Showing titles in Dysfunctional Families

It's the night before Christmas when Casey and Mike get the call. A 12-year-old girl, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her father is on a ventilator, fighting for his life, while her mother is currently on remand in prison. Despite claiming she attacked him in self-defence, she's been charged with his attempted murder. The girl is called Bella, and she's refusing to say anything. The trouble is that she is also the only witness....

In this final episode of this memoir series, Tom, the lifetime bachelor, takes in his two young nephews to keep his sister's children in the family. The enormous challenges of this sudden and abrupt change leads to life-altering changes.

When police are called to a local supermarket late one evening, they find an angry shopkeeper and a silent young woman. It's the third time 24-year-old Zoe has been caught stealing in the past few days. Eyes filled with panic, Zoe has been hiding bread, milk, Calpol and nappies under her coat. As police officers break down the door of Zoe's flat they find seven-year-old Coco and two-year-old Lola, home alone, huddled on the floor in a freezing cold bedroom, crying out for their mummy.

#1 International Bestseller Regina’s Calcaterra memoir, Etched in Sand, is an inspiring and triumphant coming-of-age story of tenacity and hope. Regina Calcaterra is a successful lawyer, former New York State official, and foster youth activist. Her painful early life, however, was quite...

If you experienced physical or emotional abuse, neglect, or abandonment as a child, you may struggle with unhealthy relationships as an adult. Hurtful attachments with our caregivers in early childhood can lay the foundation for toxic relationships. Those experiences can even affect the way we handle conflict, our feelings toward sex, and our expectations of our partners. But this doesn't mean you can't change. This book will help you gain a greater awareness of the trauma bonds that prevent you from getting the love, safety, and security you desire.

Coercive control will see an abuser dominate their victim's life, from the food they eat, the people they see, the places they can go, and the things they can say. A controlling partner, through fear and intimidation, will seek to ensure their victim is subdued, to the point of accepting any and all abuse that's fired their way.

The next book in Louise Allen's Thrown Away Children series.

Having recently lost his mum to cancer, when eight-year-old Tom comes to live with Maggie, he is scared and alone. Tom has been taken into care following concerns from his teachers about his dad Mark's ability to cope as a single parent following the death of his wife. As a former soldier, Mark has resorted to his military training in order to cope with his young son, forcing him to scrub the floors until his hands bleed and perform repeated push-ups as punishment for his misdemeanors.

Picking up where Christopher’s Diary: Secrets of Foxworth leaves off, Kristin Masterwood and her boyfriend up the ante—by going into her attic to re-enact scenes described in Christopher Dollanganger’s journal. Jealousy, tragedy, survival, and revenge—the discovery of Christopher’s...

It’s February 2019, and experienced foster carer Rosie Lewis has joined Mockingbird, a new fostering scheme designed to help families stay together. After her first week in post, the foster carer takes a call from a social worker in the Child Protection Team—Bonnie, mother of four children, has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Her mother, Julie, volunteers to care for her grandchildren, but social workers insist on providing outside support.

The true story of a wife and mother's descent into alcohol addiction. A harrowing and sometimes heartbreaking chronicle of habitual blackouts and unremembered nights, and her triumphant emergence into the light of recovery.

Trish Hinde, 35, was sexually abused by her father, Gerard King, from the age of six. Alone and scared, she internalised her trauma and began suffering from violent seizures. Her father took responsibility for her epilepsy care, even abusing her on hospital visits. Trish and her five siblings were neglected, often relying on neighbours for food and watching helplessly as bailiffs carried away their possessions. In her early teens, Trish was recklessly promiscuous and became a victim of child sexual exploitation, often finding herself in danger.

Teenage Sammy has been in care from the age of nine. His mother has tragically spent much of his young life in and out of prison. Sammy has never found a safe haven and has been passed from pillar to post. When he arrives with Casey Watson, he is a closed book, but he slowly begins to open up. Casey realises that he has nobody in his life who he counts as family apart from a neighbour, ‘Uncle Kenny’. Sammy dotes on Kenny, even running away to be with him but having come across similar relationships before, alarm bells star to ring for Casey.

Do you blame yourself for being abandoned or neglected as a child, or suffer from poor self-esteem, anxiety, or depression as a result? Do you have deep feelings of shame, defectiveness, and insecurity that impact your life and relationships? If so, you are not alone. These are common experiences for survivors of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). But what happened to you as a child or young adult isn’t your fault. By understanding how you were affected, you can start on the path to healing and personal growth.

What if someone close to you isn’t who they seem? The charming friend who twists your words. The partner whose love feels like a trap. The coworker whose actions leave you doubting your own mind. Could they be a narcissist? In Spot the Narcissist: The Ultimate Guide to Becoming Un-Manipulatable, you’ll uncover the hidden signs of toxic behaviors, the manipulation tactics that keep you stuck, and the tools to break free. Whether you’re questioning a current relationship or trying to recover from a past one, this guide is your step-by-step roadmap to clarity, healing, and freedom.

Coercive control and emotional abuse create an unequal power dynamic—giving the perpetrator power and creating anxiety, confusion, self-doubt, fear, and a sense of entrapment for the victim. This trauma-informed guide spotlights the red flags of coercive control, and provides tools to help readers break free from toxic love relationships and gain clarity, autonomy, and control of their lives.

Recovering from the trauma of a toxic narcissistic relationship can be a difficult journey. It’s a complicated mess of anger, anxiety, depression, shame, and even guilt. Trying to make sense of what you’re going through, questioning if you’re the one to blame for what happened.... With the help of this book, you can overcome the obstacles after leaving the relationship, pick up the pieces of your life to create a brighter future, renew your self-confidence, create firm boundaries, and gain clarity about who you are.

Are you thriving in your relationship, or merely surviving? Are you the victim of constant manipulation, gaslighting, and deception at the hands of your partner? Do you find yourself constantly making excuses for your partner's abusive behavior? If you feel trapped in a relationship with someone who displays narcissistic or psychopathic behavior, you may be experiencing a trauma bond—a powerful connection you've developed with your abuser. It's important to remember that you're not alone and it's not your fault.

Do you feel drained, anxious, or unsure of who you are after dealing with someone who never yells-but always controls? You're not overreacting. You may be dealing with a covert narcissist-the kind who hides behind charm, silence, and subtle manipulation. The Silent Narcissist is your essential guide to spotting the quietest form of emotional abuse and reclaiming your power. Unlike loud, obvious narcissists, covert ones erode your confidence with passive-aggressive digs, gaslighting, guilt-tripping, and emotional withdrawal-leaving you confused and blaming yourself.

First published in 1989, Dan Allender's The Wounded Heart has helped hundreds of thousands of people come to terms with sexual abuse in their past. Now, more than 25 years later, Allender has written a brand-new book on the subject that takes into account recent discoveries about the lasting physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual ramifications of sexual abuse.