Try free for 30 days
-
My Mother, Munchausen's and Me
- A True Story of Betrayal and a Shocking Family Secret
- Narrated by: Helen Naylor
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $28.00
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also picked
-
I Have to Call Someone Mama
- A Grandmother's Story of Two Siblings Rescued from Munchausen by Proxy Abuse
- By: Tammy Eady Walker
- Narrated by: Liz May Brice
- Length: 3 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is one of the cruelest forms of child abuse imaginable. It is very difficult to prove and even harder to prosecute. This story chronicles a woman's journey as she discovers that her two grandchildren are victims of this abuse that most people have never even heard of. Her faith in God kept her going as she turned their tragedies and trials into triumph. Follow her journey of faith as she fights to rescue, protect, and bring healing to her grandchildren's broken spirits and shattered little souls.
-
-
very moving
- By Anonymous User on 04-02-2024
-
The Family Next Door
- The Heartbreaking Imprisonment of the 13 Turpin Siblings and Their Extraordinary Rescue
- By: John Glatt
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On January 14, 2018, a 17-year-old girl climbed out of the window of her Perris, California home and dialed 911 with shaking fingers. Struggling to stay calm, she told the operator that she and her 12 siblings - ranging in age from two to 29 - were being abused by their parents. When the dispatcher asked for her address, the girl hesitated. "I've never been out," she stammered.
-
-
Narrator is awful
- By Anonymous User on 06-10-2021
-
Stella's Story
- Thrown Away Children, Book 1
- By: Louise Allen
- Narrated by: Melanie Crawley
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Named after the lager that christened her at birth, Stella's life is characterised instability and neglect. Her teenage mother abandons her in the first few weeks of her life, and left in the 'care' of her father, she ends up lying deserted in a house with no food, no water, no clothes and no warmth. She eventually lands in the care of foster carer Louise, who is determined to change her life for the better.
-
-
Just So Sad.
- By Anonymous User on 06-07-2023
-
In Bad Faith
- Inside a Secret Ultra-Orthodox Sect and the Brutal Betrayal It Tried to Hide
- By: Dassi Erlich
- Narrated by: Dassi Erlich
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a young girl growing up in a strict ultra-Orthodox family, Dassi's life was preordained - marry young, live a devout life and raise children within the Adass community's religious rules. This righteous path would keep her safe from the immodest, secular world just a few blocks away in suburban Melbourne. But the Adass community was not safe for Dassi. She was fifteen when her revered school principal, Malka Leifer, started to single her out. Dassi's cloistered and harsh upbringing meant she didn't have the words for what was happening to her, but she knew it was very, very wrong.
-
-
Tragic but so important.
- By Liscard on 18-04-2024
-
Starvation Heights
- Dangerous Women: True Crime Stories
- By: Gregg Olsen
- Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1911 two British heiresses, Claire and Dora Williamson, read a brochure about a revolutionary fasting treatment that promised a lifetime of good health. The sanatorium in the village of Olalla, west of Seattle, was surrounded by a beautiful forest, sparkling waters and fresh air. The sisters agreed it sounded perfect and exactly the restorative holiday they needed. But within a month of arriving, under the supervision of Doctor Linda Burfield Hazzard, Claire and Dora began to realise the frightening truth – they were not patients but prisoners at the isolated sanitorium.
-
-
Shocking and sad.
- By Anonymous User on 06-08-2023
-
Behind Closed Doors
- By: Sue Smethurs, Katherine X
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four children by her father. Thirty years of horrific sexual abuse. In March 2009, Joseph Fritzl was sentenced to life in jail for the systematic imprisonment, torture and rape of his daughter, Elisabeth, over 24 years, fathering seven children. The case shocked the world. But just a month before, the story of Australia’s own house of horrors was emerging in a Victorian country town.
-
-
Sad series of events should never have happened!
- By Sara Paton on 27-06-2016
-
I Have to Call Someone Mama
- A Grandmother's Story of Two Siblings Rescued from Munchausen by Proxy Abuse
- By: Tammy Eady Walker
- Narrated by: Liz May Brice
- Length: 3 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is one of the cruelest forms of child abuse imaginable. It is very difficult to prove and even harder to prosecute. This story chronicles a woman's journey as she discovers that her two grandchildren are victims of this abuse that most people have never even heard of. Her faith in God kept her going as she turned their tragedies and trials into triumph. Follow her journey of faith as she fights to rescue, protect, and bring healing to her grandchildren's broken spirits and shattered little souls.
-
-
very moving
- By Anonymous User on 04-02-2024
-
The Family Next Door
- The Heartbreaking Imprisonment of the 13 Turpin Siblings and Their Extraordinary Rescue
- By: John Glatt
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On January 14, 2018, a 17-year-old girl climbed out of the window of her Perris, California home and dialed 911 with shaking fingers. Struggling to stay calm, she told the operator that she and her 12 siblings - ranging in age from two to 29 - were being abused by their parents. When the dispatcher asked for her address, the girl hesitated. "I've never been out," she stammered.
-
-
Narrator is awful
- By Anonymous User on 06-10-2021
-
Stella's Story
- Thrown Away Children, Book 1
- By: Louise Allen
- Narrated by: Melanie Crawley
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Named after the lager that christened her at birth, Stella's life is characterised instability and neglect. Her teenage mother abandons her in the first few weeks of her life, and left in the 'care' of her father, she ends up lying deserted in a house with no food, no water, no clothes and no warmth. She eventually lands in the care of foster carer Louise, who is determined to change her life for the better.
-
-
Just So Sad.
- By Anonymous User on 06-07-2023
-
In Bad Faith
- Inside a Secret Ultra-Orthodox Sect and the Brutal Betrayal It Tried to Hide
- By: Dassi Erlich
- Narrated by: Dassi Erlich
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a young girl growing up in a strict ultra-Orthodox family, Dassi's life was preordained - marry young, live a devout life and raise children within the Adass community's religious rules. This righteous path would keep her safe from the immodest, secular world just a few blocks away in suburban Melbourne. But the Adass community was not safe for Dassi. She was fifteen when her revered school principal, Malka Leifer, started to single her out. Dassi's cloistered and harsh upbringing meant she didn't have the words for what was happening to her, but she knew it was very, very wrong.
-
-
Tragic but so important.
- By Liscard on 18-04-2024
-
Starvation Heights
- Dangerous Women: True Crime Stories
- By: Gregg Olsen
- Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1911 two British heiresses, Claire and Dora Williamson, read a brochure about a revolutionary fasting treatment that promised a lifetime of good health. The sanatorium in the village of Olalla, west of Seattle, was surrounded by a beautiful forest, sparkling waters and fresh air. The sisters agreed it sounded perfect and exactly the restorative holiday they needed. But within a month of arriving, under the supervision of Doctor Linda Burfield Hazzard, Claire and Dora began to realise the frightening truth – they were not patients but prisoners at the isolated sanitorium.
-
-
Shocking and sad.
- By Anonymous User on 06-08-2023
-
Behind Closed Doors
- By: Sue Smethurs, Katherine X
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four children by her father. Thirty years of horrific sexual abuse. In March 2009, Joseph Fritzl was sentenced to life in jail for the systematic imprisonment, torture and rape of his daughter, Elisabeth, over 24 years, fathering seven children. The case shocked the world. But just a month before, the story of Australia’s own house of horrors was emerging in a Victorian country town.
-
-
Sad series of events should never have happened!
- By Sara Paton on 27-06-2016
-
Cruel Deception
- The True Story of Multiple Murder and Two Devastated Families (St. Martin's True Crime Library)
- By: Gregg Olsen
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In and out of hospitals since birth, angelic nine-month-old Morgan Reid finally succumbed to what appeared to be sudden infant death syndrome. Morgan's Texas-born mother, Tanya, a nurse and devoted wife, pulled up stakes with her grieving husband, Jim, and moved on. It was the best way to put the past behind them. Until their son, Michael, a boy who by all accounts was terrified of his mother, began showing signs of the same affliction that stole the life of his baby sister....
-
-
Good book, great narrator.
- By allatabbeycottage@btinternet.com on 12-05-2022
-
My Sister Milly
- By: Gemma Dowler
- Narrated by: Ruby Thomas
- Length: 22 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Everyone thinks they know the story of Milly Dowler. Haunting headlines about the missing schoolgirl splashed across front pages. The family's worst fears realised when her body was found months later. The years of waiting for the truth, only to learn that the killer, known to the police, lived just yards from where Milly had vanished. The parents subjected to horrific psychological torture at a trial orchestrated by the murderer.
-
-
Families Courage and Resilience
- By Anonymous User on 02-03-2024
-
Is It My Fault Mummy?
- And other true stories from the nation's favourite foster carer
- By: Maggie Hartley
- Narrated by: Penny McDonald
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
'Is It My Fault Mummy?': seven-year-old Paris is trapped in a prison of guilt. Devastated after the death of her baby brother, Joel, Maggie faces one of her most heartbreaking cases yet as she tries to break down the wall of guilt surrounding this damaged little girl. 'A Desperate Cry for Help': 12-year-old Meg arrives at Maggie's after a fire destroys the children's home she's been living in. Traumatised by the fire and angry and vulnerable, having been put into care by her mother, Meg is lashing out at everyone around her.
-
Never Leave Me
- An Obsessive Husband, an Unfaithful Wife, a Brutal Murder
- By: John Glatt
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a quiet community of million-dollar homes and shiny SUVs, the Nyce family projected the very image of success. Dr. Jonathan Nyce, an asthma sufferer, had achieved medical breakthroughs that made him rich - and offered hope to countless people. Michelle's beauty made her an object of desire. And adultery was her husband's worst nightmare.
-
-
Fantastic Book!
- By Anonymous User on 11-09-2023
-
A Stolen Life
- A Memoir
- By: Jaycee Dugard
- Narrated by: Jaycee Dugard
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"In the summer of 1991 I was a normal kid. I did normal things. I had friends and a mother who loved me. I was just like you. Until the day my life was stolen. For eighteen years I was a prisoner. I was an object for someone to use and abuse. For eighteen years I was not allowed to speak my own name. I became a mother and was forced to be a sister. For eighteen years I survived an impossible situation. On August 26, 2009, I took my name back. My name is Jaycee Lee Dugard. I dont think of myself as a victim. I survived...."
-
-
To Jaycee
- By Michelle on 05-06-2016
-
Deadly American Beauty
- Beautiful Bride, Dark Secrets, Deadly Love
- By: John Glatt
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Greg DeVillers was a top biotech executive, and Kristin Rossum was embarking on a career in toxicology at the San Diego Medical Examiner's office. They seemed to be happily married, living the American dream. But only months shy of their second anniversary, Kristin found her handsome husband dead from a drug overdose - his corpse sprinkled with rose petals. By his side was their wedding photo. Authorities deemed it a suicide. Until they discovered that the rare poison found in Greg's body was the same poison missing from Kristin's office.
-
-
Perfect narration for a juicy story
- By Anonymous User on 26-11-2022
-
Betrayed
- By: Lyndsey Harris
- Narrated by: Liz Holliss
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For the first few years of her life, Sarah Harris was a normal, happy, popular little girl. But from the age of six she was targeted by a vicious, manipulative but invisible enemy - and her life became a living hell. Before long she was suspended from school, alienated from her friends, completely bewildered and utterly terrified. Her happy childhood had been destroyed forever.
-
-
Disturbing
- By Anonymous User on 03-11-2022
-
The Doomsday Mother
- Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and the End of an American Family
- By: John Glatt
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At first, the residents of Kauai Beach Resort took little notice of their new neighbors. The glamorous blonde and her tall husband fit the image of the ritzy gated community. The couple seemed to keep to themselves - until the police knocked on their door with a search warrant. Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell had fled to Hawaii in the midst of being investigated for the disappearance of Lori's children back in Idaho - Tylee and JJ - who hadn't been seen alive in five months.
-
-
Take or leave it
- By Rachel on 30-06-2022
-
Evil Beside Her
- The True Story of a Texas Woman's Marriage to a Dangerous Psychopath
- By: Kathryn Casey
- Narrated by: Debbie Andreen
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At first, Linda Bergstrom's marriage to her husband James was idyllic. They were young and in love; he was about to enter the Navy and she was eager to start a family. But it wasn't long before the dream exploded. James became abusive and violent, prone to sudden bursts of anger, long silences, and unexplained disappearances. But Linda vowed to hold on, despite the pain and fear...and her disturbing suspicions about her husband's secret life.
-
-
Worth a listen
- By Aleisha on 12-01-2020
-
Mommie Dearest: 40th Anniversary Edition
- By: Christina Crawford
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 19 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Christina Crawford’s harrowing chronicle of child abuse was first published in 1978, it brought global attention to the previously closeted subject. It also shed light on the guarded world of Hollywood and stripped away the façade of Christina’s relentless, alcoholic abuser: her adoptive mother, movie star Joan Crawford.
-
-
Powerful life story
- By Iwbar on 22-12-2023
-
American Black Widow
- Dangerous Women: True Crime Stories
- By: Gregg Olsen
- Narrated by: Karen Peakes
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Colorado, 1976. When Reverend Mike Fuller and his beautiful wife, Sharon, arrive in the sleepy town of Rocky Ford, local residents think something’s off about the new couple. The God-fearing minister is gruff and cold, while charismatic Sharon has her husband wrapped around her finger.
-
-
Too long.
- By Anonymous User on 06-08-2023
-
I Let Him Go
- By: Denise Fergus
- Narrated by: Siân Polhill-Thomas
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A truly inspiring and heartbreaking book from the mother of little James Bulger - whose murder by two young boys shocked the world. On 12th February 1993, Denise's life changed forever. As she was running errands at New Strand Shopping Centre, she let go of her two-year-old son's hand to take out her purse. Denise never saw her son again. In this extraordinary and heart-wrenching audiobook comes the unflinching account of that terrible day from James Bulger's mother, Denise.
-
-
A Mother’s Unrelenting Grief
- By June B. on 08-11-2023
Publisher's Summary
There was a time when I loved my mother. It’s shocking to imply that I stopped loving my mum because mothers always love their children and always do their best for them. Mothers are supposed to be good. But my mother wasn’t good.
Ten years ago, Helen Naylor discovered her mother, Elinor, had been faking debilitating illnesses for 30 years. After Elinor’s self-induced death, Helen found her diaries, which Elinor wrote daily for more than 50 years. The diaries reveal not only the inner workings of Elinor’s twisted mind and self-delusion, but also shocking revelations about Helen’s childhood.
Everything Helen knew about herself and her upbringing was founded on a lie. The unexplained accidents and days spent entirely on her own as a little girl, imagining herself climbing into the loft and disappearing into a different world, tell a story of neglect. As a teenager, her mother’s advice to Helen on her body and mental health speaks of dangerous manipulation.
With Elinor’s behavior becoming increasingly destructive, and Helen now herself a mother, she was left with a stark choice: to collude with Elinor’s lies or be accused of abandoning her.
My Mother, Munchausen’s and Me is a heartbreaking, honest, and brave account of a daughter unravelling the truth about her mother and herself. It’s a story of a stolen childhood, mental illness, and the redemptive power of breaking a complex and toxic bond.
What listeners say about My Mother, Munchausen's and Me
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jane Mahon
- 10-10-2022
Breathe taking
This has me saying OMG why! So many times it also resonates with me and my personal journey with my “mother”
Helen, thank you for sharing your story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kris
- 10-07-2023
Heartbreaking
Great writing, and had me speaking to you, the author, so many times! It was wonderful to see how much insight the author had in hindsight. Loved it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sharryn Simpson
- 10-05-2022
brave woman you are Helen
thank you for sharing your story with us.
its hard to deal with the ones you love that only think of themselves.
not having much support is hard but at least you found true love with your husband and children.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Anonymous User
- 13-10-2022
My Thought's
Very interesting, Finding out the truth in her mother's diaries was sad and yet eye opening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rachael M
- 27-03-2022
Hmmm, this was very different to anything I have read before.
4 stars
Hmmm, this was very different to anything I have read before.
This was an audible suggestion, and I downloaded it without any real thought or knowledge. I enjoyed reading about Helen's life and about her relationship with her mother, her mother's friends, and her family. I think that the NHS truely failed this family and (if Helen's story is true) needs to review how it deals with mentally ill patients.
What made me slightly uncomfortable is that this is one person's story and one of the main people discussed is now dead and can't defend herself or rebuke some of these accusations.
Was this a story that needed to be told? I am not sure. I wonder what Helen wanted to achieve by writing the story? Is she wanting to blame the NHS? Seeking to warn others? Shame those who shamed her? I am not sure.
I also feel slightly uncomfortable that Helen is diagnosing her own mother, no medical professional had ever diagnosed Helen's mother with Munchausen's, or Border Line Personality Disorder, or Narcissistic Personality disorder.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 18-12-2022
Frighteningly familiar!!
This is such a wonderful account of Helen’s experience. I haven’t dealt with the illness side of things with my mother, but I have with the dangerous narcissistic traits. It’s like this book is mine. Thanks for a very honest and raw account of your life. Now move forward and don’t look back.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 01-01-2023
A must!
An incredible story! Reminds me of my narcissistic grandmother..unbelievable how some people can be!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Joelle Ford
- 07-07-2023
A Very Interesting Listen
I could envision the dark cloud Helen speaks of. I could feel the heartbreak and disappointment, the loneliness and isolation, the worthlessness and feeling of frustration. Thank goodness you are finally free of this oppressive existence. So glad you have a wonderful family unit of your own and a happy future ahead.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Fiona
- 11-08-2022
Not for Me
I got to chapter 6 and I’m sorry I realise your mother was in bed every afternoon, and maybe thrived on talking to friends about her illnesses. But so far I don’t see munchausens. I got bored. A lot of us grew up ignored by our parents in that era. Where we had to take care of ourselves pretty much. I feel lucky I had siblings.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 18-09-2023
A person who doesn’t really know what child abuse is and apart from her mother pretending to be sick she had a normal childhood
I don’t think the author knows what child abuse really is. Her life was quite normal apart from her mother pretending to be sick sometimes.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!