A Family Secret My Shocking True Story Of Surviving A Childhood In Hell

‘Each time my mother laid a finger on me... it was another step into the jaws of hell. Her abuse, more so than any other, destroyed me. It was the ultimate betrayal.’

You only get one chance to live your life as a child, but Lily was never given that chance; her childhood was taken from her before it ever begun. From the age of four, when she was first sexually abused, her life changed forever; when she walked through the institution’s doors in Ireland, her life continued along the same path that has destroyed her soul. Her emotional pain is as strong today as it was the day it began and will never leave her alone.“When I go to sleep it’s in my head and when I wake up I can see it in the mirror and I am only waiting to die.” A child abuse story that will stay with you forever and one that you will talk about for many years to come, The Girl Nobody Wants is a harrowing true story that will appeal to fans of biographies and fans of Jodi Picoult. It has been compared to Dave Pelzer’s A Child Called It, Damaged by Cathy Glass and The Kid by Kevin Lewis.

I was born and broken in Birkenhead. I was unwanted, beaten, sold, swapped, photographed, filmed, left for dead, corrupted, blamed, betrayed and ignored. But I was also born with a fire inside me. I call it my Phoenix Fire. I am no victim -- that word only describes what happened to me. Nor am I a survivor because that implies I am over it. I am a Phoenix -- a work in progress. This is my story.' Shy wasn't meant to survive her childhood. Her mother beat her so severely that Shy was deaf by her first day in school. She would have boiling water poured over her in punishment for wetting the bed. And virtually every day, from the age of four, Shy was raped by her stepfather, Stan. When she was ten she was attacked so viciously by the gang of dockworkers Stan had sold her to that she was left for dead in a field, her skull fractured. Six years ago her testimony secured the imprisonment of Stan and his associates for a catalogue of crimes against children. But it was only after a journey fraught with horror -- stealing to survive on the streets of London, prison and a suicide bid.Today, Shy is the internationally admired chief advocate for Phoenix Survivors, the campaigning group she founded with Sara Payne to fight for justice for victims of child sexual abuse. They have worked tirelessly with politicians, social services, the legal system and the media for justice for victims of child sex abuse. BROKEN is the most hard-hitting memoir of overcoming abuse you will ever read. It is both a challenge and an inspiration.

After years of physical and mental abuse, Jade thought her kindly foster mother would be the answer to her prayers. She was wrong ... this is her staggering true story.

Sophie Crockett spent most of her childhood suffering from crippling anxiety. Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, she became a virtual prisoner in her own home, afraid to venture outside. After battling with depression, eating disorders and self-harm, Sophie had the courage to re-enter society in her late teens.

An horrific true story of extreme bullying and childhood sexual abuse. Kate Skylark has previously co-authored two books about child abuse. But now, it's time for Kate (real name Siobhan) to tell her own story. Ugly Child, is a moving and shocking account of Siobhan's own childhood bullying and sexual abuse. Siobhan's life at school is a nightmare of constant verbal and physical attacks. As the abuse escalates, Siobhan begins to fear for her life and she must take drastic action to escape the torment. The story builds to a crescendo and one final, shocking act of sexual violence changes the lives of all concerned for ever. This is a story of extreme bullying, sexual abuse and heartbreak. But ultimately it is also one of forgiveness and redemption, as Siobhan learns to lay to rest the ghosts of her past. For every book sold, a donation will be made to the NSPCC.

In this haunting and frank account, Donna Ford, bestselling author of The Step Child, returns to the horrific abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepmother. As a tiny girl of five, and for six long years, Donna was physically, mentally and sexually abused. She was starved, beaten and 'loaned out' to neighbours who raped and molested her ... and throughout her father stood by and did nothing. When her stepmother finally left the family home, Donna dreamed of a normal childhood in which she would be taken care of by the man who had, up until this point, failed her. But it was not to be. By telling the whole story of her Edinburgh childhood, Donna tries to understand why the man who should have loved her the most - her own father - was the one who deceived her the most, by continuing to allow men to abuse her. Instead of finding a future of love and happiness, Donna was once again thrust into a living nightmare of exploitation and betrayal by those who should have wrapped her up in their love. While this is a true story of appalling child abuse, it is also a tale of how exhilaration, tenderness and self-development can flourish despite childhood horrors. We take a journey with Donna to discover the woman she has become: a devoted mother of three and a talented artist and writer.

Series statement from author's fourth and fifth books in the series.