From bestselling author, Toni Maguire, comes a new story of trauma and survival.
Set against a backdrop of East End London, Georgia experienced a childhood few of us could imagine. Though brought up in a loving family,she watched her family break apart through deceit and her mother descend into heroin addiction.
Escaping into what she felt was a loving sanctuary, Georgia ended up trapped in a violent relationship with a man who would beat and abuse her. After having her three children by him, she knew she had to escape to finally find safety.
Now Georgia is sharing her story of survival to help others and prove there is hope even after trauma and heartache.
From the million-copy bestselling author Toni Maguire comes a new true story of neglect, abuse and survival.
Amy had a happy childhood until the sudden death of her mother when she was ten years old. Eventually abandoned by her father, she found herself falling prey to the evil that lurked in her school and on the streets.
Addicted to heroin by the age of twelve, Amy attempted to get clean in the hopes of reconciling with her father and his new wife. But unable to rid herself of her addiction, she fell into a world of hard drug use, homelessness, imprisonment and abusive relationships.
At Amy's lowest ebb, she found the strength to turn her life around. Abandoned Child is her incredible story of survival, and how finding self-worth and love from the right person changed her future.
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Evil walked in...
From No.1 bestselling author Toni Maguire comes a new true story of abuse and survival - written in aid of NSPCC, with a portion of the royalties being donated to the charity.
Gerry was only a young girl when she was first abused by her father. After her mother found out, and believing there was nothing she could do to help her child, nor deal with the stigma attached to it in their small Northern Irish town in the 1960s, she committed suicide.
Gerry and her siblings were split up and placed in different foster homes, all knowing they were unlikely to see each other ever again. Told that her mother had committed a grave sin, Gerry was completely alone and abandoned as she confronted even more horrors from her past.
After years of shame and isolation, she finally met a man who would help her heal the wounds she had been left with. With his love and support, Gerry decided it was time for her story to be told.
Why, Father? is her true and moving story of survival.
From No.1 bestselling author Toni Maguire comes a new true story of abuse and survival.
'Whatever you do, don't go back to him, not this time. If not for your sake, then for your children's.'
Ava Thomas knew leaving was the right decision. Trapped and manipulated in her relationship, and after yet another violent beating whilst she was pregnant, Ava was helped to a women's refuge with her children.
Listening to the stories of other women there, Ava began thinking back to where it all started to go wrong. Brought up by a mother who never loved her, Ava sought that missing care and warmth elsewhere. Running away to her father's home as a teenager, she thought she might finally be safe. But after being abused by her own brother, she was thrown out onto the streets. Ava searched for the love she had been desperately missing her whole life, and ended up in a relationship controlled by domestic violence.
Lifted by the strength of the other women around her, Ava found a new home, a fresh start and never looked back - with her loving children by her side.
*In aid of the NSPCC: for each paperback book sold, Bonnier Books UK shall donate 2.5% of its net receipts to the NSPCC (registered charity numbers 216401 and SC037717).*
From No.1 bestselling author Toni Maguire comes a new true story of abuse and survival.
'Small children have no say in the direction their lives take. Even before they have learnt to walk and talk, they are trained to obey'
Daisy was only four when her parents told her and her older brother that they were moving halfway across the world to Australia for a better life. Leaving everything behind, including her beloved grandparents, she stepped into an unfamiliar world. Daisy's close and unbreakable bond with her disabled brother helped her navigate her new life, until tragedy repeatedly struck the family.
After her parents' split and she was introduced to her new stepfather, nothing could have prepared her for what followed. All alone in 300 acres of wilderness, Daisy's only wish was to return home to her grandparents and their love. This is her true story of fear, abuse and, finally, escape.
From No.1 bestselling author Toni Maguire comes a new true story of shame, silence, abuse and survival.
'I have a very clear picture of the day Clive entered our lives. I can see him now as he walked into our living room, a tall man with a loud commanding voice, a wide smile and an armful of presents. It is a memory that still lives deep inside my head.'
Ryan and Phil had always been inseparable. Twins born 35 minutes apart, Ryan was the protective one, constantly looking out for his younger brother. They can't remember how old they were when the abuse started, but they can remember their uncle very clearly.
A frequent visitor to their home in Lincoln, he lavished their family with expensive treats. School holidays and weekends were spent visiting him, when he would often take the two little boys aside to play the games he liked.
Trapped with him, day after day, year after year, the abuse continued until Ryan and Phil turned 16. After a showdown with Ryan when he was finally big enough, their uncle never approached them again.
Nearly 20 years after the abuse ended, Ryan and his wife decided to foster troubled children, making their home a safe place filled with love for those in desperate need of it. Ryan and Phil suffered for years at the hands of their uncle, but throughout it all their bond held them together.
Unlike people with carefree previous lives, I packed away my past. There are some memories labelled 'Look at', and others 'Leave well alone'...
Emily Smith was held in a prison of fear for ten years. When she was four, her father left and a new man was brought into her life. He loved her, he kept telling her so, but the emotional and physical abuse she suffered at his hands were a daily nightmare. Until one day, after he crept into her bedroom, her life became unbearable.
Emily found she was different in another way as her autism became more noticeable and punishments for her 'abnormal' behaviour more severe. Astonishingly, she managed to escape her home of hell, where she was abused right in front of her mother. Emily determinedly gained a university place and emerged triumphant with a new life and family in Ireland, desperate to treat her daughter, so similar to her, to a different life.
Heartbreakingly true, Silent Child is a testament to Emily's strength as she sheds light on rampant abuse still happening today. Powerful and shocking, sharing her story means she finally has a voice to say: enough.
