June 15, 2007
According to recent statistics, one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before age 16; the rates of physical abuse are even higher. This self-help manual aims to address those populations with useful facts, survivor anecdotes, and healing exercises centering on topics such as trauma, phobias, self-harm, anger, and boundaries. It also acts as a poignant narrative of Atkinson's ("Climbing Out of Depression and Building Self-Esteem") struggle to recover from her own abuse. Her story effectively illustrates more universal themes. And although her firsthand knowledge of the subject is the book's greatest strength, it is also its greatest weakness, at times making for a patchwork quilt of abuse-related topics having little overall conceptual underpinning. Atkinson's polemics can also obscure the complexities of the psychological issues. She insightfully addresses current hot topics in abuse survivor treatment, e.g., repressed memories, but sometimes in overly narrow terms. For example, her decidedly Christian consideration of forgiveness might be of limited use to non-Christians. Nevertheless, her passionate and engaging book deserves a place in larger public libraries, next to Laura Davis's "The Courage To Heal Workbook: A Guide for Women and Men Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse".Joseph A. Lipari, Central Clinic, Cincinnati
Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.