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Books about Abuse
The Glass Castle
by Jeannette Walls
A story of resilience and strength in the face of poverty and struggle.
Young Jeannette Walls lives with her parents, Rex and Rose Mary, her older sister, Lori, her younger brother, Brian, and her younger sister, Maureen. When Jeannette is seven, the family moves to ... (Wikipedia)
Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens
An orphan's journey of survival and resilience in the face of poverty and injustice.
Oliver Twist is born into a life of poverty and misfortune, raised in a workhouse in the fictional town of Mudfog , located 70 miles (110 km) north of London . , , , He is orphaned by his father's ... (Wikipedia)
Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed - A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings
by Michelle Knight
A survivor's account of her abduction, captivity and eventual escape from a decade of torture and abuse.
The #1, New York Times, Bestseller and inspirational memoir by Michelle Knight, whose survival story gripped the world and continues to inspire and offer hope. Michelle was a young single mother when ... (Goodreads)
My Story
by Elizabeth Smart
True story of a young girl's survival of abduction and captivity.
The harrowing true story of abduction and survival from the courageous young woman who lived it—now the subject of a Lifetime original movie,, I Am Elizabeth Smart., In this memoir, Elizabeth Smart ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood
A dystopian future where women are oppressed and used as a commodity.
After a staged attack that killed the President of the United States and most of Congress , a radical political group called the "Sons of Jacob" uses quasi-Christian ideology to launch a revolution . ... (Wikipedia)
Misery
by Stephen King
A psychological thriller of a woman's obsession with a wounded author, and its terrifying consequences.
Paul Sheldon, the author of the best-selling series of Victorian-era romance novels featuring the character Misery Chastain, has finished the series' final installment, Misery's Child , in which ... (Wikipedia)
Needful Things
by Stephen King
Small-town horror story filled with dark secrets, testing the limits of human morality.
A new shop named "Needful Things" opens in the small town of Castle Rock , Maine , sparking the curiosity of its citizens. The proprietor, Leland Gaunt, is a charming elderly gentleman seemingly from ... (Wikipedia)
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
by Timothy Snyder
A study of history and a call to action against the rise of authoritarianism.
#1, New York Times, Bestseller •, A historian of fascism offers a guide for surviving and resisting America's turn towards authoritarianism., The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Complete Maus
by Art Spiegelman
A graphic novel depicting a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust and his son's journey to understand the past.
On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of its first publication, here is the definitive edition of the book acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the ... (Goodreads)
Into the Water
by Paula Hawkins
A gripping murder mystery, uncovering secrets hidden in a town's haunted past.
Following the unexplained death of her sister, Nel, in a pool at the foot of a cliff, Jules Abbott returns to Beckford, a fictional town in Northumberland , to care for her niece, Lena. The novel is ... (Wikipedia)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson
An investigative journalist and a computer hacker uncover the secrets of a long-buried crime.
Every year for the past 36 years, Henrik Vanger receives an anonymous dried flower in a picture frame on November 1, his birthday. He has all of the frames displayed on a wall in his house. Every ... (Wikipedia)
The Good Daughter
by Karin Slaughter
A woman's quest for justice, uncovering secrets and lies that threaten to tear her family apart.
“,The Good Daughter, is like, Law and Order, meets, The Good Wife,.” —theSkimm, Instant, New York Times, Bestseller,, theSkimm Book Club Pick!,, The stunning new novel from the international #1 ... (Barnes & Noble)
A Little Life
by Hanya Yanagihara
A powerful tale of four friends navigating life's hardships and the devastating effects of trauma.
The novel follows the lives of four friends in New York City from college through to middle-age. It focuses particularly on Jude, a lawyer with a mysterious past, ambiguous ethnicity, and unexplained ... (Wikipedia)
Milk and Honey
by Rupi Kaur
An exploration of love, loss, trauma, and healing through short prose and free-verse poetry.
“Rupi Kaur is the Writer of the Decade.” –, The New Republic, #1, New York Times, bestseller, milk and honey, is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. About the experience of violence, ... (Barnes & Noble)
Easy
by Tammara Webber
A teenage girl's journey to finding her strength and identity after surviving a traumatic event.
A New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Rescued by a stranger.,Haunted by a secret.,Sometimes, love isn't easy... He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became ... (Goodreads)
Ham on Rye
by Charles Bukowski
A semi-autobiographical novel following a young man's struggles with poverty, violence and mental illness.
The novel focuses on the protagonist, Henry Chinaski, between the years of 1920 and 1941. , It begins with Chinaski's early memories. As the story progresses the reader follows his life through the ... (Wikipedia)
Medea
by Euripides
Tragedy of a woman's vengeful wrath against her husband and his family.
One of the most powerful and enduring of Greek tragedies, Medea centers on the myth of Jason, leader of the Argonauts, who has won the dragon-guarded treasure of the Golden Fleece with the help of ... (Goodreads)
Lolita
by Vladimir Nabokov
A controversial tale of a man's forbidden love for a young girl.
The novel is prefaced by a fictitious foreword by John Ray Jr., an editor of psychology books. Ray states that he is presenting a memoir written by a man using the pseudonym "Humbert Humbert", who ... (Wikipedia)
White Oleander
by Janet Fitch
A young girl's struggles to survive in a series of foster homes, finding strength in her resilience.
Astrid Magnussen is a 12-year-old girl living in Los Angeles , California with her mother, Ingrid Magnussen, a self-centered and eccentric poet. Astrid's father, Klaus Anders, left before Astrid was ... (Wikipedia)
Room
by Emma Donoghue
A young boy's struggle to survive and escape after being held captive in a small room.
Jack lives with his Ma in Room , a secured single-room outbuilding containing a small kitchen, a basic bathroom, a wardrobe, a bed, and a TV set. Because it is all he has ever known, Jack believes ... (Wikipedia)
Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
A young woman's process of healing from trauma, reclaiming her voice.
The first ten lies they tell you in high school. "Speak up for yourself—we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a ... (Goodreads)
Cat's Eye
by Margaret Atwood
A woman reflects on her childhood and her complex relationships with her peers.
After being lured back to her childhood home of Toronto for a retrospective show of her art, Elaine reminisces about her childhood. At the age of eight she becomes friends with Carol and Grace, and, ... (Wikipedia)
Sharp Objects
by Gillian Flynn
A gripping thriller following a journalist who uncovers a dark secret in her hometown.
Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the unsolved murder of a preteen girl and the ... (Goodreads)
Before We Were Yours
by Lisa Wingate
Family torn apart is reunited across generations, revealing a powerful tale of resilience and hope.
Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the ... (Goodreads)
She's Come Undone
by Wally Lamb
A young woman's trial-filled journey to self-acceptance and self-preservation.
Dolores Price is heartbroken when her handsome, but irresponsible father, Tony, leaves their suburban home for another woman. She and her mother, Bernice, move into her uptight Catholic grandmother's ... (Wikipedia)
The Butterfly Garden
by Dot Hutchison
A young woman's struggle to escape captivity after being imprisoned in a garden of butterflies.
An Amazon Charts bestseller., Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden. In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious “butterflies”—young women who have been ... (Barnes & Noble)
Escape
by Carolyn Jessop
Autobiography of a woman's struggle to escape an oppressive polygamous cult.
The dramatic first-person account of life inside an ultra-fundamentalist American religious sect, and one woman’s courageous flight to freedom with her eight children. When she was eighteen years ... (Goodreads)
The Lost Boy
by Dave Pelzer
A heart-wrenching story of a boy's survival of extreme childhood abuse and neglect.
The book continues after the ending of the previous book,, A Child Called "It", with David Pelzer, 9 years old, running away from his home in Daly City, California . He ends up in a bar, getting ... (Wikipedia)
A Child Called "It"
by Dave Pelzer
True story of a child's unbearable suffering at the hands of an abusive parent.
Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE], ACE #1, This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of ... (Goodreads)
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology
by Leah Remini
An account of Leah Remini's journey of faith, fame, and a decades-long involvement with Scientology.
The outspoken actress, talk show host, and reality television star offers up a no-holds-barred memoir, including an eye-opening insider account of her tumultuous and heart-wrenching thirty-year-plus ... (Goodreads)
A Court of Wings and Ruin
by Sarah J. Maas
A young woman's fight to protect her kingdom from a growing darkness, and the dangers of her own power.
The epic third novel in the #1, New York Times, bestselling, Court of Thorns and Roses, series by Sarah J. Maas. Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's ... (Goodreads)
Bastard Out of Carolina
by Dorothy Allison
A young girl's coming of age amidst poverty, abuse, and a broken family.
The book opens with Bone relating the details of her birth. Bone's 15-year-old mother Anney gives birth to her after being seriously injured in a car accident. Anney, who is comatose during the ... (Wikipedia)
Flowers in the Attic
by V.C. Andrews
A family's dark secrets emerge as four siblings are held captive in an attic.
In 1957, the Dollanganger family lives an idyllic life in Gladstone, Pennsylvania until Mr. Dollanganger dies in a car accident, leaving his wife Corinne deep in debt with four children and no ... (Wikipedia)
Winter's Bone
by Daniel Woodrell
A teenage girl's struggle to save her family from poverty and despair in the rural Ozarks.
In the rural Ozarks of Missouri , seventeen-year-old Ree Dolly looks after her mentally ill mother, twelve-year-old brother Sonny, and six-year-old sister Ashlee. She makes sure her siblings eat and ... (Wikipedia)
Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell
A horse's journey through life, as he experiences various owners and circumstances.
The story is narrated in the first person as an autobiographical memoir told by the titular horse named Black Beauty—beginning with his carefree days as a foal on an English farm with his mother, to ... (Wikipedia)
Lucky
by Alice Sebold
A young woman's story of survival and resilience after being violently attacked.
In a memoir hailed for its searing candor and wit, Alice Sebold reveals how her life was utterly transformed when, as an eighteen-year-old college freshman, she was brutally raped and beaten in a ... (Goodreads)
Black and Blue
by Anna Quindlen
A woman's journey of self-discovery, as she escapes an abusive marriage and reclaims her life.
For eighteen years, Fran Benedetto kept her secret. And hid her bruises. And stayed with Bobby because she wanted her son to have a father. And because, in spite of everything, she loved him. Then ... (Wikipedia)
The Girls
by Emma Cline
An exploration of the dark side of teenagehood, as a young girl is drawn into a cult.
Northern California, during the violent end of the 1960s. At the start of summer, a lonely and thoughtful teenager, Evie Boyd, sees a group of girls in the park, and is immediately caught by their ... (Goodreads)
I Know This Much Is True
by Wally Lamb
A man's journey of self-discovery, coming to terms with family trauma and understanding his identity.
The novel takes place in Three Rivers, Connecticut in the early 1990s. Dominick Birdsey's identical twin , Thomas Birdsey, suffers from paranoid schizophrenia . With medication, Thomas is able to ... (Wikipedia)
Still Missing
by Chevy Stevens
A woman's struggle to free herself from captivity, and reclaim her life.
On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a 32-year-old realtor, had three goals - sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient ... (Goodreads)
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
A gripping tale of a child soldier's journey to survive and reclaim his humanity.
My new friends have begun to suspect I haven't told them the full story of my life.,"Why did you leave Sierra Leone?","Because there is a war.","You mean, you saw people running around with guns and ... (Barnes & Noble)
Glass
by Ellen Hopkins
A gripping story about four teens struggling with personal issues, told in verse.
Kristina thinks that now she has a baby to care for and love, she can quit her addiction . But she finds herself searching for Robyn, her old contact for the "street crank". While at Robyn's house ... (Wikipedia)
Impulse
by Ellen Hopkins
A teenage girl's struggle to overcome trauma, while discovering her true identity.
From the book jacket: Conner Sykes : Conner is the perfect boy. He's handsome, has amazing grades, and is amazing at sports. His family seems like the poster family for the magazines. He and his twin ... (Wikipedia)
Burned
by Ellen Hopkins
A young girl's struggle to survive physical and emotional abuse in her family.
Pattyn is seventeen years old and is the oldest of seven girls in a Mormon household. Her father is an alcoholic who beats her mother, believing a wife must succumb to her husband's actions. Her ... (Wikipedia)
Nineteen Minutes
by Jodi Picoult
A small town is rocked by a school shooting, examining lives of those involved and the aftermath.
The story begins on March 6, 2007 in the small town of Sterling, New Hampshire , tracking the lives of a number of characters on an "ordinary day." The characters include Alex Cormier, a superior ... (Wikipedia)
Dry
by Augusten Burroughs
A memoir of alcoholism, mental illness, and the search for redemption.
You may not know it, but you've met Augusten Burroughs. You've seen him on the street, in bars, on the subway, at restaurants: a twenty-something guy, nice suit, works in advertising. Regular. ... (Goodreads)
It Ends with Us
by Colleen Hoover
A woman's journey of healing from the past and discovering her own strength.
Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most. Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the ... (Goodreads)
Running with Scissors
by Augusten Burroughs
An autobiographical story of a young boy's difficult upbringing and his unconventional family.
Running with Scissors covers the period of Burroughs' adolescent years, beginning at age 12 after a brief overview of his life as a child. Burroughs spends his early childhood in a clean and orderly ... (Wikipedia)
Into the Darkest Corner
by Elizabeth Haynes
Woman's struggle to escape her abusive past, and reclaim control of her life.
When young, pretty Catherine Bailey meets Lee Brightman, she can't believe her luck. Gorgeous, charismatic Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. But what begins as flattering attention and ... (Barnes & Noble)
Gerald's Game
by Stephen King
An innocent game between a married couple turns into a fight for survival.
Jessie Burlingame and her husband Gerald, a successful and aggressive lawyer, travel to their secluded lakehouse in western Maine for an unplanned romantic getaway. The titular "game" involves ... (Wikipedia)
Rose Madder
by Stephen King
A woman's escape from an abusive husband leads to a fantastical journey of self-discovery.
In 1985, Rose Daniels' husband, Norman, beats her while she is four months pregnant, causing her to miscarry . Rose considers leaving Norman but dismisses the idea: Norman is a policeman, and is ... (Wikipedia)
The Prince of Tides
by Pat Conroy
A man's search for solace and understanding in his troubled family's past.
Tom Wingo is a middle-aged man with a wife and three young daughters who has recently lost his job as a high school English teacher and football coach. He learns that his twin sister, Savannah, has ... (Wikipedia)
Magic Hour
by Kristin Hannah
A woman's journey of self-discovery and healing, finding strength and courage to confront her past.
Dr. Julia Cates was one of the country's preeminent child psychiatrists until a shocking tragedy ruined her career. Retreating to her small western Washington hometown, Julia meets an extraordinary ... (Goodreads)
Ignite Me
by Tahereh Mafi
Struggling to save the world from a tyrant, a young girl discovers her true power.
The heart-stopping third installment in the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Hollow City , called "a ... (Barnes & Noble)
Chains
by Laurie Halse Anderson
A young girl's mission to secure her and her sister's freedom from enslavement.
As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become ... (Goodreads)
The Client
by John Grisham
A young boy is thrust into a legal battle, as he tries to protect himself and his family.
Boyd Boyette, a United States Senator from Louisiana, goes missing. Because of his vocal opposition to a proposed major toxic landfill project by a company known to be Mafia-backed, murder is ... (Wikipedia)
W is for Wasted
by Sue Grafton
Detective Kinsey Millhone investigates the death of a young woman whose life was ruined by drugs and alcohol.
The narrative is set in Santa Teresa, a small fictional town near the California coast where Kinsey lives and spends time with her elderly landlord. The story, however, takes place in the very real ... (Wikipedia)
My Absolute Darling
by Gabriel Tallent
A teenage girl's extraordinary journey of personal growth and transformation.
Julia "Turtle" Alveston, age fourteen, lives in California with her sociopathic father, Martin. He is convinced of impending catastrophe, forcing her to learn survivalist skills. Turtle is thus ... (Wikipedia)
Ellen Foster
by Kaye Gibbons
A young girl's struggle to find a permanent home and family in the face of abuse and neglect.
Ellen is an only child who does not have a real home, even at the time when both her parents are still alive. Her father is " trash " and has a drinking problem , and the whole atmosphere is one of ... (Wikipedia)
Catch Me
by Lisa Gardner
A gripping psychological thriller, uncovering the dark secrets of a young women's past.
Charlene Grant believes she is going to die. For the past few years, her childhood friends have been murdered one by one. Same day. Same time. Now she’s the last of her friends alive, and she’s ... (Goodreads)
A Stolen Life
by Jaycee Dugard
A woman's harrowing account of being kidnapped and held captive for 18 years.
On 10 June 1991, eleven-year-old Jaycee Dugard was abducted from a school bus stop within sight of her home in Tahoe, California. It was the last her family and friends saw of her for over eighteen ... (Goodreads)
The Wasp Factory
by Iain Banks
A disturbed teenage boy discovers startling truths about his family and himself.
The story is told from the perspective of 16-year-old Frank Cauldhame. Frank lives with his father on a small island in rural Scotland , and he has not seen his mother in many years. There is no ... (Wikipedia)
The Witness
by Nora Roberts
A woman's quest to uncover the truth about her family's past, uncovering a sinister conspiracy.
Daughter of a controlling mother, Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking at a nightclub and allowing a strange man's seductive Russian accent lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The ... (Goodreads)
Dolores Claiborne
by Stephen King
A woman accused of murder recounts her life story, revealing dark family secrets.
Dolores Claiborne, an opinionated 65-year-old widow living on the tiny Maine community of Little Tall Island, is suspected of murdering her wealthy, elderly employer, Vera Donovan. The novel is ... (Wikipedia)
If There Be Thorns
by V.C. Andrews
A family drama exploring the dark corners of love, secrets, and forbidden passion.
The book is narrated by two half-brothers , Jory and Bart Sheffield. Jory is a handsome, talented fourteen-year-old boy who wants to follow his mother Cathy in her career in the ballet , while ... (Wikipedia)
Fair Game
by Patricia Briggs
A werewolf and a witch must join forces to save their town from an ancient evil.
Patricia Briggs, the #1 "New York Times" bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson novels, "always enchants her readers." (Lynn Viehl, "New York Times" bestselling author) Now her Alpha and Omega ... (Goodreads)
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook
by Bruce D. Perry
Insightful case studies of children dealing with extreme trauma, and their resilience.
In this instant classic of developmental psychology, a renowned psychiatrist examines the effect that trauma can have on a child, reveals how PTSD impacts the developing mind, and outlines the path ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Goose Girl
by Shannon Hale
A young princess must overcome great obstacles to reclaim her rightful throne.
When crown princess Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee was born, she did not open her eyes until her aunt held her. The woman became her nursemaid and constant companion, nicknaming her Ani and telling ... (Wikipedia)
A Man Named Dave
by Dave Pelzer
A man's journey of recovery and healing, overcoming a traumatic childhood of abuse.
More About Dave, A Man Named Dave, is the conclusion to a trio of autobiographical books by Dave Pelzer, who to millions of readers of, A Child Called "It", and, The Lost Boy, has become an ... (Goodreads)
Native Son
by Richard Wright
A young African American man's exploration of his identity, facing the harsh realities of systemic racism.
Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black ... (Goodreads)
Small Sacrifices
by Ann Rule
True crime story of a mother who goes to deadly lengths to get the perfect family.
On 19 May 1983 at approximately 10:48 p.m, Diane Downs, drives to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield , Oregon with a gunshot wound to her arm. She claims that an unknown assailant attempted ... (Wikipedia)
A Head Full of Ghosts
by Paul Tremblay
A family's descent into darkness when their teenage daughter is suspected to be possessed.
The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia. To her parents' despair, the doctors ... (Goodreads)
Sold
by Patricia McCormick
A young girl's fight for freedom after being sold into the sex trade in Nepal.
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl living with her family in a small hut in the mountains of Nepal. Her family is desperately poor, but her life is full of simple pleasures, like raising her ... (Wikipedia)
Heidi
by Johanna Spyri
A young girl's journey of discovery, learning the joys of friendship and nature.
Heidi , is an orphaned girl initially raised by her maternal grandmother and aunt Dete in Maienfeld , Switzerland after the early deaths of her parents, Tobias and Adelheid (Dete's brother-in-law and ... (Wikipedia)
Behind Closed Doors
by B.A. Paris
Psychological thriller about a seemingly perfect marriage hiding a sinister secret.
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING DEBUT PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER YOU CAN'T MISS! The perfect marriage? Or the perfect lie? “A hair-raising debut, both unsettling and addictive...A ... (Barnes & Noble)
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things
by Bryn Greenwood
A story of forbidden love, testing the boundaries of morality and redemption.
- A, New York Times, and, USA Today, bestseller - Book of the Month Club 2016 Book of the Year - Second Place Goodreads Best Fiction of 2016 A beautiful and provocative love story between two ... (Barnes & Noble)
A Million Little Pieces
by James Frey
An addict's story of recovery, as he struggles to overcome his demons.
Intense, unpredictable, and instantly engaging, this is a story of drug and alcohol abuse and rehabilitation as it has never been told before. It is also the introduction of a bold and talented ... (Goodreads)
Not My Father's Son
by Alan Cumming
A memoir of a man's journey to uncover his family's troubled past and reclaim his identity.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Equal parts memoir, whodunnit, and manual for living . . . a beautifully written, honest look at the forces of blood and bone that make us who we are, and how we make ... (Barnes & Noble)
A Piece of Cake
by Cupcake Brown
A woman's raw story of resilience and survival in the face of hardship and trauma.
The story begins in January 1975 when the female protagonist gives a short account of why her mother named her Cupcake Brown. Brown's mother died in 1976, when Brown was age 11. Since her biological ... (Wikipedia)
Never Let You Go
by Chevy Stevens
A woman's fight for freedom from an abusive husband and her journey of self-empowerment.
A stunning and thrilling novel from the, New York Times, bestselling author of, Still Missing., Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive ... (Barnes & Noble)
My Sweet Audrina
by V.C. Andrews
A young woman's journey to understand her childhood trauma and reclaim her identity.
V.C. Andrews, author of the phenomenally successful Dollanganger series, has created a fascinating new cast of characters in this haunting story of love and deceit, innocence and betrayal, and the ... (Goodreads)
Zoo Station: The Story of Christiane F.
by Christiane Vera Felscherinow
An autobiographical account of a teenage girl's battle with addiction, amidst a chaotic and turbulent life.
13-year-old Christiane Felscherinow lives with her mother, younger sister, and her pet cat in their small apartment in an unkempt multi-storey, concrete social-housing building in a dull ... (Wikipedia)
The Tenth Circle
by Jodi Picoult
A father's struggle to protect his daughter from danger in a story of love, loss, and redemption.
When freshman Trixie Stone accuses her ex-boyfriend, Jason Underhill, of raping her at a party, students and townspeople, alike, are quick to take Jason's side when he claims that their intercourse ... (Wikipedia)
Fire
by Kristin Cashore
A young girl's quest to find her place in a hostile world, learning to use her magical powers.
It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies ... (Goodreads)
We Are Water
by Wally Lamb
A family's struggle to reconcile their differences and make peace with their past.
In middle age, Annie Oh—wife, mother, and outsider artist—has shaken her family to its core. After twenty-seven years of marriage and three children, Annie has fallen in love with Viveca, the ... (Goodreads)
Cut
by Patricia McCormick
A teenage girl's journey to reclaim her identity after a stay in a mental health facility.
Fifteen-year-old Callie McPherson of Mississauga isn't speaking to anybody, not even to her therapist at Sea Pines (nicknamed "Sick Minds"), the residential treatment facility where her parents and ... (Wikipedia)
The Liars' Club
by Mary Karr
Memoir of a turbulent childhood in East Texas, exploring the power of love and family.
The book tells the story of Karr's troubled childhood in a small Texas town in the early 1960s. Using a non-linear story line, Karr describes the troubles of growing up in a family and town where ... (Wikipedia)
Good Night, Mr. Tom
by Michelle Magorian
An orphaned boy is taken in by a reclusive old man, discovering the power of friendship and family.
London is poised on the brink of World War II. Timid, scrawny Willie Beech – the abused child of a single mother -- is evacuated to the English countryside. At first, he is terrified of everything, ... (Goodreads)
The Silver Star
by Jeannette Walls
Two sisters embark on an epic journey across the U.S. in search of their long-lost mother.
It is 1970 in a small town in California. “Bean” Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother, Charlotte, takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to ... (Goodreads)
Sybil: The Classic True Story of a Woman Possessed by Sixteen Personalities
by Flora Rheta Schreiber
A psychological case study of the effects of dissociative identity disorder.
Here is the unbelievable yet true story of Sybil Dorsett, a survivor of terrible childhood abuse who as an adult was a victim of sudden and mysterious blackouts. What happened during those blackouts ... (Goodreads)
Good Me, Bad Me
by Ali Land
A young girl's struggle to protect her family from her mother's dark past.
Good Me Bad Me is dark, compelling, voice-driven psychological suspense by debut author Ali Land. How far does the apple really fall from the tree? Milly's mother is a serial killer. Though Milly ... (Goodreads)
Etched in Sand: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island
by Regina Calcaterra
True story of five siblings who survive abuse and neglect, finding strength to rise above their circumstances.
#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 ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Son
by Jo Nesbø
A man's quest to avenge the death of his father uncovers a dark family secret.
Sonny Lofthus is serving time for crimes he did not commit. As payment, he receives a steady supply of drugs to satisfy his addiction. His life changes completely when he learns the truth about his ... (Wikipedia)
Stolen
by Lucy Christopher
A teenager's desperate struggle to escape her captor and reclaim her freedom.
Whilst at a Bangkok airport, 16-year-old Gemma is kidnapped by 24-year-old Tyler “Ty” MacFarlane from a coffee shop after he drugs her coffee. He smuggles her away on a plane to Australia and takes ... (Wikipedia)
Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland
by Amanda Berry
True story of a woman taken captive and her struggle to stay alive and be reunited with her family.
Two women kidnapped by infamous Cleveland school-bus driver Ariel Castro share the stories of their abductions, captivity, and dramatic escape, On May 6, 2013, Amanda Berry made headlines around the ... (Goodreads)
The Atonement Child
by Francine Rivers
A young woman's internal struggle as she confronts her faith and her past.
A beautiful repackaged edition of Francine Rivers's classic novel that breaks through the many taboos surrounding abortion. In one terrifying moment, Dynah Carey's perfect life is shattered by rape, ... (Goodreads)
3rd Degree
by James Patterson
A detective investigates a series of murders to uncover a web of secrets and lies.
In this installment after a house with a family home blows up and Lindsay rushes in to save whoever may have survived the blast, a group of killers known as August Spies vow to kill every three days. ... (Wikipedia)
Silent Child
by Sarah A. Denzil
A gripping story of a young girl's struggle to overcome her challenges and find her voice.
In the summer of 2006, Emma Price watched helplessly as her six-year-old son's red coat was fished out of the River Ouse. It was the tragic story of the year - a little boy, Aiden, wandered away from ... (Goodreads)
Seduced in the Dark
by C.J. Roberts
A young woman's struggle to survive her captor and reclaim her freedom.
BOOK TWO OF THE DARK DUET The exciting, titillating, and action-filled conclusion to Captive in the Dark. What is the price of redemption? Rescued from sexual slavery by a mysterious Pakistani ... (Goodreads)
Captive in the Dark
by C.J. Roberts
A young woman's psychological journey of survival and redemption in a world of darkness and abuse.
BOOK ONE OF THE DARK DUET: Caleb is a man with a singular interest in revenge. Kidnapped as a young boy and sold into slavery by a power-hungry mobster, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. For ... (Barnes & Noble)
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