Showing titles in Dysfunctional Families

1986, Mobile, Alabama. A 14-year-old girl is awakened by the unmistakable sound of gunfire. On the front lawn, her father has shot and killed her mother before turning the gun on himself. Allison Moorer would grow up to be an award-winning musician, with her songs likened to "a Southern accent: eight miles an hour, deliberate, and very dangerous to underestimate" (Rolling Stone).

The shocking true story of a young boy hidden away from his family and the world in a Catholic home for unmarried mothers in 1950s Dublin. Born an 'unfortunate' onto the rough streets of 1950s Dublin, this is the incredible true story of a young boy, a secret child born into a home for unmarried mothers in 1950s Dublin and a mother determined to keep her child, even if it meant hiding him from her own family and the rest of the world.

Faith Eden’s brief foray into motherhood is marked by tragedy. Distraught that her baby was ripped away from her, she is determined to get little Paula back from the wealthy family who adopted her. Her brother, Trevor, is also anxious to get the baby back and will do anything necessary to do so. But when the dark truth comes to light, this twisted family will stop at nothing to keep outsiders out and secrets in—no matter the cost.

For one little boy, however, life had become anything but "normal." To all appearances, he and his family lived an almost idyllic life. The father was a respected professor, the mother a witty and elegant lady, someone everyone loved. They were parents to three bright, smiling children: two boys and a girl. They lived on a sunny street in a small college town nestled neatly in a leafy valley. They gave parties, hosted picnics, went to church - just like their neighbors. To all appearances, their life seemed ideal. But it was, in fact, all appearances.

Family is difficult because family - every family - is an echo of the gospel. Family can be the source of some of the most transcendent human joy, and family can leave us crumpled up on the side of the road. Family can make us who we are, and family can break our hearts. Why would this social arrangement have that much power, for good or for ill, over us?

In I'll Give You Something to Cry About, Elizabeth Acker gives a stunning account of growing up under the abusive control of an emotionally and mentally ill mother. Elizabeth is forced to become estranged from her father, and struggles alone to create hope and meaning for her life, while serving her mother like a slave. This audiobook is a true account of a daughter's struggle to survive a mother with paranoia, schizophrenia, and manic depression.

Even if you spent years with a narcissist and can’t imagine your life without them, it’s never too late to start healing and working toward the life you deserve. Being in a relationship with a narcissist is mentally and emotionally exhausting. Life with a narcissist can feel like you’re being held hostage. If you aren’t giving them the attention and recognition they want, they’ll make you miserable. Your feelings, your thoughts, your goals, don’t matter.

On a hot August night on Cape Cod, when Adrienne was 14, her mother, Malabar, woke her at midnight with five simple words that would set the course of both of their lives for years to come: Ben Souther just kissed me. Adrienne instantly became her mother’s confidante and helpmate, blossoming in the sudden light of her attention; from then on, Malabar came to rely on her daughter to help orchestrate what would become an epic affair with her husband’s closest friend. The affair would have calamitous consequences for everyone involved.

The Narcissistic Abuse Recovery guide will assist you in establishing healthy boundaries and making sense of the intricate. In addition, it will provide you with actionable steps for building healthier relationships. If you do not know how to manage narcissistic abuse appropriately, it will persist, escalate, and continue for much longer than it should.

Generational trauma silently infiltrates your life, shaping your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in ways you may not even realize. It's the invisible force that keeps you stuck in patterns of struggle, sabotaging your relationships, health, and success. This book is your guide to understanding the complex web of generational trauma and how it impacts every aspect of your life. You'll learn how trauma is passed down through families, often in subtle and insidious ways, and how it manifests in your adult struggles and coping mechanisms.

Lynn was the carefree daughter of a Miami undercover narcotics agent—until her dad snuck out of their house in the dark of night without so much as a glance back. She never understood what happened to him until she was in high school, and he was in prison for drug smuggling. By then, Lynn had developed a massive drug and alcohol habit of her own. It was the perfect setup for her to latch onto the only connection to her dad that remained once he was paroled from prison—cocaine.

When your mother abused you, bullied you, neglected you, and used you for her selfish gain, it was not your fault. When she made you feel trapped and like there was nowhere else for you to go, it was not your fault. And when you realized your toxic relationship with her ruined other relationships in your life, it was not your fault. Daughters of narcissistic mothers often find themselves growing up feeling massive amounts of pain, confusion, and fear in their lives.

This is the story of a courageous young woman who grew up in a home headed by a sexual predator and an abused mother who lost her mind when Christine was only 14, disappearing until she was a mother herself. It recounts the secrets and lies that were designed to protect the darkest family secret of all, which had the effect of making the eight children strangers to each other, and then prisoners of the passions that disordered their lives, and set them against each other. Christine's story is filled with intense dramas and the saga of Christine's climb out of the family wreck.

You may be conditioned to accept that everything is your fault when you are in a close relationship with a narcissist. The Narcissist is a complete compilation about this condition and how it may manifest in your life with someone close to you. Whoever it is, you can be assured that The Narcissist will provide you with information to spot unhealthy narcissistic behaviors, the possible origins, and practical solutions to help yourself and your loved one!

This book addresses the issue of gaslighting and toxic relationships that hinders your freedom and keeps you from maximizing the full potential that is in you without being subject to any form of manipulation. With specific techniques that are tried and true, you can overcome gaslighting in your relationship. This book will help you understand whether you are being gaslighted, where this abuse is coming from, and how to tackle the issues to give you the freedom you need emotionally and psychologically.

The domestic abuse of those that are most vulnerable, those that should be the most cared for in our society is an ongoing problem. This audiobook, based upon my work as a clinical psychologist, was recorded to help you, using the same methodologies that I used in my practice. By helping my clients recognize why they were targeted by their abusers; helping them recognize they were not to blame for their abuse, and helping them grow in their thinking and their emotions; each of my many clients achieved wellness. It is my hope that you too will find wellness.

With narcissistic tactics like gaslighting, love bombing, isolation, neglect, exploitation, passive aggression, manipulation, emotional abuse and others being dished out 24/7 with complete lack of empathy, having any ounce of self-esteem and confidence left when you have a narcissist in your life is nearly impossible. But it is not your fault so don’t feel bad about your situation; narcissists pre-select the people they dish their covert tactics on and groom their victims without their knowledge. But this doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about your situation.

A compelling true story, The Bastard Child is the autobiography of the founder of NAVA FUND, Leroy Allen, born and raised in the Chery Hill section of South Baltimore. Growing up on the streets and in a culture of survival, his lifestyle was extremely dysfunctional and included lots of adversity. Loved by a mother and fiercely protected only she lacked skills and resources to support the family.

From a young age, her life was defined by uncertainty—by trauma and strength, sadness and hope, terrible lows and wondrous highs. As a teenager she found the courage to speak up after experiencing awful and ongoing child sexual abuse. This fight to find her voice would not be her last. The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner is Grace's story, in Grace's words, on Grace's terms. Like Grace, it is sharply intelligent, deeply felt and often blisteringly funny. And, as with all her work, it offers a constructive and optimistic vision for a better future for all of us.

You've made a commitment to see your marriage healed, so now what? Whether your relationship is recovering from an affair, pornography addiction, or just years of coasting, Cindy Beall shares from her redeemed-marriage journey to help you heal deeply by restoring faith in a future, build wisely from the foundation up, invest generously in your marriage and in other people, and much more.