Title: One Small Word: Surviving Childhood Abuse
Author: Gloria Eveleigh
Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
ISBN: 978-1643671581
Pages: 206
Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Reviewed by: Anthony Avina
Hollywood Book Reviews
One of the trickiest aspects of a person’s life are the memories they hold onto. For many, memories can be forgotten or pushed so far down they are nearly unreachable. For many, a recovered memory can bring about feelings of nostalgia or joy, but for others memories can be haunting. As H.P. Lovecraft once said, “Unhappy is he to whom the memories of childhood bring only fear and sadness.”
In author Gloria Eveleigh’s One Small Word: Surviving Childhood Abuse, the author takes readers on a painful and reflective look into the haunting world of childhood abuse. Following Frankie, a 50-year old social work student who suddenly finds memories she had long suppressed flooding back into her mind, remembers the abuse she suffered both physically and mentally at the hands of her abusive father. The book explores the power of therapy and coming to understand how past experiences and abuses canshape who we become in the future.
This is a heartbreaking, tragic yet ultimately healing read that showcases the journey through painful memories and abuse, and the road those affected by it take to find peace. The author touches upon the need not only for therapy, but the work that goes
into turning negativity and tragic pasts into positivity and hopeful futures. The writing is honest and the use of imagery throughout this memoir really put readers into the author’s perspective, giving a whole new understanding of those affected by childhood abuse and how they fight to overcome it.
The book is a must-read for those who enjoy memoir’s, those seeking narratives that look into the trauma and recovery of childhood abuse, and non-fiction reads overall. It was powerful and impactful to me as a reader to read the words of the author’s experiences translated onto the book and feel the raw emotions that went into those words, making this a truly impactful read.
Emotional, evenly paced and engaging, Gloria Eveleigh’s One Small Word: Surviving Childhood Abuse is a powerful non-fiction read not to be missed. While painful and saddening to read at times, the purpose of overcoming abuse and finding a way to turn those negative emotions which come with those memories into a force for positivechange makes this a remarkable story that needed t
ONE SMALL WORD – SURVIVING CHILDHOOD ABUSE
Gloria’s message is “There is hope after abuse.” Reading about her horrific experiences of child abuse and how they’ve affected her life decisions helped me to write my own story. Gloria takes you to the healing place where you can learn to love yourself and move on to live a beautiful and productive life. Also reading about how she transformed her pain to purpose has inspired me and motivated me to continue to push to use my experiences to help others.
An excellent autobiographical work. It's possible to heal from past trauma, and this author shares her journey into adulthood after surviving horrendous child abuse. Walk with her on her journey to the healing place and find that it is possible to grow into a person full of self-love and light. Gloria Eveleigh shows us that life is to be lived and enjoyed and that it's possible to have that even after experiencing child abuse. I highly recommend this book for those struggling to see the light of day after living through hell of abuse.
5 stars
An excellent autobiographical work. It's possible to heal from past trauma, and this author shares her journey into adulthood after surviving horrendous child abuse. Walk with her on her journey to the healing place and find that it is possible to grow into a person full of self-love and light. Gloria Eveleigh shows us that life is to be lived and enjoyed and that it's possible to have that even after experiencing child abuse. I highly recommend this book for those struggling to see the light of day after living through hell of abuse.
5 stars
One Small Word: Surviving Childhood Abuse
by Gloria Eveleigh
URLink Print and Media
book review by Jonah Meyer
"She still sees herself as unworthy of other people’s love . . ."
There is a singular word, which, despite consisting of only two letters, takes a young girl fourteen years to be able to stand firm and say. That word is “no.” Eveleigh’s autobiographical story is that of childhood in a dysfunctional family, documenting the devastating trauma of years of both physical and sexual abuse by a father prone to violence, and where the writer’s mother, literally unable to stand up to him, is seen as essentially enabling such abuse. Through this heartfelt memoir, we learn how intimacy and relations with boyfriends and her husband later in life were drastically affected by the trauma that is childhood sexual violence. And yet, Eveleigh’s book is a testament to healing. As such, this book would well serve anybody who has or is experiencing an abusive family situation as well as professionals who work with victims of sexual or physical abuse.
Over time, the author comes to terms with the violence, abuse, and neglect she grew up experiencing. Quite understandably, it takes a long time to realize that not one of those terrible episodes was her fault and that she has innate worth. Eveleigh writes with unfettered emotion, realistic dialogue, and familial detail, portraying the raw emotions of guilt, confusion, anger, fear, resentment, self-disgust, and, finally, self-acceptance. “The counseling has made a real difference,” she writes. “Just knowing that none of the abuse I experienced was my fault has taken away so much guilt. It has helped me to like myself more, and to understand why I behave in certain ways.” The author is to be commended for pouring her heart into the writing of a memoir which deftly tackles such sensitive subject matter, treating it with grace, wisdom, and insightful self-reflection.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review
