends His angels from heaven to help direct their paths so that their purpose for His kingdom and their deep desires for comfort draw them closer to Him.

Meely LaBauve

Meely LaBauve
Author: Ken Wells
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2002-01-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1588361012

Fifteen-year-old Meely LaBauve is growing up on Catahoula Bayou and living by his wits. His father is an alligator hunter, still unable to cope with the death of his wife eight years earlier. He finds comfort in bottles of hooch and with companionable women and disappears for days at a time. School, for Meely, is a long, dusty walk away in a place where truancy isn't a top priority. "Up at Catahoula School, we've got all the grades. I'm in ninth when I'm in anything," says Meely. But the law has it out for Meely's dad; and Junior Guidry, nephew of a rogue cop and a bully himself, considers badgering Meely his favorite sport. When the LaBauves find themselves in the law's sights, it takes baseball bats, fire ants, flying alligators, an unidentified body, and a lot of fast thinking to set things right. Not since Huck Finn rafted down the Mississippi has there been a coming-of-age story like this, told in such an utterly authentic, unlettered American voice. From a charming encounter with first love in the Canciennes' corn patch to an adventurous paddle through wild and timeless places little explored, Ken Wells has cooked up a zesty gumbo of a book--rich, poignant, and often hilarious.

Young-Minded Hustler

Young-Minded Hustler
Author: Tysha
Publisher: Urban Books
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2012-08-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1622860950

When the police kill her husband in the presence of their young son, Shy McGee becomes a single mother trying to raise boys to men. Her 17-year-old son, Prince, channels his anger into an effort to become king of the streets. Seeing her son try to step up and take his father's place, Shy has his back. Cherise is Shy's best friend, but she doesn't like what she's seeing lately. Cherise has taught her son, Raequan, only one life lesson: how to run hustles. Now Cherise and Raequan are tired of watching the McGee family prosper while they remain at a standstill. Prince and his identical twin brother, Jayden, are attacked, and the wrong brother takes the bullet. Like an angry mother bear, Shy fights to find out who masterminded the incident. When she discovers the truth, there is no question about how far she's willing to go to protect her young-minded hustler.

Long About Ten Years

Long About Ten Years
Author: Paul O. Snawder, Vera Snawder-Hensley, Carol Wooten
Publisher: Paul Snawder
Total Pages: 211
Release: 2021-08-21
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1514386046

It’s a hot Saturday night on Bluetick Mountain in August 1906. Sweat pours off of Buford Elrod Applegate who narrowly misses getting bit as he pulls “Lula” from a box of slithering serpents and begins to dance around waving her high above his head. Tambourines shake and snake buttons rattle as out of tune guitars torture the same three chords over and over again. It’s just another normal Saturday evening down at the Sweet God of Fire Full Gospel Canebrake Apostolic Church. Across the way however…Doctor Henry Whitehouse gently pulls the sheet up to cover Sarah Foster’s face for the last time. Standing at a distance, her husband clinches his teeth, snarling at the doctor who had just pronounced his wife dead. The next morning's edition of the Bluetick Mountain Gazette announces that snakebite has claimed yet another victim, but there’s more to this story than the newspaper clipping reveals. Things are not always as they seem on Bluetick Mountain. As twilight brings yet another day to a close, a Dark Visitor comes slithering in as well. He’s come at the unintended invitation of Sylvester Adam Decker who has been calling for him ever since his wife passed long about ten years now. Very soon, utter Darkness will descend over the rolling hills and valleys of Bluetick Mountain even while the sun is yet in the sky. The Deal Maker’s book has many empty pages on which he intends to write the names of all the souls ripe for the picking from his visit to this Mountain, and before he is done, his wicked pen will run dry. But there is one; there is always one it seems, who stands in opposition to him. And this time, this “one” has more to offer more than a soul, more to lose than a life, this time… this “one,” is his very own daughter, and she is mad as Hell. Deals will be made, and souls will be taken, and when it’s all said and done, if Heaven looks away…there will be Hell to pay.“…for what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

Trail Ride

Trail Ride
Author: Mary T. Leonard
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
Total Pages: 78
Release: 2016-12-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1480925659

Trail Ride by Mary T. Leonard Trail Ride is a continuation of the Westover Series written by Mary T. Leonard. This installation follows Samantha Henry and her best friend Imperial Bueno. The twelve-year-old spends most of her time with Imperial, otherwise known as “Impy,” competing in horse shows. When David Henry, Samantha’s father, suggests a trail ride on the Henry property with a group of friends and family, Sam can barely contain her excitement at the thought of spending a summer Sunday afternoon with her prized companion. Suddenly, a playful race between Samantha and her neighbor leads to an accident, and Impy is hurt. Samantha, at the young age of twelve, must learn the valuable lesson of love and loss.