Book List: Memoirs and Biographies of Child Abuse

Sometimes, reality is scarier than fiction.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone had a magical, care-free childhood?

Memories filled with loving families, summer vacations, and holiday traditions.

Unfortunately, that isn't the case for far too many.

This article here quotes: "Approximately 3 million cases of child abuse and neglect involving 5.5 million children are reported each year."

That is absolutely tragic! Can you imagine how many go unreported???

Fortunately, there are so so many survivors that have come forward. To raise awareness, to tell their stories, and to help those in situations who are too scared to speak up.

I always find these stories so heartbreaking, yet the victims courage is empowering. Even if you aren't a victim yourself. It gives us some glimpse of hope that we can do better, as a society. As humans!

I have read several books

focusing on many forms of abuse. To me the most heart wrenching are always the ones about children. They are usually born into these situations with no defenses and most times, they aren't aware that what is happening is wrong, or bad. It is the only thing they know until they are shown or learn different.

This list is only the beginning of so many books in a horrific genre of...

Memoirs and Biographies of Child Abuse

* This post contains affiliate links. If you follow a link and make a purchase I will receive commission at no extra charge to you.

1. Sickened- Julie Gregory (several)

2. A Child Called "IT"- Dave Pelzer (and his series) (several)

3. The Glass Castle- Jeannette Walls (several)

4. Pieces of My Mother- Melissa Cistaro (3 copies)

5. Mommy Dearest- Christina Crawford (out of stock)

6. Broken- Shy Keenan (1 copy)

7. Hope's Boy: A Memoir- Andrew Bridge (several)

8. House Rules- Rachel Santag (2 copies)

9. Running With Scissors- Augusten Burroughs (several)

10. Living With Evil- Cynthia Owen (1 copy)

11. Damaged: The Heartbreaking true story of a forgotten child-Cathy Glass (several)

12. Another Forgotten Child- Cathy Glass (several)

13. Street Kid-Judy Westwater (several)

I have listed beside each title the numbers of copies that are currently available at Thriftbooks at the time this post was published.

If you would like to follow the link below

Shop now for thousands of quality used biographies & memoirs books starting at under $4 I love this site and have used them for years.
They always have a huge variety in any genre I am looking for.
Several of my other posts show my loyalty to them...even before I became an affiliate.

I hope you enjoy this list and always check back for more lists, reviews, TBRs and much more!
Happy reading!

"Family is supposed to be our safe haven. Very often, it's the place we find the deepest heartbreak."

Iyanla Vanzant

Review: The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle

by Jeannette Walls

Quote: "It's good we raised you young' uns to be tough, Because this is not a house for the faint of heart."~ Dad(Rex Walls) pg. 150

Started: Sept. 5, 2012

Finished: Sept. 11, 2012

288 pages/paperback

From the cover:

The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family.

 The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

 The Glass Castle is truly astonishing-a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family.

My Review:

Wow! This is definitely one of those OMG books! This is going to be hard to review. There is so much to this book, and more because it is a memoir, non-fiction, no faking, the real deal! Wow!

I have always been intrigued to learn real stories about real people. I am fascinated with learning about other people, places, times. Also, being a parent myself I love reading about people's childhoods. What they perceive their parents done right or wrong. As a parent what did they feel was the right choice at the time and so forth. 

This book would be the "What NOT to do" as a parent handbook!

Seriously, some of the things these children went through(hunger, poor living conditions, criminal activity, injuries untreated, sexual abuse...) that were ALL well known by BOTH parents! These things were brushed off or even laughed at as "learning experiences" that would "toughen them up" while running out of money for booze, cigarettes or art supplies were major issues. To me it was a classic case of book smart, intelligent people who have absolutely NO common sense or the mental ability to deal with any "real life" situations.

I have heard so many people's reviews about how RoseMary(Mom) was raised by a distant, rough around the edges, fearless mother who seems to have taught her daughter(however unintentional) to be a free-spirited, make your own rules up as you go kind of parent. Well, I think that is pure BS! I did read Half Broke Horses and I never got any clue as to that type of parenting. RoseMary(and Rex) were two of the most selfish people I have ever heard of. They had SO many chances, opportunities, ways of making a much better, easier life for themselves and their children who had no choice in the matter. Yet, they CHOSE to live in poverty, involve themselves and their children in criminal activity and let them be exposed to so many things no human, let alone a child should ever have to face. For what? All because they wanted to be greedy, make their own rules, and defy laws and society and how they felt society viewed and judged them. To prove a point to who? America, civilized people, their parents....

I will call this book sad, tragic even, but I have absolutely NO pity for RoseMary or Rex Walls.

*5 stars* for an amazing story written with complete honesty and heart