In this candid and unsettling work, author Freeman has chosen to share stark, horrific memories from childhood as a means of helping others to survive and overcome the mental, physical, and psychological challenges inherent in extreme physical abuse. The shocking, sadistic mistreatment inflicted by her father and other male relatives, and the lack of care or concern from her mother, began in Freeman's earliest years. Her father was an alcoholic who raged and harshly punished her on a regular basis, while her mother did not intervene. Her uncle also attacked her with her mother's apparent approval, telling her daughter that his house was to be deeded to her family. Beaten with belts and boards, Freeman was the chosen target of both parents, while her brother, as "the boy," was left unharmed.

Home-schooled, the author performed massive chores, and if her father found fault, she was beaten. Staying overnight with her grandparents, anticipating respite, she was raped by her grandfather. The family's sporadic church affiliations supplied no outreach for Freeman, while sometimes allaying her father's drinking but not his private furies. When she was twelve, his sexual attacks started, and, terrified, she had no one in whom she could confide. She describes these abusive incidents in shocking detail, including the physical sickness and depression that inevitably followed. In her mid-teens, working in a greenhouse, she told her supervisor, Carla, about her suffering, leading to her father's arrest, conviction, and imprisonment, even as her mother blamed Freeman for breaking up the family.

With counseling and protective housing, Freeman attended school and found friends. After some college attendance, a kind couple offered her a room in their home, and she began working and self-healing, though in private, Freeman recalls, she was still "a broken little girl." In counseling, she decided to write to her imprisoned father. Their letters are shown as written, proving that he accused her of evildoing and never acknowledged his crimes. Fortunately, she was blessed by meeting and marrying Issac, so with a loving, protective spouse and three children, she has found freedom and solace, evoking revelations which led to her wish to impart her story to others.

Freeman is now a successful businesswoman and community activist who has chosen to share, through writing and public speaking, her poignant saga of painful, personal victory over a deeply scarred childhood. In this riviting work, she offers guidance based on her experience to all who have suffered in similar ways. The closing chapters set forth specific tactics for increasing one's self-worth and determination to succeed despite the scars of one's past, reminding her readers that "your life is worth fighting for." Her willingness to depict even the most distressing details underpins her intelligently composed guidelines for overcoming the negativity that inevitably plagues fellow sufferers. Useful advice is also promoted for those who wish to help abuse victims, instructing them not to "give space" but instead, hold, hug, and listen. With such sage offerings, Freeman's work can be utilized in both group and private settings, inspiring hope and forging a path to improvement.

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