Children often hide the abuses of their parents. Left to fend for themselves, many children are thrown into the adult world at an early age, never given the chance to be a kid and most ofall, never trusting others.Brenda Youngerman follows the lives four children, two sets of siblings, who are exposed to abusive parents in Hidden Truths.
On a rainy night, two brothers find out their mother died in a car accident. Their alcoholic father, Stan Foster, blames the youngest, 6-year old Billy, for her death. That evening, 12-year-old Wayne cannot find his brother and tries to tell his drunken father to call the police. Billy is never found and Stan persuades Wayne they need to move on with their lives and forget Billy. As they move from location to location, Wayne never forgets his brother, occasionally revisiting his former home to search. Wayne's life eventually spirals downward as he becomes withdrawn from school and friends, stays home and starts drinking. When his dad makes an attempt at sobriety, things are good for a while until Stan starts drinking again. Wayne's world hits rock bottom when his drunken dad gets in a car accident and kills two children. Stan is sent to jail and Wayne is left alone in the world to fend for himself.
Grace and Gwen are two sisters exposed to an abusive parent. Alice Nelson is an alcoholic who despises the youngest, Gwen, and blames her for ruining her life and marriage. Grace loves her little sister very much and takes care of her when her mother refuses. When Alice forgets to pick up Grace from school, Grace witnesses a mob hit. As Jack finds Grace waiting at the library, she blames Gwen, who is at home sick for the day, and "mommy," for not picking her up. Jack, a loving and doting father, eventually gets fed up with Alice. When he is offered a job in another state he decides to take Grace and leave Gwen with Alice, thinking it will give Alice a chance to be a better mother. Gwen's life spins out of control as her mother's addiction to drugs and alcohol become worse. When Gwen comes home one day, she becomes a victim of rape, an act encouraged by her mother.
"Hidden Truths delves into relationships and how messy people can be," says Youngerman. "It brings in the idea of angels walking among us and doing 'wrong' things because they are the right thing to do."
About the book:
Hidden Truths by Brenda Youngerman
ISBN: 978-1606931257
Publisher: Eloquent Books
Date of publish: Sept. 2008
Pages: 256
S.R.P.: $14.95
About the author:
Brenda Youngerman is the author of bestsellers Private Scars and Public Lies and an advocate of domestic violence legislation. She was born and raised in Southern California where she grew up in a broken home and pulled herself out of a destructive marriage. Youngerman still resides in Southern California and has been a single parent for 14 years. Youngerman is known for covering the very real issues of broken families, child abuse, and estrangement. She is very passionate about covering social issues and opening dialogues.
2 comments:
Wow this book sounds sad yet very touching. I feel so bad for these children, although I think its a good thing to get awareness out which I think is what this book is about.
I grew up in a home with abuse my by father and I can relate to all the story that Brenda wrote,even tho I didn't read them,I knew Brenda in school,we have different story in what happen to us that we never knew between us.I found Brenda or Brenda found me and we shared our stories,wow.We keep in touch.
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