The author is an advocate for survivors of abuse and she shares her knowledge and experience not only in her book, but within the Twitterverse as well. Survivors that have healed and recovered enough to become advocates and make it their mission to raise awareness is truly inspiring.
Soul Cry discusses topics about various forms of abuse, trauma and content that may be triggering for some readers.
Dana is candid about being bullied. While it’s common to experience sibling rivalry and have disagreements, the bullying that Dana endured was intentionally malicious, uncalled for, and sadly ignored.
As a child, we look to our parents and caregivers for protection, to learn how to set healthy boundaries, and to know what is acceptable behavior. When the single parent is emotionally unavailable, the teenage babysitter is cruel and abusive and the older siblings gang up on you and feed into the torture, it’s no wonder that little Dana suffered through chronic pain and CPTSD.
Unfortunately, the effects of CPTSD linger and follow you through the rest of your life in the form of trust issues, insecurity, poor decision making, and you are often targeted for being manipulated. I’m not suggesting that the author feels this way; it’s my observation from talking with other survivors.
Dana does a great job of sharing her story. The reader will gain insight as to how the effects of trauma linger well after the event has passed. I can relate to various aspects of her experience and the frustration of your family not believing you and not stepping in to protect you. Sadly, that happens all too often. For many survivors of trauma, we tend to carry the burden alone, we don’t have the support we need, nor are we removed from the situation.
The author also shares her experience with multiple prescriptions that she was issued and how those taken together caused more unnecessary pain and suffering. The medical professionals don’t always get it right. Don’t be afraid to get a second, third, or fourth opinion.
My only critique: The author repeats herself multiple times which disrupted the flow. That is the reason for the 4-star rating. If I could leave 4.5 I would have.
Reinbeck Studio, Creative Space 