Showing titles in Dysfunctional Families

A homeless foster kid finds redemption in Iraq.

Most of us know someone who, for whatever reason, always seems to cause problems, irritate others, or incite conflict. Often, these people are a part of our daily lives. The truth is that these trouble makers haven't necessarily asked to be this way. Sometimes we need to learn new approaches to deal with people who are harder to get along with or love.

By the age of 13, vulnerable Sheffield teenager Samantha Owens had fallen through the cracks in the care system. Bounced around numerous foster carers after her home life became too chaotic, Samantha thought she had found a friend in the streetwise Amanda Spencer. The older girl bought her clothes, styled her hair and found her places to stay. Samantha's welfare was the last thing on Spencer's mind, however, as in reality she was grooming the young girl for exploitation of the worst possible kind.

Abby's Story is the second book in the Thrown Away Children series by author and foster mum Louise Allen. She doesn't want this baby. She can't look after this baby. She will never be able to love this baby. Little Abby's life begins badly, then just gets worse. Now foster mum Louise and her family must help her deal with the truth of her past to give her the chance of a future.

My Good Bright Wolf is a memoir about thinking and reading, eating and not eating, about privilege and scarcity, about the relationships that form us and the long tentacles of childhood. Beautiful, audacious, moving and so very funny, Sarah Moss’s memoir is a remarkable exercise in the way a brain turns on itself, and then offers a way out: it is a blindingly brilliant experiment in and celebration of what a creative mind can do.

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.

Imagine waking up one day to discover that you have forgotten everything about your life. Your only link with the past, your only hope for the future, is your identical twin. Now imagine, years later, discovering that your twin had not told you the whole truth about your childhood, your family, and the forces that had shaped you. Why the secrets? Why the silences? You have no choice but to begin again. This has been Alex's reality: a world where memories are just the stories people tell you, where fact and fiction are impossible to distinguish.

Writer Peg Streep lays out seven distinct but interconnected stages on the path to reclaim your life from the effects of a toxic childhood: "discover", "discernment", "distinguish", "disarm", "reclaim", "redirect", and "recover". Each step is clearly explained and richly detailed with the stories of other women. With approaches drawn from psychology and other disciplines and with unique exercises, the book will help the listener tackle her own self-doubt and become consciously aware of how her mother's treatment continues to shape her behavior.

After taking a few weeks off work, Casey is presented with a new foster child: 14-year-old Elise, whose Mum left her at just five years old. At first, she’s no trouble at all, that is until she falsely accuses another carer, Jan, of acting inappropriately towards her. It turns out this isn’t the first lie Elise has told—her previous carer was constantly following up allegations Elise had made of people bullying her, trying to have sex with her or hurting her physically.

Revised and updated to include current studies, politics, and discussions, The Macho Paradox is the first book to show how violence against women is a male issue as well as a female one - and how we can come together to stop it. Written by pioneering anti-violence educator Jackson Katz, The Macho Paradox incorporates the voices and experiences of women and men who have confronted the problem from all angles, the discussions surrounding currents events in politics and pop culture, and where the violence is ignored or encouraged in our upbringing.

Amy had a happy childhood until the death of her mother when she was 10. Her father became an abusive alcoholic and she was quickly abandoned by him, given money so she would leave the house and leave him alone. And disappear she did - to drug dens, with the tragic consequence that she became addicted to heroin by age 12. Soon after, Amy's father kicked her out and she became homeless, going into care but quickly back onto the streets with other teenagers who had fallen through the net.

When detective Maggie Oliver first discovered that children as young as 10 were being groomed, abused and trafficked for sex by gangs of men in the Rochdale area, she felt like a lonely voice calling for people to act. Banging on closed doors, it seemed that nobody was able or willing to help her save these vulnerable girls, but she couldn't just sit back while countless lives were being destroyed forever in plain sight. Instead, she launched a one-woman campaign to bring down these sickening gangs.

A myth-shattering, inspiring book that combines research, reportage and memoir to explore the growing phenomenon of estrangement from toxic relatives - showing it not as a tragedy, but as an empowering and effective solution to the heartbreak of family abuse. After decades of enduring his mother's physical and psychological torment and years of trying in vain to set boundaries, Eamon Dolan took a radical step: he cut his mother out of his life. No more phone calls, no more visits, no more contact.

Aneta and Filip, the children’s parents, are distraught when their children are taken into care. Aneta maintains she is innocent of harming them, while Filip appears bewildered and out of his depth. It’s true the family has never come to the attention of the social services before, and little Kit and Molly appear to have been well looked after, but Kit has a broken arm and bruises on his face. Could it be they were a result of a genuine accident, as Aneta is claiming?

This intimate and unflinching memoir explores Wen's struggle to survive, and confronts the belief that people don't change. Through appalling abuse and neglect, Wen finds a way to a very different kind of life, embodying resilience, healing and transformation. The story is woven through with the intriguing themes of Wen's life. With humility, understanding and beauty, she delves into the plight of a stammerer, the unbreakable bonds of twinship, and her body's need to dissociate.

Do you want to transform negative into positive? Do you want to embrace the true, authentic you and let the opportunities come to you? How about getting rid of negative patterns and addictions that are holding you back? Self-Love Handbook is a simple, eight step process to help you step into unlimited self-love, manifest joy, happiness, and abundance. This process will help you unleash your true potential while revolutionizing your well-being and creating an authentic career and life.

Have you ever felt inexplicably drained, bewildered, and manipulated in a relationship? Your understanding of these feelings begins with Unmasking the Covert Female Narcissist, a critical guide that delves into the hidden world of covert female narcissists. Immersing listeners in exploring manipulative tactics, this book is a lighthouse in the fog of gaslighting, manipulation, and emotional abuse. It offers a clear view of the intricacies of a covert female narcissist's mind, exposing their cunning methods.

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.

Just when Casey thinks her foster care duties are done, she’s asked to look after Sam, a troubled nine-year-old with a violent streak who drove his previous guardians to release him of their care. It soon unfolds, however, that this is no simple case. Determined to get to the root of Sam’s behaviour, Casey is committed to uncover his mysterious past only to find out something far darker than she ever imagined.

Have you ever felt stuck in the same toxic cycles—self-doubt, unhealthy relationships, or negative thoughts that just won’t go away? Maybe you don’t think of yourself as toxic, but sometimes, in certain situations, you notice behaviors you’re not proud of. You’re not alone. And most importantly—you’re not doomed to stay this way. This book isn’t about judging yourself or others. It’s about understanding where toxic patterns come from, how they take root, and how to finally let them go so you can build a life that feels lighter, healthier, and more fulfilling.