Teen Torment: Overcoming Verbal Abuse at Home and at School [Paperback]

Patricia Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

In this must-read book, Evans explores the effects of verbal abuse on parents, teachers, peers, and the abusers themselves. She also reveals how teens learn to be verbally abusive and how this verbal poison can spread into every aspect of teen life: dating, sports, school, and the home.

Evans states a powerful case for why every teen, teacher, and parent must comprehend how hurtful words can be, why it is so important to detect this behavior early on, and how to stamp it out before it manifests in teen lives.

In an extraordinarily revealing way, she shows teens, parents, and educators how to take a stand against verbal abuse and how to break the "code of silence" -- a kind of verbal abuse "survival insurance" designed by some teens to control other teens! No doubt, Teen Torment is destined to have a permanent place in schools, libraries, and the heart and mind of every reader.

Teen Torment helps readers learn how to deal with -- and end -- the painful words and ugly talk that can ruin young lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Evans is the author of several books about verbal abuse, beginning with The Verbally Abusive Relationship (1992). Here she targets the minefields of teen behavior in a book for parents, teachers, and teens to share. In her first section, which defines verbal abuse, Evans revisits some of the material in her previous titles, but she shows how teens are particularly affected: verbal abuse impairs the self-confidence and self-knowledge necessary to develop into healthy, functioning adults. And she discusses the role of verbal abuse in violent behavior. In the book's second half, Evans looks specifically at verbal abuse in the media, on the sports field, at home, and in school, and she closes with a section on stopping verbal abuse, with separate chapters for parents, teachers, teens, and "boyfriends and girlfriends." Evans' approach is more practical and anecdotal than scientific, using approachable language enhanced with plenty of checklists, charts, and an appended resources section. The result is an easily digested, empowering guide to identifying and curbing damaging behavior and to strengthening communication in general. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A great, great book." -- Sonya Friedman of CNN for The Verbally Abusive Relationship

"A groundbreaking new book." -- Newsweek for The Verbally Abusive Relationship

"Great advice about how to stand up for yourself!" -- Anne Rule, author of Every Breath You Take, for Controlling People

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media Corporation (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580628451
• ISBN-13: 978-1580628457
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #692,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Evans is the bestselling author of four books, including The Verbally Abusive Relationship, Verbal Abuse Survivors Speak Out, Controlling People and The Verbally Abusive Man: Can He Change? She has appeared on Oprah, CNN, national radio, and in Newsweek and O, The Oprah Magazine. Patricia lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and can be reached via her website at www.VerbalAbuse.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teach your children to recognize and reject verbal abuse., December 30, 2003

By 

John Haroldson (Corvallis, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teen Torment: Overcoming Verbal Abuse at Home and at School (Paperback)

There is nothing that a survivor of verbal abuse wants more than to spare their children the devastation of a lifetime exposure to verbal abuse. Unfortunately, for those who have not felt it, or cannot wrap their mind around the concept and articulate it, the concept of verbal abuse, and its devastating effects, can seem very abstract. Teen Torment, as I read it, took the concept of verbal abuse, presenting it and analyzing it in a context that everyone has experienced (as a teen). Teen Torment presents an analysis of verbal abuse in a context which anyone who has experienced teen life has lived through. Thus making the concept of verbal abuse less abstract, and far easier to grasp and understand. The beauty of this approach is that once a person learns to identify verbal abuse in the context of teen life, they are much better prepared to recognize it in the context of intimate relationships. An added bonus is that a victim in a verbally abusive relationship can read this book without drawing the critical attention of the abuser, as the title (Teen Torment) does not immediately reveal a topic which the abuser, at first glance, might find threatening. In short, this is a great book on verbal abuse that has application to all people who seek to gain a greater understanding of verbal abuse, and particularly for parents who desire to spare their children from the torment of verbal abuse.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must read, November 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Teen Torment: Overcoming Verbal Abuse at Home and at School (Paperback)

Provides a great reference in understanding verbal abuse and what a devestating impact it has on a teen. Many adults can relate to this too and perhaps see themselves as victims from their past. This book will also help others evaluate their "blind spots" and recheck verbal messages they are sending. "Everyone" should read this!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good read, June 12, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Teen Torment: Overcoming Verbal Abuse at Home and at School (Paperback)

this is a good read for anyone who has to deal with verbal abuse. I feel like the title is a little misleading, as I have found this book very helpful in dealing with my mother and I am 28 yrs old. Although, I wish this book had been around when I was a teen, it probably would've made growing up with an abusive parent a lot easier. It is very insightful and gives helpful advice on recognizing patterns and "tricks" and also dealing with the verbal abuse. I also feel like I will be a better parent myself for reading this book. Much thanks to the author !