Cheryl Rainfield's Teen Book Reviews -- Abuse and Trauma -- Dealing with Incest, Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse, Date Rape, Date Violence, and Neglect through books.

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Abuse and Trauma: Coming Out the Other Side

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Sexual Abuse, Incest, & Rape physical abuse
date rape and dating violence neglect

Sexual Abuse, Incest, & Rape

Strong at the Heart
by Carolyn Lehman
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005. ISBN: 0374372829

My rating:

The most important thing I want to say to people is this: if you've been abused or assaulted, hold on. And no matter how bad you feel, don't kill yourself. One way or another, the person who did it will get payback. Even if they don't, you've got the rest of your own life to live.
--Sheena in Strong at the Heart, Carolyn Lehman, p. 64.

Strong at the Heart is an important non-fiction book for teen readers, and for anyone who's survived sexual abuse or knows someone who has. It contains 9 stories of sexual abuse from 11 different people, stories that are written with compassion and sensitivity. The survivors are a comprehensive mixture of females and males from different backgrounds and ages, who tell their experiences of sexual abuse as a child or teen, and speak of their healing. The book also includes a thoughtful and wise introduction by the author, Lehman, who is herself a survivor of abuse. Lehman clearly understands both the impact of sexual abuse, and the different healing journeys that survivors must take.

The interviews show the many different scenarios that abuse can take place in--both girls and boys being sexually abused, from date rape to clergy abuse, stranger rape to incest. The stories help dispel some myths, such as that boys can't be sexually abused, or that a figure of authority such as a minister is always safe. It can open the eyes of people to the pain that might be around them, in their friends, their own family, and help validate and strengthen survivors.

Readers should know ahead of time that the content may be upsetting, and to read the book at their own pace.

Each interview contains black-and-white photos of the survivor being interviewed, which bring faces to the stories, and can help make the survivors more real to the reader. Since many survivors feel isolated and alone, as if they are the only ones, these photos are an important part of the book, and may help to dispel some of the shame survivors feel, and help them realize on a deeper level that there are other people out there who have similar experiences.

The interviews are placed so that some of the potentially easier-to-read stories are placed first (one-time or not as frequent rape with strangers or people outside the family) and then move into more frequent abuse and incest. This can help ease a reader into the book. This placement may initially put off survivors of frequent, extreme abuse, who may be afraid that their stories will not be found here--but they just have to read on.

The book closes with an interview with three survivor activists, and then moves into an extensive resource section. The resources include books (both fiction and non-fiction), films, websites, and organizations (both support and activist) for male and female survivors, and even offenders.

It is clear from this book that talking about the abuse is part of what helps lessen the great pain and shame, and that survivors each find different ways to move through that pain and to heal. It also shows the great strength, courage, and tenacity that survivors have. This book can let other teens and adults know that they are not alone, that they deserve to find safety and healing, and that talking about the abuse and reaching out to others can help that healing happen.

This book is a great resource, a strong educational tool, and a book that can help validate survivors' experiences and encourage them in their healing. Well worth reading and sharing.

Readers or those interested in knowing more about the book can also check out Lehman's site, where she has her own blog, a bit of info about herself, some good ideas on how to help yourself or someone you know who's been abused, and a ton of great resources.

When She Hollers
by Cynthia Voigt
Scholastic Paperbacks, 1996. ISBN: 0590467158

My rating:

She put the survival knife down on the table. It pointed across at him.
She couldn't breathe.
"From now on—" she said. "I'll have this knife." Her knees were watery, and her mouth trembled. "All the time." She sat down.
He was pretending not to hear.
--When She Hollers, Cynthia Voigt, p. 1.

A powerful, moving story told all in one day about Tish, a teen who's been sexually and emotionally abused by her step-father. She doesn't want to take it any more; she won't. So she fights back—and finds a way to get herself safe and stop him from hurting her again. Powerful. The best book on sexual abuse, the imbalance of power—and finding inner strength, that I've ever read. Suspenseful, tightly written, and compelling—an enjoyable read.

Mercy's Birds
by Linda Holeman
Tundra Books, 1998. ISBN: 0887764630

My rating:

"I like it like this," I said, crossing my arms over my chest, and bending down to see my reflection in the kettle. In the dented aluminum, my face was that of a grotesque stranger, the features stretched and enlarged, the hair chopped off in rough bangs and reaching to just under the jaw. And it was black. Jet black.
...
Nothing—not bird claws, and not fingers, especially not B's fingers—would ever tangle themselves in my hair again, scaring me, holding me prisoner.
--Mercy's Birds, Linda Holeman, p. 4.

Mercy has it rough. Her mother is so depressed she rarely gets out of bed, her aunt Moo is an alcoholic, they are so poor that Mercy works when she's not at school to help pay the rent, and they move often, from poor neighbourhood to poor neighbourhood, so Mercy has to keep readjusting to new schools. On top of that, her Aunt Moo's boyfriend, "B," threatened her and made sexual advances towards her the last time he was around. Now it's coming closer to him coming home, and Mercy is depressed, afraid, and burdened. She doesn't feel she has anyone she can tell; she's afraid to upset her depressed, sometimes suicidal mother, or her alcoholic aunt....

So Mercy retreats inward. But her pain and fear come out in other ways. She chops her hair short and dyes it black, she starts to wear only black clothes and nailpolish, and she withdraws—a clear call for help—but her mother and aunt don't seem to see her pain. Mercy finds an ally in her employer, though, and another girl at school—and eventually she is able to trust and to draw on the courage to tell about "B."

A gripping, engrossing story that is incredibly well written, this book will make you care about Mercy and the trouble she's in. A powerful, at times painful book that addresses abuse, poverty, despair, and healing, this book is one of my favourites. You won't be able to put it down.

Uncle Vampire
by Cynthia D. Grant
Random House, 1995 ISBN: 0679867260

My rating:

We're close. Twins. Mirror images. We can almost read each other's minds. Usually that's fine, but it can be a pain. A family can become too ingrown; interwoven thistles, inseparable, brittle.
That's what happens when there's a secret at the core.
Sometimes the secret prickles at the corners of her mind, but Honey wipes it away; she wants to be happy. She wants to have a perfect life.
--Uncle Vampire, Cynthia D. Grant, p. 1.

Sixteen-year-old Carolyn is being sexually abused by her uncle Toddy who lives with her family—but this reality is too much for her to face. Her depressed mother is emotionally absent, her father doesn't want to hear anything, her older sister escaped by going to college, and her brother doesn't see any way out. So Carolyn tries to escape the trauma by retreating into her head, and changing the reality—but the trauma leaks through her denial. From the beginning of the book, we see her convinced that her uncle is a vampire who comes into her room every night to suck her blood—an appropriate metaphor for what he does. Carolyn also creates an imaginary twin sister who is docile and doesn't want to tell anyone about their uncle.

But eventually Carolyn does have to tell—and with the help of a supportive school councellor, she is able to face the truth. This book is suspenseful, and reveals the emotional trauma that survivors go through and the need for denial. Although at times the book wanders, the emotional trauma Carolyn experiences is enough to keep you hooked.

This book is out of print, but you can buy a used copy through this search engine.

Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson Puffin, 2001 ISBN: 014131088X

My rating:

Melinda is having a really rough time. Since the beginning of her freshman year at high school, she's been shunned by her classmates because she called in the police at the big end-of-the-summer party. Her parents hardly talk to her, they're so busy with their jobs. Both those things are hard, but what's hardest is what happened to her at the party---she was raped by a senior, and has kept it a secret. That secret is making her mute, and she has to find the courage to break the silence. has found it increasingly harder to speak since she started her freshman year--and held onto a secret. A book that tells the painful truth of many teens.

Physical Abuse

Nothing to Lose
by Alex Flinn
HarperTempest/HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN: 0060517506

My rating:

I shouldn't have come back to Miami.
The cop at the Whack-a-Mole game is a fat one. He dips his elephant ear into its cup of chocolate sauce like a buzzard with a tasty slice of roadkill. When his attention's on that, I approach.
"Give it a try, Officer?"
I have to shout over the screams from the Tilt-a-Whirl. That makes it easier to keep my voice stead. I've been escaping cops' notice for a year now—since I ran away. Secret is, don't avoid them and act casual.
--Nothing to Lose, Alex Flinn, p. 3.

Sixteen-year-old Michael Day ran away from home and his abusive stepfather a year ago, and joined a carnival. Now he's back in Miami—where his mother is awaiting trial for the murder of his stepfather. Michael is pulled between doing the right thing, and his fear of being caught and brought back into the whole mess. He knows he has to face his past—but first he has to find the strength to do it.

This is a fast-moving, gripping book, told in chapters alternating between this year (when he knows his mother is facing trial) and the previous year (all the events that led up to this moment). There is excellent movement between the past and the present, with tension building up in each, and leading into each other. The chapters placed this way are very effective.

The novel is a rivetting, emotional story, with a main character who is very likable, believable, and fully rounded. It feels like the author got right inside Michael. The mother is not as fully developed, and so slightly less believable, as is Kristie—but the novel is so well crafted overall that this is a minor thing.

The plot carries incredible momentum, and this is helped by Michael being such a strong character, one we truly care about and root for. And there are great sensory details and beautiful language sprinkled throughout the writing.

At times it felt like some characters were placed a little too conveniently, understanding Michael because of their own backgrounds--but it still worked. And there were enough positive moments and kind happenings to offset the painful ones.

There's a twist in the plot, which may surprise some readers. The novel is totally absorbing—a not-to-be-put-down read. Gripping and utterly enjoyable.

Counterfeit Son
by Elaine Marie Alphin
Puffin Books (Reprint) 2002. ISBN: 0142301477

My rating:

Fourteen-year-old Cameron has lived in terror of his father—a serial killer who kidnaps, abuses, then kills young boys—for as long as he can remember. He has experienced emotional asd psychological abuse at the hands of his father. When his father is killed in a shootout with the police, Cameron grasps at his one chance to have a normal life and a loving family—he poses as one of his father's victims.

In his new identity as Neil Lacey, he is reunited with Neil's family—but all the while he's very aware that although Neil's parents instantly accept him, the police and Neil's sister do not believe that he is really Neil. He desperately wants them to; he wants to be able to live a real life. When Neil's younger brother is kidnapped by one of his father's friends, Cameron must face up to the truth and reveal his scam—a scam that turns out not to be such a scam. The book is rivetting and compelling, revealing the great denial and psychological wounds that can result from severe trauma.

What Jamie Saw
by Carolyn Coman
Puffin Books, (Reprint)1997. ISBN: 0140383352

The book starts off with Jamie waking up to see Van, the man his mother is living with, throw his baby sister across the room. Jamie freezes in fear. His mother catches the baby, and then tells him to come to her. Jamie flees with his mother and baby sister, and they end up staying at a friend's trailor, where they try to start up a new life and heal. But the fear is still coiled inside Jamie, and sometimes his mother, and it takes time, his mother's understanding, and a kind teacher to help Jamie realize that he can feel safe again.

The book immediately grabs your attention and holds it through the entire novel. This is a sensitive, incredibly well-written, moving book. The book centers on a younger main character—but don't let the age of the protagonist put you off this compelling, powerful book.

My rating:

date rape and dating violence

Dreamland
by Sarah Dessen
Puffin Books (Reprint) 2002. ISBN: 0142300675.

Caitlin was used to living in the shadow of her overachieving, "perfect" older sister. But when her sister runs away, Caitlin is left to deal with her mother's anguish and increased demands on Caitlin (that once were focused on her sister), her father's apparent lack of caring, and her own turmoil of feelings. As Caitlin struggles with her feelings and her own self-worth, she meets Rogerson—a wealthy, handsome, and attentive boy who seems interested in her. He's rebellious and different from anyone she knows, and she starts hanging around with him and his friends, and ignoring her own. But Rogerson becomes controlling, intimidating, and physically abusive, and pressures her to have sex when she doesn't want to and doesn't enjoy it. At times he forces himself on her. The abuse gets progressively worse, but Caitlin feels unable to end their relationship and escape from him. What she really needs is someone to notice and help her. In the end, she gets the help she needs—but only after a crisis. An intense, compelling story that is vivid and well written, and only briefly strays from intensity and quality. Realistic, honest, and powerful, this is one good book.

My rating:

Past Forgiving
by Gloria D. Miklowitz
Simon & Schuster, 1995. ISBN: 0671884425

Fifteen-year-old Alex knows she has a great thing in her boyfriend, Cliff—he's attractive, popular, and polite. But there are more sides to Cliff than what he shows in public. Cliff has a violent temper, and becomes very controlling, jealous, and possessive of her, even to the point of slapping her and trying to prevent her from seeing her friends. Alex keeps excusing his behavior and denying that anything is wrong—in part because she's desperate to have a guy, a good relationship. But when Cliff rapes her, then just expects her to forgive him like she has all the other times, Alex realizes something is wrong. But it still takes her time to get away from Cliff and his abusive behavior.

This is an important story that many teens can relate to, and others should read about. The indications of control and abuse, and how they unfold, are very clear, and serve as good warnings. Packed with emotion.

My rating:

Breathing Underwater
by Alex Flinn
HarperTeen/HarperCollins, (reprint), 2002. ISBN: 0064472574

A gripping story written from the perspective of an abusive teen boy, Breathing Underwater shows us how abusers can rationalize what they do, so they don't have to see the pain of what they've caused. Sixteen-year-old Nick slaps and punches his girlfriend, Caitlin, when she gets "out of control." Nick is messed up inside—he feels a desperate need to be near Caitlin, because she is the only one who understands him, but that very need makes him resent her. And though he doesn't want to be anything like his father, who abuses him, he might be growing like him.

Caitlin's family gets a restraining order to keep Nick away, and the judge sentences him to an anger management class where he has to listen to other teen boys who've hit their girlfriends. Desperate and friendless, Nick tries to understand and overcome his anger and abusive behavior, and gradually comes to understand the effects of what he has done, and learns some self-control, responsibility, and courage.

An honest book that is an important read. Strong, powerful, and disturbing.

My rating:

Neglect

Awake and Dreaming
by Kit Pearson
Puffin (reprint), 1999. ISBN: 014038166X

Theo is unhappy. She's poor, teased at school, and neglected and physically abused by her selfish, irresponsible mother. She never has the right clothes, and often doesn't have enough to eat. She also tries to take care of her mother, instead of the other way around. Theo is so unhappy she creates her own world that she can escape into—a world where she has a family named the Kaldors who love her and take care of her, and who provide her with everything she needs. But when the dream begins to fade, and Theo tries to find the real Kaldors, she discovers they don't know her. Gradually, Theo recognizes some things she values in her own family, and finds a bit more happiness. The book is so vivid, you feel like you're right inside Theo's head. A wonderful, powerful book that you won't forget reading.

My rating:

updated Nov 2005

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