I read the book last night at work, only because someone asked me for my opinion on it, I generally avoid 'abuse stories' even when well written they are depressing.

I haven't got time to comment other than to say it is no great literature master peice, but then she isn't a writer is she.

But I believe nearly all of it...what I don't belive is that her siblings didn't also experience abuse at the hands of their mother. I think she did them a wrong by not acknowledging their abuse.

Should she have told her story? Yes, it is afterall her story, probably her therapy. She had every right. And in no way does it reflect on us as a people and so what if it does? Shit happens.

Before I get back to the story itself later on in the week I want to quote I think facteygal
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facetygal
From personal experience I know a fair bit about child abuse, the different forms of it and how it affects the person it has happened to. I'm actually quite disgusted by some of the comments I've read. I am feeling this

Someone said the girl never showed emotion when her mum was beating her well her emotion was shown through wetting the bed. She never wet the bed when she was at other people's houses because she wasn't scared or anxious or lay in anticipation of what her mother was going to do to her.

Someone said a white man helped her kick start her career, well as far as I can see she started her career by herself. She passed her school and college exams with help from no one, she got the money together to put herself in uni, she maintained contact with a lawyer who said he would mentor her. Even when she asked her mum to sign one likkle form for uni it was ripped up in her face.

Someone said it was notup to her siblings to protectthis girlfrom getting beaten from her mum. Are you seriously telling me you would be happy with ur sibling being called into ur room, stands there and watches while ur motherstrips off ur nightclothes, taunts u and subjects u to physical abuse and ur sibling does nothing to intervene? What planet are you on?

Someonesaid a lot of emphasis was put on school dinners, well her food was rationed at home sometimes she completely went without food so the school dinner would be her main meal of the day. The only time she really ate was when her dad bought the food.

QUESTION: DID YOU PEOPLE ACTUALLY READ THE BOOK OR WERE U JUST SKIMMING THE PAGES?

Someone said why didn't she retaliate against her mother, she did when she refused to go home on numerous occasions. At the end of the day this girl loved her mother and wanted nothing more butfor her mother to love her back. She would never have retaliated by hitting her mother, but she got revenge the day she got her four poster bed and the day she left for uni.

QUESTION: IF THIS IS ALL A BUNCH OF LIES AND THE MOTHER HAD NOTHING TO HIDE WHY WOULD SHE STEAL THE GIRL'S DIARIES THE DAY SHE WAS LEAVING FOR UNI?

ANSWER: BECAUSE THE MOTHER KNEW THE GIRL HAD A STORY TO TELL AND THOSE DIARIES CONTAINED DAMNING EVIDENCE AGAINST HER

For this book to be nothing but fabrication itwould suggest Constance has serious mental health issues, because who in their right mind would contemplate conjuring up such horrific, graphical, disturbing forms of abuse slap it in a book and say "this isa story about my life"? No I don't buy that for one second.

Oh and to the members of the hypocrite society who are berating this woman for "airing her dirty laundry" guess wha? People air their dirty laundry on here all day everyday, but u don't frown on that do u, nah u offer the person advice instead. Makes me laugh

Well said facetygal.