Stolen Beauty; Healing the Scars of Child Abuse: One Woman's Journey [Paperback]

Amy Madden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2007

At a very young age Amy Madden was exposed to the kind of inconceivable treatment no one, let alone a defenseless child, should ever have to endure. A brutal stepfather with a murky and painful history of his own found himself in an environment in which he was free to continue the cycle of trauma, committing unspeakable acts of sexual and emotional abuse against Amy and her siblings. Meanwhile, her struggling, overworked mother was unable to see the awful pain and damage that were being inflicted on her children. Amy felt ashamed, hurt, angry, and, most of all, unable to talk to anyone about what was happening to her. She felt as though it was her fault. The only route to dealing with the anguish was to submerge herself into a distrustful, insecure, depressed state. As have many survivors of abuse, Amy felt abandoned, unable to see who she really was, unable to hold on to any glimmer of hope. Only through a long, soul-searching process that involved a combination of therapy, study, prayer, and the eventual strong faith in the power of her own inner strength and spirit the innocence and beauty she had once possessed as a child was Amy finally able to reach a place of understanding and peace. Stolen Beauty is a poignant and necessary book for anyone who is seeking guidance through their own recovery from abuse, or for anyone who works to help survivors and abusers alike. Child abuse doesn t have to end tragically. There are ways to overcome our past. It s never too late to start believing again. It s never too late to recover the faith you ve lost. It s never too late to rediscover who you truly are.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Madden offers one of the most heart-wrenching accounts of surviving child abuse ever written." -- Library Journal

From the Back Cover

"An accomplished travel writer and mother of three, Madden offers one of the most heart-wrenching accounts of surviving child abuse ever written. When she was just six, her stepfather began abusing her sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally. Besides relating episodes of that abuse, Madden explains how she came to understand better her horrible experiences and let go of her anger (at her mother) and hatred (of her stepfather and herself). After her stepfather remarried, he was convicted of abusing the children of his next wife, and Madden's testimony at his trial is riveting. Her reflections on the healing process and her astounding capacity for forgiveness are a highlight of this hard-to-put-down tearjerker; her resounding faith in herself is a marvelous anthem for other victims of child abuse. Madden ends with solid recommendations toward making child abuse prevention everyone's business. With its insightful reminiscences, her work presents a more personal perspective than can be found in Annie G. Rogers's The Unsayable, and it will appeal to fans of Augusten Burroughs's Running with Scissors."--Library Journal, starred review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Syren Book Company (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929636740
• ISBN-13: 978-0929636740
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,302,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, inspiring and a must read!, May 15, 2007

By 

Jean Smith "Jean" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stolen Beauty; Healing the Scars of Child Abuse: One Woman's Journey (Paperback)

I devoured this book in less than two days! It's beautifully written and inspiring for anyone who has suffered abuse or is still suffering today from abuse. Madden offers insight to the horrors of abuse but most of all, how to heal from such experiences. Her reflections on healing and forgiveness are astounding and a highlight of this hard-to-put-down tearjerker. She brings home the point that having faith in yourself and learning how to love yourself is a key element in the forgiveness process. This is a must read for anyone who wants to heal from the bad experiences they may have gone through as a child.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An invaluable testimony, July 7, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stolen Beauty; Healing the Scars of Child Abuse: One Woman's Journey (Paperback)

Stolen Beauty: Healing the Scars of Child Abuse is the true-life memoir of Amy Madden, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse inflicted on her by her stepfather. Growing up with the shame, hurt, and vulnerability, feeling that the abuse she suffered was her fault, she retreated into a depressed, mistrustful state of despair. The road to recovery was a long and involved process of therapy, study, prayer, and developing strong faith in her own inner strength and spirit - the qualities she once possessed as a child so long ago. An invaluable testimony especially recommended as the experience of a kindred spirit for anyone seeking understanding during their own long journey to recovery from the trauma of abuse.

5.0 out of 5 stars Pick it up, October 22, 2010

By 

Rayne W. Wolfe (Petaluma, CA, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stolen Beauty; Healing the Scars of Child Abuse: One Woman's Journey (Paperback)

Some books are hard to put down, others like Amy Madden's book are hard to pick up. I just finished reading this memoir so chilling in its description of sexual abuse of a child that it gave me nausea. Reading this book is part of my current work/write regimen that requires sampling dozens of women's memoirs that capture different facets of toxic parenting. This is an absolute must read for anyone interested in this topic. What courage it took to write this book. Show a little courage and read it.