Showing titles in Dysfunctional Families

What does it really mean to be a man? In Man Alive, Thomas Page McBee attempts to answer that question by focusing on two of the men who most impacted his life - one, his otherwise ordinary father who abused him as a child, and the other, a mugger who almost killed him. Standing at the brink of the life-changing decision to transition from female to male, McBee seeks to understand these examples of flawed manhood and tells us how a brush with violence sent him on the quest to untangle a sinister past and freed him to become the man he was meant to be.

After her mother, Brenda, passed away and her father sold the family home, broadcaster and writer Emma Kennedy found herself floundering, unable to make peace with the complex, charismatic woman who had been her mum. And then they found the letters. This heartbreakingly funny book about the impact of discovering lost letters is a celebration of correspondence; those lost acts of penned love, the vivid snapshots in time scattered back through a life.

#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...

A 5-year-old boy, Ethan, is brought to Casey in the middle of the night after the sudden death of his young mother after a drug overdose. Estranged from her parents, Ethan’s mum had been abused by her ex-partner, and began taking drugs to cope. Ethan is obviously lost and bewildered, and...

From the star of MTV’s The Hills and The Hills: New Beginnings, a candid and insightful reflection on aughts tabloid fame, the powerlessness and loss of self in toxic situations, and the life-changing power of even our smallest choices. If you know Audrina Patridge from one of the most...

Now in its third edition, It's My Life Now is a guide for survivors who have left an abusive relationship. It addresses - in clear, non-threatening language - various issues associated with abuse and violence, including post-relationship emotions, psychological impact, dealing with children, personal safety, legal problems, and financial security. Each chapter dismantles common myths about being in and leaving an abusive relationship and contains activities for self-exploration that survivors can complete as they navigate a new life free from abuse.

Escrito por uma das maiores especialistas no assunto, esta obra é um guia prático e sensível para curar as feridas causadas por relações narcisistas – seja com pais, filhos, amigos, chefes ou parceiros. A questão é aprender a identificar padrões de relacionamento prejudiciais e mudar a forma de encarar as atitudes de alguém que você ama, mas que está prejudicando sua saúde emocional. Quando fazemos isso, lançamos luz sobre o problema e descobrimos como parar de sofrer com ele. Este audiolivro é para todos que já se relacionaram com narcisistas que deslegitimaram seus sentimentos.

It was a day like any other, crystal blue sky and warm summer air, as young Nathan Spiteri walked into a change room at a familiar public swimming pool and would experience a turn of events that would change his innocent life forever. In this powerful, and vulnerable memoir, Spiteri writes about the trauma of being brutally abused, groomed and guided by the actions and lies of a vicious pedophile.

Mildred Muhammad shares her story about rising up from the domestic abuse she endured from her ex-husband, John Allen Muhammad, the convicted D.C. Sniper. Mildred witnessed firsthand John’s bizarre behavior after he returned from the Gulf War, but no one—including her family, friends, and local police—took her warnings seriously.

Resolve is an intimate, wild ride from darkness and confusion to triumphant self-determination and inner peace. Living with a dark secret inside her, Alice Perle has overcome many obstacles on her path to healing in the shadow of sibling sexual abuse. Needing to understand her experiences at a deeper level, Alice's personal story is interwoven with her fascinating explorations of societal and intergenerational factors. Resolve showcases an eclectic approach to healing that helped Alice reclaim her true self, freeing her to create a bright, joyous, peaceful life.

In the much-anticipated follow-up to Sunday Times bestseller Trapped, foster carer Rosie Lewis tells the heartbreaking true story of Zadie. When the young teenage girl, thrown out of her home by her strict Muslim family, is discovered hiding on the city streets by the police, it is clear that...

From the time she was a little girl, Maryam rebelled against the terrible second-class existence that was her destiny as an Afghan woman. She had witnessed the miserable fate of her grandmother and three aunts, and wished she had been born a boy. As a feisty teenager in Kabul, she was outraged when the Russians invaded her country. After she made a public show of defiance, she had to flee the country for her life. A new life of freedom seemed within her grasp, but her father arranged a traditional marriage to a fellow Afghan, who turned out to be a violent man....

Patricia Byrnes's life began with being reared by deaf parents during an era when the deaf community was shunned rather than supported. Poverty, alcoholism, incest, and poor parenting were the underpinnings of Patricia's life, leading to her own issues with alcohol. Eventually, with a 12-step recovery program, her life became a powerful, positive example to others.

Read by the author. Learn to see through the haze of conflicted feelings and move forward in your life with confidence. In I Shouldn't Feel This Way, licensed therapist and bestselling author Dr. Alison Cook guides you through a groundbreaking 3-step process to find the emotional freedom you've...

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.

Many people find themselves in the same painful relationship patterns-choosing the wrong partners, replaying the same arguments, or feeling misunderstood again and again. These struggles are not about bad luck or flaws, but about inherited distorted intimacy patterns that have become stuck over...

Did your parents ever do unloving things in the name of love? Here is how you reclaim your sense of self. Do you feel as though your relationship with your parents is seriously limiting your potential? Have they made you feel worthless in the past? Did you or do you have to constantly be there for them and their problems? Have they used physical or emotional pain to “discipline” you? Do they try to control or manipulate you? If so, then the chances are high you are dealing with a toxic parent.

Ava Thomas knew leaving was the right decision. Trapped and manipulated in her relationship, and after yet another violent beating whilst she was pregnant, Ava was helped to a women's refuge with her children. Listening to the stories of other women there, Ava began thinking back to where it all started to go wrong. Brought up by a mother who never loved her, Ava sought that missing care and warmth elsewhere. Running away to her father's home as a teenager, she thought she might finally be safe. But after being abused by her own brother, she was thrown out onto the streets.

In this brave and beautiful memoir, written with the raw honesty and devastating openness of The Glass Castle and The Liar’s Club, a woman chronicles how her marriage devolved from a love story into a shocking tale of abuse—examining the tenderness and violence entwined in the relationship...

If you have even an inkling that you may be affected by emotional abuse, you owe it to yourself to take action...but that can seem easier said than done when you find yourself falling for manipulation tactics over and over again. But there are steps you can take to break free of the cycle and set foot on the road to healing and recovery…and this guide will be by your side every step of the way. As soon as you suspect that someone in your life is doing you more harm than good, it’s time to take action.