Abuse Books

I K.D TOWNSEND
WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS BOUGHT MY BOOK.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW WHY I HAVEN'T WRITTEN A BOOK IN AWHILE.
THE GOVERMENT HAS SEIZED MY BOOKS AND HAVE USED THEM AGAINST ME.
I HAVENT SINCE THEN FELT THE DESIRE TOO WRITE FOR A LONG TIME.
I NOW HAVE BROKEN DOWN MY WALL OF SILENCE. AND HAVE STARTED ON MY NEXT BOOK ABOUT THE FEDERAL GOVERMENT AND MYSELF.
I HOPE WHEN THE BOOK COMES OUT YOU WILL READ IT.
IN THE MEAN TIME ENJOY MY OTHER BOOKS.
ONCE AGAIN
THANK-YOU

K.D TOWNSEND
AUTHOR

M.S Townsend, portrays the hurts of childhood from men, into her adulthood. She gives us all strenth to fight for a better world.
I would highley recomend this book to everyone to read.

M.S Townsend book touched our lives with her own life of sufferning. By showning the world that all of us go threw tragedy and survive. and if were lucky with a smile on our faces.
I enjoyed reading this book. and would recomend it too a friend.

I enjoyed this book very much, in life's everyday struggles its kind of comforting to know that your not alone and that other people go threw hardships like you. The author has brought this out so well in her book .I would recomend this book to anyone.

Mary

This author has style and grace, her book touches the human soul and makes us all look within too places we wouldnt want to travel.

Thank You Nancy for being so open and honest about the journey you have been on for so many years. This book opens a world of hope and healing to the many who will read it. This book is a must read if you have or are struggling with friends, family and others in the area of unforgiveness. Thank you Nancy for your hard work in light of all the trauma that you went through to get this book to print. It will be a great help to all those who read it.

George

This is a book everyone should read. The author gives a candid look into a heart-wrenching world of child abuse. Then, through her adult life experience and soul-searching, describes the very difficult process of struggling with forgiveness as most people have learned it should be. Should be is the qualifying term. The author's journey to the discovery of insight in healing first and what forgiveness can be, should be read by all...those effected by abuse, those who know of someone effected by abuse, and those struggling to forgive at all.

Heal & Forgive -- I devoured this book in one evening. And I commented on it in a family rift blog site on the web. I didn't have the same abuse as the author did, but most of my abuse came from my own older sister over many years - emotional (putting me down at every turn) and physical (as in hitting - using hangers, elastic belts, etc.). I don't believe my Mom was witness to any of the physical abuse but I do know that she heard much of what sister would say to me -- and did nothing. My dad worked shift work so he was not around and Mom didn't believe anything I would tell her about sister saying / doing to me.... I learned to never saying anything - became moody about the situation and was accused of having a "chip on my shoulder" - all through my childhood. No one wanted to see my older sister in any sort of a bad light (she was favored by my Dad's Mother & Sister - I was not) - so I needed to be quiet about it and I was. Growing up in a dysfunctional family is not something you recognize until you are older and gain insight. I didn't find out how dysfunctional my family was until I went through counseling myself at 48 yrs. old.

After being on the blog site and reading this book - the big *aha* moment for me (and for the author as related in the book) was when she told her therapist that she just wanted to have *her story heard* - that was the biggest thing she needed in her life.... her two brothers didn't want to hear about it and neither did her 1/2 brother (even though they too had experienced abuse also) and eventually to keep their world quiet about it they shut her out of their lives. She also realized that she, being a female, was not in favor from the get go with her own Mother. Her Mother favored her sons over her only daughter. She was blamed constantly for the abuse because she stood up to the abuser.....

Her story resonated with me.

After much research and reading - she discovered that forgiving first does not help you heal as many therapist believed years ago, but that a person needs to heal (be heard, have therapy, mature, read everything on the subject -- and I recommend Louise L. Hay's books to help you with that healing too) from the past somewhat before they can move on to the forgiveness part.

Her book was wonderful find for me and highly recommended via the people who participate in the blog I am a member of -- and the author is a member of the blog also.

For anyone who has childhood anger, emotional issues, abuse from childhood (whatever the form), problems that are connected in some way via their childhood, this book is a must to read. We all need to heal, we all want to be happy, we all need to be loved. This book can be a step in the right direction to help you on the road to healing too. Get the book and get on the road to healing.

Nancy Richards offers a fresh face to the concept of forgiveness in her book Heal and Forgive: Forgiveness in the Face of Abuse. It deserves a closer look from anyone struggling with recovery from childhood abuse.

A woman who runs a ministry for adult daughters of controlling and abusive families recommended I take a look at Richards' work when I shared with her my own journey. I ordered it last week and found it so absorbing I finished it in just over two hours.

Ms. Richards walks us through her own brutal childhood, one that we discover began at birth, and became exacerbated after her father died and her mother remarried to a man who was extremely cruel and sadistic. We learn about the literal joy he took out of beating Nancy and her brothers, how he ripped everyone apart with his words and would look for anything he could find to perpetrate the terror he inflicted. Worse yet is the ways we learn this man is able to influence Nancy and her siblings to turn on each other, and how she becomes the household scapegoat.

Eventually Nancy leaves home to marry and start a family of her own. We learn her family of origin does not improve, take responsibility or offer amends for their past behavior. Instead, her mother proceeds to divorce and remarry several abusive men in succession, and continues to promote blaming Nancy for all the "family's" problems, to the extent that she convinces everyone Nancy is crazy and to side against her.

Ms. Richards attempts this whole time to forgive her abusers. After all, aren't we all taught to leave the past behind, forgive other's wrongs, and be family no matter what? Don't they tell us that unless we do these things, we won't heal?

But in the course of her efforts she finds the opposite - she is unable to heal. To the contrary, the harder she tries, the more pain she feels, the greater her resentments, and the more abuse her family of origin is able to heap on her.

In Nancy's quest to figure out why this isn't working, she comes across an understanding therapist and several books from psychological and spiritual perspectives that turn our culture's traditional concept of forgiveness upside down. She learns that perhaps the solution for her is to NOT forgive in the way she has been led to believe, that the whole idea of making peace while overlooking the evil of abusive behaviors is in fact self-defeating and self-destructive. Nancy realized that she must think first of her own needs, to protect herself and her own family.

The end result is that Ms. Richards ends up "divorcing" her mother, which also causes an unfortunate loss of relationships with other family members, including her brothers. As of the publication she had not spoken to any of them in twelve years.

She also decides to stop working on forgiving them, and start focusing on her recovery and her daughters. It is these actions in themselves that allow healing to flow into her life, and eventually, she is able to find TRUE forgiveness.

I found this book to be very powerful in both the story it had to tell, and in the message it had to give. I have followed a very close path in my own life; the parallels between her family's behavior and mine were eerie. I too have had to "divorce" my family of origin and in the process lost relationships with other relatives, and even some family friends. So to read such a similar story as mine was incredibly validating.

On a spiritual level I also found Nancy's story and her sharing of some resources regarding forgiveness to be a relief. Like myself, Ms. Richards is a Christian, and she includes pieces of wisdom from others within that vein who support a different concept of forgiveness and do so from a Christian perspective. As someone who felt torn over whether my choices broke the commandment to honor my mother and father, this book served as a valuable resource to help me reconcile this area of my life.

I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone who is struggling with a family of origin that is broken due to unamended abuse. I also believe anyone who is a friend or loved one of someone recovering from childhood abuse will find this book beneficial for understanding the survivor's struggle to find healing and, yes, forgiveness.

Heal and Forgive is the best book I've read in a very long time. As the director of Luke 17:3 Ministries for adult children of abusive, controlling or abandoning birth-families, I would be hard-pressed to come up with a more helpful book to recommend. It is unique in its perspective in that it teaches the reader that sometimes it is okay, and even necessary, NOT to forgive. It is a page turner right from the beginning, gripping you with Nancy Richards' riveting and disturbing story of her sadistic stepfather's violence and relentless abuse of herself and her brothers, and her mother's complicity in the abuse and complete refusal to protect her children in the slightest way.

Even more distressing is the author's account of her attempts to protect herself and her brothers, and to stand up and speak the truth about the abuse, which resulted in her treacherous mother convincing anyone who would listen that she was a liar and troublemaker with mental problems. There is a twisted episode in which her stepfather was finally going to move out, but her mother told the then 12-year old author to ask him to stay. He did stay, and years later the mother blamed her daughter for controlling her marriage (at age 12!) and making her husband stay when she could have been rid of him sooner.

Long after the evil stepfather was gone and the author was grown, her mother continued to expose the author's younger brothers to repeated abuse from a string of other losers she became involved with. Nancy Richards tells, in heart-wrenching detail, of her attempts to protect her younger siblings, to get anyone to listen to her or believe her, and to somehow maintain a relationship with the mother she still loved and the rest of her family.

But, in a scenario disturbingly familiar to many abuse survivors, her mother managed to convince most of the family that Richards was the problem, and to turn almost her entire family against her, including the brothers she had tried so hard and sacrificed so much to protect. The denial, betrayals, and blatant lies as the family protected the abusers and scape-goated the author will ring true with so many of us.

And then the author was left to embark on the path to forgiveness, with absolutely no remorse or repentance from those she was pressured to forgive, and not even any validation of her traumatic experiences. At each stage of the process, she faced renewed pain with every new revelation, such as the realizations that her mother was the one who betrayed her the most, and that her mother really never loved her.

Throughout her long and difficult journey to forgiveness and recovery, the author has many valuable insights which she lovingly shares with us. The most important insight, which is the main premise of the book, is that healing needs to come FIRST, BEFORE forgiveness. We usually feel pressured to forgive prematurely, by family and friends, therapists, and society in general. But forced forgiveness is not always possible, and is certainly not healthy.

The author teaches us that forgiveness is a process that begins with healing, and needs to include other elements as well, such as validation, anger, grief, and protection. In the process of her recovery, Nancy Richards read other author's works, which helped her to understand these truths about forgiveness, and she quotes from them in her book. When reading Heal & Forgive, one gets the sense that the author is not just writing about her own experiences, but is doing all she can to present a well-rounded and informed picture that will help other abuse victims as much as possible. She opens her heart to us, and shares her innermost thoughts and every feeling she has that might validate our own feelings and help us on our road to recovery.

The book is an easy read, and I was able to finish it in a few sittings. It was a hard book to put down, and I hated to walk away from it in the middle of the story without finding out what was going to happen next. It was a lot of food for thought. Nancy Richards does all abuse victims a favor when she teaches us that sometimes no matter what we are willing to do and how hard we are willing to try, it is just not possible to have a relationship with some people. We understand how important it is to stand up and tell the truth- to others and to ourselves.

When we realize that someone we love doesn't love us, the truth can be so hard to bear, but it is still the truth, and denying it doesn't change anything. We learn that sometimes we need to make the choice to walk away from a toxic relationship. We feel validated in learning that it is alright NOT TO FORGIVE evil people, and that releasing ourselves from the pressure to forgive gives us the freedom to heal. Only after we have healed will we be able to come to a place of genuine forgiveness.

After reading Heal & Forgive, I admire Nancy Richards for her courage and determination to heal and lead a life of peace and happiness despite her birth-family's rejection, and I am appreciative of her sincere efforts to encourage the rest of us and validate our experiences by sharing her story. Her triumph over the devastation and heartache inflicted by those she loved is an inspiration to anyone who thinks they can never get over the pain and be happy again. I urge all those who have felt the knife of a loved one's betrayal in their back, or who feel pressured to forgive before they are ready, to read this book. It is a must-read for any survivor of birth-family abuse.

I am a therapist with a private clinical practice, working primarily with adolescents and women of all ages who are survivors of some form of trauma, including sexual abuse and incest. I have to say, that this is the book I use most, with all ages, including women who are uncovering and dealing with painful abuse memories. Over and over I hear clients proclaim that the book and quotes from other survivors help them not feel so alone and to also understand better what happened to them and to know there is hope. Also, the way in which the author discloses her own incest history and recovery is refreshing and hopeful and establishes a climate of credibility and trust. In my 20 years of clinical practice and training, I have aquired and read $1000's of dollars worth of trauma books and materials and this book sits as one of the top and most frequently used resources. Also, there is a children's book called "BRAVE BART" which has been a wonderful resource for adult survivors as well as children and adolescent survivors.
D.
(Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor)

This is a book which is going to help so many people deal with issues and put them to one side before reaching adult hood and meeting a partner. I believe it is a soul saver
thank you for writing this
Lynn Grocott
author of Cut the Strings the true story of a soul reclaimed

This book is great. I started reading books on the subject of sexual abuse when I was 15 (when I told) and am now 19. I have read all of the popular book out there on this subject (paticularly The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass) and have found others helpful, but none of them have ever compared to How Long Does it Hurt. It helped me a lot to realize that what happened to me was horrific and was really abuse and that it was okay for me to feel the things that I did. I'd recommend this book to any and every survivor out there. Teenager or not. It very well could be a lifesaver.

Great book, I've read a lot of books on this topic and especially ones targeted towards young adults. This is another book that I highly recommend because: it's easy to read, it practically speaks to you and you can finish it within afew hours, it's style is appealling to teenagers and young adults.
Also it's directed towards girls and boys, it's style should also interest guys to read it and benefit.
Another good book I recommend for girls is "invisible girls" by Dr. Patti Feuereisen.

this is the best reference book for teens facing sexual abuse that i have found, and i have found several. it is also very, very helpful for a parent/parents.

I read the first 133 pages of this book in 2 evenings. It is a very easy read and I didn't see any distraction or smugness in the bouncing back and forth or discussions of Clay's early popularity. I think part of the power of the book is the fact that this person living a lie looked like a Christian superstar from the outside. It could be any person you see in church on Sunday morning.

I especially appreciated the candor and directness of the book. I would recommend it to anyone who knows someone struggling with a "secret sin", not only pornography.

This is an eye-opening book for anyone to read. It's a very descriptive walk through a lovers life torn by a sexual addiction (which is much more prevelant than it is thought of).

Helpful words for those married to a person addicted to porn. Great to see how their marriage was rebuilt. Gives hope to those still in the thick of the battle.

Clay and Renee Crosse have co-authored this autobiographical account of the journey that they have endured through Clay's early success in the Christian music industry, his descent into pornography and the damage that ensued in his career and his marriage, and the restoration that God has brought into their lives. The most striking and helpful part of this book is its brutal honesty. The Crosses have clearly decided that they can serve others most effectively by being fully transparent about their struggles. That certainly includes Clay's struggles with the sin of lust but also includes places where Renee admitted her own spiritual weaknesses. It never seemed like they were sharing too much detail, but their candor is most helpful and all too rare in a Christian subculture that seems to prefer stories of artificial perfection.

Another strength of this book is its readability. Their writing style is very conversational, and it is an easy book to digest. It could probably be read in one or two sittings, but I enjoyed reading it over the course of a few weeks by reading one chapter each night.

There are a few weaknesses, to be sure. The readabilitay of the book is connected to its informal writing style, which also makes it feel almost amateurish at points. Some of the conclusions that they drew concerning big spiritual issues seemed overly simplistic, as if Christians need only to read the Bible and pray more, in which case God is obliged to fix all of our problems. Again, a bit of literary nuance would have clarified some of those finer points.

Also, the shared authorship of Clay and Renee, while providing us with perspectives from their two very distinctive journeys, seemed a bit jarring at times, as they bounced back and forth from one to the other. And there were times when they seemed to remain a bit smug about the early success that Clay had, making sure to point out just how wildly popular he had been. Maybe that was simply to juxtapose their current situation from where they had been, but it felt a bit pompous.

These critiques aside, I'm glad to have read this book. The Crosses have done the Christian community a favor by telling their story. Though this book has some weaknesses, it is good to hear a story of two lives, filled with severe pain and wrecked by sin, that have been restored, though not perfected. Many Christians would do well to learn from Clay and Renee.

It was like being able to talk to a friend about the situation. I really appreciated how both sides got to talk separately about their own view of this conflict. It really opened up lines of communication between my husband and me with honesty and not playing the blame-game.

Mr. Baldwin presents us with a picture of the world the way it could be better . . . if we are authentically interested in and considerate of one another. His vision is powerful, his examples are challenging, his plot is one you haven't read before, and you won't soon forget what he has to say.

I was attracted to this book because I was interested in learning about the lessons it contains about how to teach youngsters who aren't doing so well in school. In seeking out that material, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book contains a lot more than just lessons for teaching: It's a handbook for living the right kind of life.

If you know an aspiring teacher, a copy of Learnt is a perfect gift.

I discovered two drawbacks to the book that I would like to alert you to:

1. The beginning takes a long time to establish the characters. The first 150 pages could have been cut by about 85 pages, and the book would have worked better for me.

2. A lot of dialog is written to be partially representative of African-American language in Florida. The writing is done in a way that simulates for readers of standard English the difficulties that some African-Americans have with understanding standard American English. For example, "own" stands for "on." To decode that, you have to figure out that "own" means "on," but then it's hard to avoid reading "own" and thinking of standard English meaning for "own" when you see it. This book is not a quick read.

I think this approach would have worked better in a recorded reading of the book than as written dialog. I found it refreshing to get that perspective of how language divides us (as I did when a literacy teacher simulated for me what a dyslexic person sees), but so much material done this way wore me down and reduced my ability to enjoy the book. I grew up in southern California, and the African-American language I learned there was different . . . so reading this book was like learning a foreign language in places.

I thought the humor in the book was outstanding. Most people who are working on such a serious subject are humorless.

Teachers and parents who advocate that children read great books will have their eyes opened especially by the descriptions of what conclusions one of the characters draws from his unsupervised reading.

I predict a great future for Mr. Baldwin as a writer, especially if he edits his future books to make them a little more accessible.

Reviewed by Carol Hoyer for Reader Views (4/08)

With the use of cultural dialect, Edward Baldwin creates an intriguing story about children who come from an environment where no one wants to bother with them, much less educators. With the typical stereotypes these children are branded as "bad," "no ambition," and "will not amount to anything."

The inspiring story revolves around Kenny Houston who lives with his single mother who cares nothing about him. Her life revolves around drinking, partying and many men. Kenny has been left to fend for himself, as well as his little sister, after their father dies suddenly. No one talks about this and Kenny keeps his pain and anger inside which leads him to become a problem child in school and in his little area of the world.

The second character to come into play is Tony Avery, a black man who is a first-year teacher in a school that is for those who cannot adapt to regular school, Lincoln High. It is full of misfits for students and the teachers could care less as long as they collect a paycheck. Mr. Avery tries to make a difference in the school by showing the students he does care and has made enemies as an English instructor because he talks "their talk."

As a former teacher, I really enjoyed the theme of "Learnt." I know how we can forget those that really need our help and yet we don't give it because of how they dress, where they come from and most of all because of "the attitude." No wonder we have such a high dropout rate in schools from kids who are in the lower income bracket and have no family to support them. One of the aspects I really liked was the way it was written, in "chocklish," a combination of cultural dialect and Standard English. As many major reviewers have said "This is a must for all those who work in the school systems."

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Although I could have easily finished it in a couple of days, I stretched it out to make it last longer, as I knew I would be missing the characters when the book was over. The characters are what make the story so powerful; they are very realistic and given that the book deals with education and race, it is also quite timely. This author truly knows how to communicate with his readers...

I won't go into the details of the plot of "Learnt", since I see other reviewers have already covered it and the book synopsis also serves that purpose. As a reader, I always like to know what's in it for me, as selfish as that may sound; but it's the truth. That's what I'll try to deliver here.
While the pace of the story is a tad slow at first, it picks up to the point that I stayed up late to finish the book because I simply HAD to know how it all ended.
"Learnt" is an ambitious first novel and it succeeds in entertaining the reader while offering powerful insights concerning the failure of the school system to motivate underachieving students, the importance of preserving one's cultural roots while embracing a good education, and how racism and prejudice can feel from both sides of the fence.
The use of dialect in print is not new: think Frank McCourt and "Angela's Ashes", to name a bestseller. It may be awkward for some to read, but it certainly helps to set the atmosphere. Once I got used to it, I forgot I was reading something other than Standard English.
Being bi-cultural myself, I find many people pick up on this because my use of English in conversation tends to be "too formal". The book gave me food for thought concerning what proper and standard English really stand for and how the use of dialect unites certain cultures and groups.
Students, parents, teachers and people of any race, ethnicity or social background will all find something in this book.
Why don't I give it a 5? What book is perfect?
Enjoy!

Lincoln High School is where behaviorally challenged students are sent. They don't earn a diploma for completing their courses, so there is really no motivation for them to learn. Tony Avery, an English teacher who is black, accepts a job there in order to get some experience before seeking a position at a better school. He faces the challenges of trying to motivate and educate the unruly students, while also trying to earn their respect. Avery ends up learning many things from his students, especially Kenny, a white student who was sent to Lincoln for fighting at his other school.

Author Baldwin has an excellent way of making the characters come to life. Mr. Avery was not depicted as the idealistic new teacher who thought he was going to fix everything that was wrong with the school system. His doubts and frustrations were clearly demonstrated. However, his efforts to fight for all of his students to be eligible to try to return to a "regular" school showed that he believed in them and their futures.

Kenny's struggles were also portrayed well, told in first person, making it very moving. His difficulties with his alcoholic mother and his weight issues were sources of constant embarrassment.

An important part of Learnt deals with racial issues. Baldwin does a fine job of showing that different races can get along as well as learn from each other. Tony has a white fiancée-and they seem so perfect for each other. When Kenny finally makes a friend for the first time in his life, it is with a black male, even though Kenny hates black people because of an incident when he was younger.

At first it was a little difficult to decipher some of the African-American dialect that was written, but I caught on fairly quickly. Using the dialect made the characters and the situations portrayed seem more real. It also helped demonstrate the point that just because someone does not speak what is considered standard English, his or her thoughts and opinions are not less valuable.

This book will touch the reader's heart from the beginning to the unexpected incident at the end.

Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended for teenagers and adults-for the lessons to be learned.

Jill Raiguel's "Life Skills" has given me a solid principles to live life daily feeling mentally and emotionally healthy and well. This is a must book for everyone in recovery or anyone living in today's world!

As the child of an alcoholic I've found Jill Raiguel's book so helpful in huge ways and little ways. I shifted from feeling lost and damaged to knowing I'm OK. I learned that there are steps to making friends, expressing emotions safely, some of Jill's life skills from the quiz at the beginning of the book. my mom and I have read it together. Its great!

As an active minister of a church and spiritual growth center in Southern California, I have had the opportunity to use Ms. Raiguel's book both in teaching (ministers and practitioners) and in counseling situations. The information is presented in a clear and simple way- so that topics, which might normally be a bit overwhelming within themselves, are more easily received.

I recommend this book to other ministers, counselors and churches. It has become a 'must have' for me.

I bought this book for myself and found my 21 year-old daughter had picked it up and was participating in the excercises. That was the beginning of a whole new line of communication between us. We have both been affected by the divorce between me and her father years ago and this book was a key to opening the lines of communication between us after all these years. We were able to deal with some important issues at a level we have never reached before. The life skills exercises are so helpful in providing the element of "action" with learning that was so critical to us.

I urge anyone with unresolved issues to try read this book. I think it would be an excellent resource for teens on up.

My life has been one of grose alcohol abuse from all sides, both parents were alcoholics, both spouses and numerous friends in between. I attracted to me those that would hurt me. Jill's book helped me identify patterns in my life and understand how I was worthy of having a very different life. After reading the book and applying the principles and seeing who I am, my life has soared. My confidence in who I am has been elevated to new levels.... I am complete with me, and it is wonderful.....

I would recommend Jill's book to anyone who has had any verbal or physical abuse from twisted alcholic thinkers. You do not have to stay a victim nor do you need to remain in situations that corrupt your life. Read this book apply the insights to your life and become free to be who you are....You're worth it.

Boy, does this book bring back memories of all the happily miserable hours spent hunting. Now we need books about fishing, birding, gardening and similar miserable outdoor activities that bring back such happy memories.

Great photos which capture the extemes waterfowl hunters live to persue their sport. I felt the cold, the dampness and excitement of the duck blind in Buckleys photographs. Great book!

This book is a must have for any duck hunter! This book reassured my friends and I that we are not the only ones these things happen to!

My husband and a few of my guy friends are avid waterfowlers. These books (Misery Loves Company: Waterfowling and the Relentless Pursuit of Self-Abuse & Don't Shoot the Decoys: Original Stories of Waterfowling Obsession) were purchased as gifts, and so suited the purpose. Huge amounts of relaying aloud of their content was overheard by any and all in vicinity. An obvious indication to the entertaining aspect these books provided. Many a moment was there a reminiscent feel to the reading - of what is actually experienced in the field. Kudos to the authors!

Written and illustrated by waterfowler and photographer Bill Buckley, Misery Loves Company: Waterfowling And The Relentless Pursuit Of Self-Abuse is an adventurous and photographic celebration of the successes, trials, and battles against the elements that determined and dedicated waterfowl hunters endure in pursuit of their sport. Full color photographs illustrate of every stage of the hunt, and are enhanced with an informal and descriptive text of what it is like to be out in the wet and the cold in search of airborne game, making Misery Loves Company an enjoyable and mildly humorous giftbook.

I THINK THIS STORY IS VERY TOUCHING. AS A PERSONAL FRIEND OF THE AUTHOR, I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT SHE WOULD HAVE GONE THROUGH SO MUCH TERROR. LANEY IS A VERY FRIENDLY PERSON. SHE BRIGHTENS UP THE OFFICE AT WORK WITH HER SMILE AND WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT. SHE'S ALWAYS CHEERFUL AND FRIENDLY. INSTEAD OF COFFEE IN THE MORNING TO WAKE ME UP, I JUST GO AND VISIT LANEY.

The Mud People describes the powerful and difficult journey of a young girl seeking to find the truth in her painful world. The story unfolds through her eyes, and the voice which is created as a result is innocent, honest, and very moving- for in her simplicity there lies a depth which speaks directly to the reader with heartfelt force. Laced with powerful imagery throughout, the tale quickly takes hold of the reader to usher them into the silent inner space where true pain and joy lie. Her journey of discovery and recovery is one which might spark hope in the hearts of us all.

I am Laney's youngest sister and have suffered from the emotional and verbal abuse referred to in her story. Her book was able to put in words something that was buried deep and locked tightly inside of me since childhood. It is my hope that many wounded survivors will find their way to this book of gentle healing and journey out of the darkness into light and life.

Laney MacKenna Mark is my great aunt.And in the book the sister refered to as Reene was my grandmother, so for me this book ment more than it would to the average reader. But if I were to look at this as an regular person I would still rate it the same. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone..

As an avid reader of many, many books on healing of emotional and physical abuse, this little book, The Mud People is one of the finest little books I have ever come across. I have continually recommended this book to many people who have suffered emotional and physical trauma from parents and family. It is so profound in its story of a little girl who had a small inner voice who kept nudging her, reminding her that she had worth and value. Having the courage to leave the tribal-minded thinking of her abusive family and begin a journey that would lead herself to her own true worth. When you first pick up this little book and start reading it you might be tempted to think that it was a childrens book, written for children, but I assure you it is for adults. It brought tears to my eyes as I read the story, and made me appreciate the courage it takes to leave an abusive people and claim value for oneself....and the expected anger and rejection that will follow from family and parents when they realize they can no longer control or dominate. The book makes powerful yet subtle insights about the tribal thinking patterns, the family history of abuse from generation to generation, and the courage of one child to break the rules of abuse and leave it behind. It will help those who have grown up with cruel and insensitive parents and family. It will help those of sexual abuse and it will confirm and support that inner voice that speaks to many of us which says....there must be a better way, I must have self-worth and I am willing to risk finding it, even if it means leaving people who are not willing to journey with me into healthy-minded relationships. Read this little book....it will help you.

Rita Sexton is amazing and so is her life story! No child should ever endure the abuse that she did. Not only were her birth parents abusive, but her adoptive parents were too. I was emotionally drawn into her story and could not put her book down! Even though it's a horrible story that needs to be told, Rita has proven that through her faith in God and perseverance she could overcome it all and she did. Her story is a memoir of a survivor. I highly recommend this book for everyone of all ages!

This is not only a book largely about strength through suffering, it's a lesson in forgiveness. Rita was hurt more times than I can count by people whom she should have been able to trust. Rather than holding a grudge against those whose cruelty she endured, Rita's faith in the Heavenly Father enabled her to grant them forgiveness.

This author has delved deep within her soul and with the guidance of her Savior, she has summoned up the courage to reveal and share her story of the battles fought and the battle won. Through faith and her long-standing relationship with God, she steps forward and offers inspiration to those who feel detached and lost. God has utilized this woman as His messenger and there is great clarity in her testimony. Her lifetime of abuse is now used as an instrument of courage and compassion. Her words reaching out, to touch other lives, offering light, hope and peace within, lifting the heart back to the original space God created and intended for all. I am thankful to her and the blessings of her story.
Trudy Wallack

Rita Sexton has opened her heart and life to her readers, allowing us to see into her past and how God has molded her into the sweet, Christ-like person she is today. Anyone who thinks they have an excuse to have a pity-party or blame God for their circumstances, needs to read this book and see the difference Jesus can make in a life surrendered to Him. It's one you will want to pass on to a friend. May God use this book to touch many lives! Thank-you, Rita, for having the courage to share and by doing so, to help others who may be struggling with similar untold stories.

This is a brilliant book. The story of Rita Sexton's courageous path to self-discovery and survival, as heartwrenching as it sometimes is, leads the reader on a journey that is ultimately joyful and laden with priceless lessons. An immensely moving, satisfying read, Journey is full of wisdom and offers an important message for those who feel crowded by darkness: Never lose hope.

I have used this book in my capacity as a therapist as well as recommending it to friends who are dealing with addiction issues. I recently bought 3 copies so I could loan some out and still have one for myself.
The premise is that it's not necessary to let the family be destroyed while waiting for the addict to "be ready" for recovery. With drug and alcohol use starting at early ages, families are dealing with the crisis more and more and this book is invaluable in discussing how to set boundaries and get the person into treatment whether they think they're ready or not and if that's not possible families can see how important it is to not sacrifice every member of the family to the addiction.

Excellent book.Allowed myself to change my position on Let it go and let God. The main point in this book is to acept that our love ones are sick and that they can't make decision on their own. We need to help them in the wright way.

This is a great book that tells it like it is about a terrible disease and the people affected by it. More help and information here that in any Al-anon literature I have ever read.

I only wish that I'd found this book years ago as I started the journey of addiction with a family member. This book was my turning point. Clear, concise. I finally GOT alcoholism. It sank in and I thank this author from the depths of my heart for putting wisdom to pen to paper.

I bought this book based on the reviews and the description on the website. I have to say I am somewhat disappointed. She initially talks about how the idea of detachment, loved one's detaching themselves from the addict and living their own lives, is incredibly difficult if not impossible to achieve. I am in total agreement with her there. However, she then kept referring to this idea and after a while I got the feeling she was trying to prove something, but I'm not sure to whom. As a reader I felt that I had purchased her book, I was willing to be open to her ideas, so why beat the same drum over and over again? Was she writing for the wider audience of, perhaps, other addiction specialists out there? Anyway, it went on for too long.

The other criticism I have is that her discussion of an intervention supposes that we all have large families and a wide network of friends to draw from in staging one. I find this view a bit limited and naive. From my own experience, I can say that my husband comes from a family of substance abusers(not ideal candidates for an intervention)and that his network of friends includes, guess who?, a wide network of users. So, the book did not give me the answers I was looking for. I will have to search elsewhere. She alludes to working with a professional if you can't build up a large team, but I think she could have put a little more into this alternative.

That said, I do think this book is worth reading. Her descriptions of interventions are good and offer hope to those of us struggling against the disease of alcoholism/addiction.

Keep strength.