Abuse Books

We all need to be aware of clergy sexual misconduct and what happened to Tony Lembo is why. So many victims of sexual abuse silently suffer alone. We all need to be aware of this problem as this is the only way we can begin to hold accountable these pedophiles.

To think Father Foley has never been charged and is free to molest more boys is insane. Let us all wake up to this now.

This book is well written and straight from the heart. The abuse is sickening and the method of grooming these boys is just pure evil genius--what kid can resist cruising around watching firemen work? What courage to have brought this out into the fresh air and sunlight, to refuse to keep silent and be a victim one more minute.

This book is easy to read, straight from the heart and interesting. I can't beleive those [...] are still free to violate other young children. I didn't realize people could act that terrible. I would reccomend this book to anyone with a few hours to sit down and read. You will have a hard time laying the book down once you start reading it.

This book was hard to put this book down. Unlike typical expose books on the Catholic Church, Tony tells us that he can't understand the motives behind Father Stephen Foley who assaulted him, or the Catholic Church who covered up years of Foley's assaults on uncountable victims, because that is not the point of "The Hopeville Fire Department." The point of this book was for Tony to tell his story and explain the life of a victim of betrayal and sexual abuse. Tony brings us into his life at an early age and we travel from his Catholic upbringings through his assault, to an adult coping with this horrific memory. He goes further than any media outlet ever can by explaining, in his own words, what's it like to live your whole life with a secret so humiliating, it takes 30 years to confess. I would recommend "The Hopeville Fire Department" to anyone because of its honesty and quick-read quality. This is a topic that everyone should be aware of.

This book touched me deeply. I finished the book in two parts. I'm so glad Tony wrote this book no one really knows what these priest did, only thing we hear is that the church is paying hugh amounts of money. His story blow me away. After reading this book I logged onto Tonylembo.com to find all kinds of media attention on this book. When I realized that this priest is still living the life, driving the same car I was stunned and sick to my stomach. If your children aren't safe with the priests of the Catholic Church who can we trust?

Unfortunately, bullying and peer pressure are a part of every kid's life. Sometimes, we are the one feeling like we just don't fit in and sometimes we are the one trying to get others to be just like us. Often, we don't even realize that we are hurting someone else until it's too late.

Hot Issues, Cool Choices is an excellent resource for school or other kids programs. The book contains scenarios where the main characters must make choices. Afterwards, kids are encouraged to question the actions of the characters. Did they make the right choice? What would you do?

It is these questions that will get kids really thinking. Then, not only do they know that they have choices but that that how they react in such situations can really make a difference.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

The title says it all! Kids today have it tough. They are constantly faced with peer pressure, bullying, and harassment, yet so many of them do not know how to handle such situations. So here's what we have. Real stories with real social problems, but Sandra doesn't stop there. She writes in such a way that kids can understand and relate to these stories. The best part is that at the end of each story, Sandra offers excellent critical-thinking questions that kids can use to discuss not only the story, but give them a way in which to use it in their own lives. Excellent for raising self-esteem and establishing good social values. This is a perfect book for kids, parents and teachers to use as a solution to this never-ending problem.

As a teacher, I would highly recommend this book to kids ad parents, but especially to teachers to use within their classrooms, as so much of these situations do take place in the school environment.

BRAVA SANDRA!

Humphrey continues with her series on childhood ethics and behavior with this easy-to-read offering. The author boldly tackles one of the most frightening subjects of today's adolescents since Columbine--bullying and its consequences. Humphrey follows the same format as her previous titles in the series, but with slight modifications that make it more appealing to an older reading audience. Vignettes are used to establish circumstances where moral and ethical dilemmas are raised. These are then followed by a number of questions that make the reader/listener to think about decisions and whether they are right or wrong inherently. This book, however, is more driven toward addressing decisions and behaviors that lead to, or in reaction to, bullying. The topics raised include Compassion, Empathy, Exploitation, and Social Manipulation. This is a book that teaches children though parables how and why they should avoid becoming bullies as well as how to react to the bullies they will undoubtedly meet. These lessons are presented well and make this book all too important in these times.

Karl L. Kruger for The American Author Association

Award-winning Minnesota author, Sandra McLeod Humphrey, has created a must-have book for anyone addressing the issue of bullying in our schools.
Any parent that has a child in school, and any child IN school knows that bullying has grown to epidemic proportions in our society today. Ms. Humphrey took her expertise, gained as a retired clinical psychologist who worked with troubled children, and put it to great use in writing this book.

Prompted to write this book after hearing of a twelve-year old boy's suicide from being bullied, Sandra interviewed parents that shared their painful stories about their kids being bullied; and many teachers let Sandra interview the children themselves that were being bullied. She writes a compelling book about mythical Emerson Elementary School and a school full of students who aren't real students, but each a compilation of a typical student in any school anywhere in America that is facing the bullying issue.

The issues are real, and very heartbreaking to read. Ms. Humphrey makes this book an easy read for anyone needing to learn more about "what to do" when facing bullying issues. Each scenario is written in a chapter format, with thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter, including a section she calls "Trading Places", which will put the reader in the position of the bully's victim, the bystander, or the bully him/herself. All I can say is: Where was this book when I was growing up? Surprisingly, every scenario on bullying that was discussed in this book is also a situation I have found myself in, even as an adult. Now I know what to do! Yay! This is a must-have book for everyone to use as a "manual" to cope with bullies everywhere!

Gayle Jacobson-Huset
Assistant Editor - Stories for Children Magazine

Was very pleased with condition of book when received. Brand new and did not smell. Shipped quick. Would definitely buy from here again.!!:)

At first I wanted to throw this book away. I didn't need it! My spouse was drinking. Why did I need help?

Well I did. I was codependent. I was enabling. I was a mess. I started to go to Al-Anon meetings. I could not find the book for 5 months. I reread it the other night. Reread is too strong - because the first time I skimmed it - the first 2 chapters. Then I came back to it and saw on pages 32 and 33 - how I was UNABLE to control alcoholism. How I was UNABLE to fix the disease in my wife. It said, I wasn't to blame. It said, stop fighting and arguing, you (I) was only making the the DISEASE stronger (more arrogant, more coniving, more deceitful).

I used several quotes in my blog. We have Weekend Online Al-Anon meetings every weekend on my Al-Anon Diary (title) and you can see my life unflod in my ups and downs and my struggle to live with an alcoholic. It is hard

So join us on-line at the Al-Alon Diary and get this book if you are going to Al-Anon.

If you have any questions about the fellowship of Al-anon, I feel you can find most of the answers here. this book goes into detail about the history of the program, the steps, Members experience, strength and hope. It also has Meeting guidlines, the opening, the closing, the slogans ect. It works if you work it! AND YOU ARE WORTH IT!

This book is a wonderful basic text on the principles of the Alanon program, a program of recovery for anyone who has an addict in their lives. It explains how addiction warps those close to the addict, the behaviors that ensue and finally healthier behavior. It's provides a way out of the prison that's constructed when a family or friend faces the frustration of living with and loving an alcoholic/addict. Buy this book for YOU if you're in this situation..and stop the madness.

for those of us who have a drinking or sober alcoholic in our past or present (and god, don't most of us!), this book can help. it's beautifully yet simply written and gently lays out a new philosophy for life, one in which we can learn to keep the focus on ourselves and our behavior, be honest but in an appropriate way, and be kind but firm - with boundaries. this book offered me a whole new idea of what love and life are and can be, and encouraged me to walk forward in a healthy direction like few books have.

another strong plus is that it offers many personal stories - of how and why a wide range of people got into al-anon and how their recovery has been progressing, and each told by the individuals themselves, starting with Lois W., al-anon's co-founder, the wife of Bill W., the founder of AA.

this is a wonderful book and i recommend it highly!

Let me be upfront and tell you that I am from Belgium (although a long time resident of the US), where these events took place. It is quite difficult to comprehend how much these events shook Belgium on its political and constitutional pillars.

"I Choose to Live" is the retelling by Sabine Dardenne on how she was abducted and abused (in May, 1996) when she was 12, by Marc Dutroux, a convicted sexual predator (released early on the basis of "good behavior"), and how she survived her 80 days of captivity and abuse. It makes for a devastating read. Sabine comes across as a survivor, and an extremely courageous person. The book was originally released in Belgium in 2004, 8 years after the events.

The events (which include not only Sabine, but a number of other young girls who were abducted and/or murdered) proved to be a devastating insight on Belgium's judicial system, resulting in the "White March" in the capital of Brussels, in which hunderds of thousands of people demonstrated for a better judicial system, and leading to a resignation of several high-level politicians and a subsequent reform of Belgium's judicial and police system. Sabine Dardenne is to be commended for sharing her story, even though it must have been extremely difficult and painful for her to write her story. This is not an easy read, in fact it will make you squirm, but please read this book. It needs to be read.

Everyone should read this book written by one of the victims of the Belgian child molester and muderer Marc Dutroux.Sabine Dardenne tells her story without seeking cheap sensationalism and obviously strives to come to terms with her horrible plight and concentrate on the here and now and the positive aspects the future may hold in store.

While reading this, and afterward, I just wanted to say to Sabine - Forgive Yourself! You are not the author of anyone elses fate. In now way were the author of anyone elses fate - Laetitia was not Kidnapped because of what you said. Dutroux was a horrendous excuse for a human being and did what he wanted with no reference to anyone elses needs. Your 12 year old terror and loneliness was just another excuse to weave a tale of guilt around you!

This is the bare and honest story of Sabine Dardenne, one of two survivors of Belgian paedophile, Marc Dutroux. She spent 80 days in his captivity, and while the details are (thankfully) not given in detail, the sheer horror of being a 12 year old child and subjected to the physical and emotional torment she suffered is enough to horrify.

Sabine was snatched off the street by Dutroux, the Slug as she later calls him, and his wife. That a woman with children could be complicit in this appalls me but she was responsible for at least two earlier deaths of young children kidnapped by Dutroux when she failed to feed them. But Sabine was not aware of this.

Taken by Dutroux she was forced to live in a small cell and basement, eat horrendous food, and assaulted by him. She was not allowed to wash often nor was her cell or environment kept clean so she gradually became more and more unkempt. Once when Dutroux went away there was a power cut, trapped in her stinking cell, 6 feet by 3 feet wide and not tall enough for a short 12 year old to stand up in. She panicked, her only light and ventilation failed - a 12 year old girl alone. Luckily it came on again shortly afterwards.

In her loneliness and desparation she wrote long letters to her mother. Dutroux had told her that He was holding her safe from a gang of terrible men, torturers who would take pleasure in killing her in terrible ways, and that she should never call out and onlyrespond to his voice. She believed these stories, she also believed him when he said her parents weren't cooperating with them over paying a ransom, they couldn't afford it and other disgusting lies which made her desparate.

In her loneliness she asked Dutroux for a friend, an idle suggestion, but one be must have been already considering and enjoying. Soon afterwards he turned up with another child, Laetitia kidnapped from another Belgian town. She was to be directly the author of his downfall. IN his stupidity he was seen, along with his van and other details. He was tracked down and 6 days later the girls were rescued.

The brain washing of Sabine was so complete she could not comprehend that Laetitia had seen missing posters of her in her town. Nor really understand that her family, in fact teh whole of Belgium was desperate to find her.

Painfully Sabine catalogues the post kidnap years. The troubled home life which followed, the typical teenage behaviour, the struggle for acceptance which would probably have happened with her family whether or not she had been kidnapped. She also talks about the inability to control what was being talked about in the press, the lies which were perpetrated and her anger at Dutroux and his lies which were constant and inventive.

The final part is the court case, which was all about discovery - and her continuing her life.

Sabine, you are a survivor. Thank you for righting this book, you are an extraodinary person.

On 28 May 1996 twelve-year-old Sabine Dardenne was kidnapped by the man who turned out to be one of Belgium's most heinous paedophiles. She was his prisoner for eighty long days.
'I need to write this book for three reasons: so that people stop giving me strange looks and treating me like a curiosity; so that no one asks me any more questions ever again; and so that the judicial system never again frees a paedophile for "good behaviour".'
'The Dutroux Affair' shook the whole of Europe. In the middle of the immense machinery of investigation and justice there was Sabine Dardenne hrself, Dutroux's last victim. She was held captive for eighty days, and astonishly she survived. Far from sensationalizing the horror, her story, dignified and restrained, is ultimately uplifting. Says Sabine Dardenne: 'I choose to live'. -- from book's back cover

"I Choose To Live" describes the ordeal that Sabine Dardenne went through living as the captive of a pedophile for 80 days.

Sabine is such an honest, brave, and inspirational person that to read in her own words about the ordeal and how she dealt with it was very inspirational and very fascinating. I couldn't put the book down and really found myself marvelling at her courage and her refusal to look at herself as a victim.

I never imagined that there were people like her. People who could go through the most horrible abuse and come out strong and well-grounded. Hats off to her.

By the way, there weren't any detailed descriptions of the rapes so that made it easier to read (although there were some disturbing parts to the book, of course).

Barbara Grace English hits the nail on the head with her book about the injustices women suffer in the court system here in the South. This is a true story about a bigamist husband who has done unbelievable things to his wife and children, including having a tow truck take away his wife's car early one morning; years later after the wife finds out about his bigamy, does she make a trip to another state to see her car sitting in the drive of "another" wife's home. Her children do without shoes and other basic necessities, but again and again the court system fails them. I could not put this book down until it was finished!

This is one of the best books I've read about the plight of women in a male dominated society. We've come a long way, yes, but there's still miles to go before we sleep. Books like this will help a lot. I recommend it totally.

One of the best books that I have read in a long time. It really told a story of unbeliveable facts. I could not put the book down.

Wow! What an eye opener! This is told from the heart! What a story of how easily women can be lead into dangerous relationships. I loved this book!

This book is a book that every woman needs to read! It will make you cry, make you angry, and give all women in this situation extreme hope. It declares a failure of our system regarding women and children. Bravo Barbara Grace English!!

Seller of this book was CONFUSED- sent this, and another, entitled "First Impression, Best Impression" that we DID NOT ORDER,OR WANT, but got charged for anyway."High School" book is a good read,though- so don't judge a book BY ITS SELLER.

This is a super empowering insightful read for teen girls as well as their parents. If you are having trouble communicating and getting your teen to listen to reason about making good choices and finding the right words in answering questions about tough issues during their teenage years, this book should be a part of any self-respecting teenagers home library collection! The title alone is bound to intrigue your teenager enough to pick it up and read.

In this book, the author gives the 10 truths to being to in high school. It is basically a self help book, but not only does it tell you how to recuperate from bad situations; it also helps to avoid landing in the same situations again. Through teenagers' quotes and life stories, you can connect better with the information it holds and helps you to understand it.
One of the most important parts of this book is when she talks about changing your environment. A quote from this chapter would be "know what you can change (don't forget about negotiating!) and what you cannot. Apply your energy to what you can change and accept those things you can't."(Page 112). Too many people get caught up in things that are permanent and don't focus their attention on temporary things that could make life bearable.
*I liked the book because it doesn't sugar coat anything and it gives the facts flat out.
* I would recommend this to teens because it can help us deal with the world and assist us into blossoming into the adults we were meant to be.
* I would recommend this book to adults because even though it is centered to teens, its lessons can be beneficial to adults also.
* I wouldn't recommend this book to schools because although I like the book, many people would find it time-wasting and boring.

After reading this book, I learned a lot. By reading this book, you learn how to make right choices, how to react in certain situations etc. The book contains short stories and experiances written by teens. Each chapter has a series of different stories regarding certain topics. Reading this book when you are a teen is very useful, you learn how to handle peer pressure, issues with friends, parents, school, teachers etc. I enjoyed reading this book very much and I reccommend it to early teens because it relates to them more. Overall, I would rate this book a 5, I enjoyed it AND I learnt from it!

This book is a wonderful resource and guide for my teens. They have read it and love it. I highly recommend it to those of you with children entering or already in high school!

Children are our most precious gift from God. As adults we are responsible for the safety and security of all children. Awareness is the best weapon against crime and we must have the tools necessary to defeat those that would harm our children. In her book "If I'd Only Known....Sexual Abuse in or out of the Family: A Guide to Prevention, Dorothy Neddermeyer provides us with the tools needed to recognize the signs of children who have been assaulted by sexual predators and the steps parents should take to prevent sexual abuse.
This book shines a light into the shadowy world of the sexual predator that threatens our kids on the street and in our homes.
--PAUL RAGONESE, former highly decorated NYC Police Officer, former cablevision host, "Safe Streets," currently CBS Crime News consultant

The sexual abuse of children can happen with most any youngster by most any adult but some children are especially vulnerable to being abused and some adults are particularly driven to violating them. Predatory adults threaten families and communities as safe havens and alert us to the need to be informed, vigilant, and clear about shielding children from harm. This timely guidebook is an important step in that direction by alerting parents, leaders, and caregivers to common dangers and calculated grooming that can threaten the well being of children in the home and community. This book is eminently practical and filled with a lot of common sense checks and reminders, the kind of guidance detail that can come from the author's experience as a therapist. With specific examples of how abuse occurs, the author expands her solid overview of the issues in the first half of the book. The last half is devoted to what to do concerns and checklists. This is a guide to prevention that includes also a nice bibliography for additional in-depth help.

Roman Paur
Executive Director
Interfaith Sexual Trauma Institute (ISTI)
www.csbsju.edu/isti
Founder
Faith Community Learning Resource (FCLR)
www.csbsju.edu/fclr

The number of children who are abused in the world today, is unfortunately on the rise. It is best said in the book, "If I'd Only Known..." - "if a disease affected our children in these enormous numbers, we would declare a national emergency."

The book, "If I'd Only Known...Sexual Abuse In or Out of the Family: A Guide to Prevention," by Dorothy Neddermeyer, gives parents the know-how they need to help prevent their child from being sexually abused, and how to learn the signs of abuse. Among other things, the book discusses good/bad touches, self-protection, good body-image, and other helpful informative child-protection tips that parents can teach their children. The book also includes helpful resources for preventing child abuse.

MyParenTime.com highly recommends "If I'd Only Known..." - It's filled with helpful and easy suggestions on keeping your children safe from abuse, and gives parents a better understanding on how children become easy targets. Anyone caring for a child should take the time to read this book!

Sexual abuse of children by adults or other children is an ugly subject most of us would rather know nothing about...except statistics say it is at epidemic levels. In my experience, it is when those first inappropriate, almost casual, actions go unremarked ("It's just children being children!") & unstopped ("No harm done, they'll grow out of it!") that allows for the next & the next, & each successive instance of abuse will become more explicit & damaging. It ALWAYS does.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer has put together a good primer on what sexual abuse is, how & how much it happens, what to look for, what to do when it happens, how to teach your children to watch out for themselves & how to build a bridge of trust upon which your children can report unwanted behavior.

IF I'D ONLY KNOWN... is an excellent handbook which everyone living & working with children needs to read & put into practice because it is a dangerous world out there & our children cannot protect themselves from older figures of "authority." & because the damage done by ignoring or pretending everything is ok has repercussions that bind child & adult into the dreadful cycle of doing unto others what has been done unto them.

The book's title says it all. While women can expect to know 75 percent of their attackers, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that 96 percent of rape victims under the age of 12 knew their attackers. While we might fear an attack on our children by strangers, Neddermeyer's work exposes the truth that your child is most likely to be sexually abused by the person you would least expect. Her book offers a step-by-step guide in teaching your child how to protect themselves from this heinous crime.

Brad Parker
Women's Self-Defense Institute

A book of its times, Igniting the Spirit at Work recognizes that our best ideas very often come from a quotation or story or comment that intrigues us. Marilyn Mason's series of single-page reflections, one for each day, is like an companion who stimulates our minds and spirits.

I like the easy format -- a thought per page -- since it suits my tendency at the moment to pause, however briefly, and to center my attention on something outside the headlines and the immediate demands of the day. I find myself perusing this book in different ways, sometimes by day, sometimes by randomly selecting a few pages and sometimes by stopping at the subjects at the top of each page that catch my eye.

Good book.

In the aftermath of September 11th, all of us were forced to think hard and think deeply-about what matters in our lives, about the way we work. When confronted by a tragedy this immense, matters of work can seem trivial. But the more I thought about this tragedy, the more issuse of work and purpose became not trivial, but core. IGNITING THE SPIRIT AT WORK awakens us each and every day to work on purpose. It is a positive way to reaffirm the belief that there is good work in all of us, daily!

Like all of her books,Igniting the Spirit at Work, is a work of emmense inspiration and wisdom. She has created daily reflections to remind us of who we REALLY are, why we are HERE and WHAT we are to do with our lives. I bought this book last night after hearing her book reading, now I know what I'll be giving for gifts this holiday season to my colleagues & clients!!!

Igniting the Spirit at Work is a joy to read. Mason incorporates stories, proverbs, stimulating quotes, and her own experiences into the mix she creates for each day of the year, and ends each day with an affirmation designed to ignite the spirit. She does so in ways that stimulate creative exploration and dialogue. Here are some fun ways to bring this book into your life: read about the birthdays of people who matter to you and think about their relationship with you in the context of that day's message; think about the last day you would have characterized as a real "opportunity for growth" and see what awaits you on that day's page; search your calendar for upcoming challenging events, meetings with difficult people,or high pressure deadlines, and then read that day's message as the catalyst that sparks your imagination, soothes your tired mind or gives your heart a moment of healing warmth.

In Igniting The Spirit At Work: Daily Reflections, corporate psychologist and training director Marilyn Mason provides the reader with a pocket-sized compendium of daily reflections and inspiring quotations from a variety of sources ranging from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Marie Curie. Strongly recommended for students of personal spirituality and anyone seeking emotional self-improvement, Igniting The Spirit At Work is an invaluable reference packed with a special wisdom designed to promote mental and emotional well-being within the context of today's stressful and often confusing workplace environment.

Dolores Brandon has written a jewel. Using poetry, oral history and prose she communicates with depth and tension the joys and travails of her life with her family, most notably her father. Before manic depression or bi-polar disease was part of our collective vocabulary, Dolores experience spanned her father's ups and downs from everyday victories to down right fear. However, in this book Dolores manages to give each character a clear and resonant voice. She allows us to read her father's poetry and listen to her mother lullabies. She has also been able to forgive her father and understand her mother, which is something that eludes many of us. I was particularly fond of the way she brought to life the whole experience of growing up in the 50's. I was close to tears when I finished this book. Not from sadness but from that sense of communion that we always share but seldom tap into. It took courage, insight and understanding to write this book. I hope there will be more from Dolores Brandon.

Because the illness Delores Brandon describes in her memoir appears in my family through the generations, I have read several books to help understand the experience, and to connect with others going through it, and as a social worker to broker this knowledge to others, both sufferers and helpers. Kay Jamison has written an autobiography dealing with manic-depression, and Jackie Lyden described life with her mother who suffered the same illness. Because so many of us in my family were afflicted I have approached each of these writings with the eagerness of an 'insider'. Ms. Brandon describes how it is possible to both be horrified by and love a parent at the same time, something that is difficult to communicate to people who have grown up in more 'normal' families. It is possible to enjoy and celebrate people who are also really demonic and complicate the lives of their children. This kind of love and optimism combined with a realistic view of the destructive rage of the afflicted person is a rare combination that seldom finds expression in any media, and is especially clear in Brandon's spare and poetic style. It is immensely encouraging to those of us who live with the illness and I would ask people in the helping professions to use it to further their understanding of such families and persons so as to avoid simplifications and reductionisms. There are blessings and curses in these mostly genetic inheritances that beg to be appreciated, and must be lived with in any event. Though we are farther along in the humane treatment of manic-depression than we were in the time when Ms. Brandon's father was careening about, there is still much lacking especially in the so-called 'objective' approaches of 'treatment' that this book is a corrective for, and that makes this literary approach not only an adjunct to medicine and rehabilitation, but perhaps even a higher form of communication about the illness. Thank you for this wonderful work, Dolores Brandon!

Dolores Brandon has written a memoir of clear-eyed courage and enormous compassion. In a vivid, organic style that brings together poetry and monologue, memories sweet and bitter, Ms. Brandon tells an often harrowing tale of growing up with a father in the grip of mental illness and a mother incapable of protecting herself or her children from the devastating fallout. In a unique narrative rich with evocative images and finely tuned, lyrical passages, the author unfolds for the reader the shifting, volatile world in which she grew up and from which she emerged with the passionate need to create, to act, to write, to dream. It is an arduous but heartening birth out of chaos and pain, much like that experienced by Brandon's mentor, Anais Nin. In the Shadow of Madness is remarkable for its perception and candor; that candor invites her readers into the very inner corners of her life, and by example, frees them to explore disturbing areas of their own psyches.

IN THE SHADOW OF MADNESS, a memoir by Dolores Brandon, Published by Sky Blue Press, Sterling Heights, Michigan

IN THE SHADOW OF MADNESS is a powerful book, a poignant tale of a young girl coming of age in the shadow of her beloved father's insanity. Although I love poetry, this is the first time I have been able to read a 200 page story without being slowed down. Long poetry always seems to call me to notice the exact choice of words, the similes and metaphors.

Dolores' style is unique in that it reads as smoothly as any prose I have ever read. In fact the poetry seems to rush the story along and the images make the action come alive on the pages.

This book is as captivating and memorable as A TREE GOES IN BROOKLYN. All of the characters are many faceted. We have mixed emotions, changing feelings towards all of them.

Anecdotes capture our thoughts. Speaking of a man who used to fall asleep smoking in his bed, Dolores wrote," a front page news story reported Bob was one of two found dead on a fire at Queen Elizabeth Hospital He was a patient there. Seems he wandered off his Ward to visit a woman in Intensive Care. She was on oxygen. He lit a cigarette. She and he, the whole room, all blew to smithereens!'

Of her father's poetry she wrote," It's not that his poems weren't half good. They all sprang from the heart. But, they were written as the wave crested in a grandiose fury. And the call they put out for harmony stood in stark contrast to the aggressive force he asked us to indulge."

The photos are like the ones we all keep hidden away and seeing them we know for sure this book is about our family, our friends or the people down the road. This compelling story, beautifully told will stay with its readers forever.

From the title alone, one might assume that Dolores Brandon's memoir, In the Shadow of Madness, could be an arduous, emotionally wrenching journey. But however difficult it may have been to grow up under the control of a gifted but mentally ill father who was so often out of control himself, Brandon has not come to the reader with unresolved grievances. She asks neither for compensation nor pity for the anguish her family endured; she does not let blame or bitterness intrude. Instead, from the calm center of the storm that was her upbringing, with the distance that comes only with the passing of time, she weaves together the memories, voices and artifacts of her youth into a compelling, multidimensional narrative. It takes courage to tell such a deeply personal story so openly and honestly, and skill of the highest order to do it so well.

I found this book incredibly helpful as we are beginning our journey of adoptiong a child from China. It clearly walks you through the entire process, but also discusses those issues adopted children will face after the adoption, issues like attachment, grieving, developing a healthy identity. Perhaps what I appreciated most was the more researched based approach to this whole process. They conducted their own study and then drew conclusions based on the few other studies which exist on this topic. I appreciated hearing that the majority of children adopted from China appear to settle well statistically, as opposed to just testimonials (although they also included testimonials which were interesting and helpful). I have read many books which are wonderful emotional tesitmonials, but it was so helpful to have those balanced by a more objective, factual book like this. This was an excellent resource for me.

This book is very enlightening and discusses many issues involved in international adoption as well as outcomes for children adopted internationally. Would be helpful to mental health workers, pediatricians and prospective adoptive parents as well as those who already have adoptive children!

The Amazon book description gives a good overview of the topics covered, but it fails to convey the careful manner in which information is delivered in the book. The authors rely not only on their own research (the methodology and limits of which they describe), but also rely on other published studies. The authors note that the studies on adoption of Chinese children were done recently, and are few in number. The authors, however, refer to studies involving other adopted children (particularly Korean children) in an effort to predict some answers regarding older children. While the book relies heavily on research publications, it also uses adoptive parent comments to help illustrate points.

As important for me as the authors' conclusions, were the explainations of why those conclusions might not be correct. The authors readily note where the research is inconclusive, a sample is too small, where there are conflicting theories, or where a study might not be applicable to the adoption of Chinese children today. I also appreciate the authors citing their sources (typically right in the text). Thus, if you want to know more about an issue, you know exactly which study the authors relied upon. All of the cited publications, as well as a number of resources for adopting parents, are cited in the appendix.

Too much information on this subject is either missing, or is given in a chatty style that is not comprehensive. As a parent just starting the adoption process, I wish I had read this book a year ago.

I've read many books on this topic, but this one is the most thorough and fact based ones I have found to date. Very informative and a definite must have for any one thinking of adopting from China. I can't wait for their next publication!

This is a well-researched, easy-to-read academic work on the issues surrounding adopting children from China. The authors write both from first-hand knowledge as well as from results of a survey that they conducted via the Web over the past few years. It fills a gap in the literature on this topic.

The book covers topics such as how and whether to impart knowledge of Chinese culture to adoptees, the legal issues involved in intercountry adoption and statistics about how well adoptees do after they've been in the U.S. with their new families for several years.

It is a useful guidebook for those wishing to adopt a child from oversees, especially from China, and it is also useful for those studying adoption in general.