Punished

Description

Second-hand copy of Punished by Vanessa Steel, a true story of child abuse at the hands of a family

This copy is in generally very good condition, but with some creasing on the spine

Blurb on the inside cover reads:

The harrowing but inspiring true story of a little girl who survived a terrifying childhood that nearly destroyed her.

Ever since Vanessa Steel was three years old, her mother had punished her whenever she put a foot wrong. Vanessa lived in daily terror of her mother’s unpredictable rage and the punishments she said were God’s revenge on her for being the devil’s child. If she was ‘naughty’, her mother would lash out at her in sadistic ways – with beatings, torture and starvation. Vanessa thought her mother would kill her.

At six years old, Vanessa’s fear and torment increased when her grandfather began to sexually abuse her, aided and abetted by her mother and grandmother. Not even able to turn to her father to protect her, Vanessa bravely carried on as if her life were normal, trying to keep the dreadful secret of her life at home.

But then one day, when she felt her deepest despair, mysterious things started happening to Vanessa that changed her forever. This resilient little girl found a secret way to survive and the truth about her mother was revealed.