RESOURCE BOOKS FOR ADULTS

Silently Seduced: When Parents Make their Children Partners – Understanding Covert Incest

Adams, Kenneth. Revised and updated edition. Deerfield Beach, Florida: HCI Books, 2011.

n this revised and updated 20th anniversary edition of his groundbreaking book, Dr. Kenneth Adams, a leading expert on covert incest, sex addiction, and childhood trauma, offers tools for identifying and healing from covert incestuous relationships that affect adult relationships and lives. He explains how ‘feeling close’ with a parent is not always the source of comfort the phrase suggests, especially when that child is cheated out of a childhood by being a parent’s surrogate partner. 

Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Bass, Ellen and Laura Davis. Harper Paperbacks, 2008. 

This book is an inspiring, comprehensive guide that offers hope and a map of the healing journey to every woman who was sexually abused as a child and to those who care about her. Weaving together personal experience with professional knowledge, the authors provide clear explanations, practical suggestions, and support throughout the healing process. Readers will feel recognized and encouraged by hundreds of moving first-person stories drawn from interviews and the authors’ extensive work with survivors, both nationally and internationally. 

Secret Survivors: Uncovering Incest and Its Aftereffects in Women

Blume, Sue E. New York: Ballantine Books, 1988.

Secret Survivors is the first book to expand the definition of incest to include any adult abuser and to focus on what incest does to survivors. E. Sue Blume shows how incest is often at the root of such problems as depression, sexual and eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, and phobias and panic disorders. Using this information and the author’s guidance, survivors can identify themselves, develop alternative, non-destructive survival techniques and begin again on a new path toward a rich and empowered life. 

Daybreak: Meditations for Women Survivors of Sexual Abuse

Brady, Maureen. Center City, MN: Hazelden Publishing, 1991.

These 366 daily affirmations and meditations extend support and wisdom to women who have survived childhood sexual abuse. With understanding, compassion, and strength, the author addresses issues such as intimacy, fear, play, sharing secrets, and anger. She also shares her personal knowledge of sexual abuse to illustrate that we can not only survive, but thrive.

When Your Child Has Been Molested: A Parents’ Guide to Healing and Recovery

Brohl, Kathryn and Joyce Potter. Jossey-Bass, 2004.

This is the thoroughly revised and updated edition of the best-selling guide for families of children who have been molested. First published in 1988, this new edition includes current research and information on the nature and effects of molestation on boys and girls, as well as proven techniques for therapy, healing, and recovery. Using everyday language, the authors provide information, comfort, and advice on how to put the pieces back together again after a child has been sexually molested.

Don’t Tell: The Sexual Abuse of Boys

Dorais, Michel. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2008.

The book examines the effects of sexual abuse on the emotional and sexual life of men, including their sense of self and their personal relationships. Using first-hand accounts, Dorais shows that certain reactions are specific to male victims as they attempt to preserve their physical integrity and conceptions of masculinity. He provides innovative strategies for both prevention and treatment that will be of use to those who have suffered abuse as well as to their families and all those who are trying to help them – spouses, friends, social workers, and therapists.

Beyond Betrayal: Taking Charge of Your Life after Boyhood Sexual Abuse

Gartner, Richard. Wiley, 2005.

“With compassion and clarity, Richard Gartner shares insights from years of working with male survivors. Among this book’s greatest strengths is the extensive use of examples from Dr. Gartner’s clinical practice to illustrate problems and solutions on the path to healing. Beyond Betrayal offers support, encouragement, and useful skills to men in recovery” (Mike Lew, M.Ed., author of Victims No Longer and Leaping upon the Mountains).

Outgrowing the Pain: A Book for and About Adults Abused As Children

Gil, Eliana. Dell Publishing, 1988.

This much-needed book pinpoints the typical problems abused children experience when they become adults. The information is presented in a friendly and thorough manner for victims and professionals. 

I Did Tell, I Did

Harte, Cassie. UK General Books, 2010.

Cassie Harte had a heartbreaking childhood. She was neglected by her mother and abused from an early age by her mother’s lover, who she later discovered to be her biological father. Hooked on prescribed tranquilisers from her teenage years, she battled to break free for most of her adult life, and through two difficult marriages. Today she is a happily married woman, with a loving and supportive husband and three children. She runs her own practice as a counsellor and psychiatrist. 

Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims of Sexual Abuse

Hunter, Mic. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.

The book explodes the myth that sexual abuse of male children is rare, or that the consequences are less serious than for girls. Hunter examines the physical and emotional impact of abuse on its victims and the factors affecting recovery. With personal case histories of victims and their families, this is a powerfully written and meticulously researched book that is a landmark in the field of child sexual abuse literature. Thirteen firsthand “survival stories” offer inspiration to readers. 

A Better Yesterday: Living Life After Abuse

Kiser, Rogers D. Deerfield Beach, Florida: HCI Books, 2010.

After years of allowing the lies and abuse he suffered as a child define his past and cloud his future, Roger Dean Kiser decided to find a way to make sense of a childhood replete with verbal, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse before it was too late. In his new book, Kiser revisits his past and makes a conscious choice to focus on the kindness and happiness he experienced throughout his life. Sharing his heartfelt memories of kind people, loving animals, and comforting events, Kiser affirms the benevolence of the human spirit and demonstrates the healing capacity that random acts of compassion can have on a child.