I read your book, and as a matter of fact I still have it. I feel sorry for what happened to you, however I am the daughter of one of the men you mentioned molested you. I did not appreciate that you did this. I also did not appreciate the fact that you never bothered to do your research on if he had any children or grandchildren and how it would affect us.

I got the book. It's so weird how similar it sounds to my own life. I can only read it for short spaces at a time. It definitely gets across what it was like growing up in the family though.

Unfortunately this is the reason why child abuse in families continues (not just in the Family). Because of the stigma round it family members keep it hush hush and abusers get away with it. While you may not appreciate it, the fact is that the book was instrumental in exposing the Family to such an extent that it is no longer an entity. There are hundreds of families and children who have benefited directly and whose lives are better, including my younger brothers and sisters still living with my father. Believe, me there have been repercussions and it hasn't been easy but it was right. I had to sacrifice my privacy and expose my life and what happened to me for that to happen. There is always a price to pay - on balance it was worth it. We can't choose who are parents are and that's the part that sucks really. Many children and families with a parent in prison suffers the same as you describe - and I don't make light of it, as I have worked with and continue to work with children in similar situations now in my job as a therapist and it's heartbreaking any child should have to suffer because of the sins of the father (or mother). The blame is to be placed on the abuser and never the victim.