"An English Girl's First Impressions of Burmah" by Beth Ellis is a captivating travel narrative that immerses readers in the rich culture and stunning landscapes of Burma. Through the eyes of a young English girl, the book explores her initial encounters with the local customs, traditions, and the vibrant life of the Burmese people. Ellis's vivid descriptions and engaging storytelling transport readers to a world filled with exotic sights and sounds, making it a delightful read for those i...

The novel follows Barbara Winslow, who lives in the Southern United States during the Civil War. As the war disrupts her life and the lives of those around her, Barbara is drawn into the turmoil and conflict of the time. Her journey is marked by personal and societal challenges, and she grapples with the complexities of loyalty, bravery, and the changing roles of women in wartime.Barbara's character is portrayed as strong-willed and independent, embodying the spirit of rebellion against th...

A young girl at the mercy of her abusive stepfather and the religious community that protects him - Bad Things in the Night is a moving true story of pain and triumph.As a child Beth was imprisoned within a Jehovah's Witness family, kept away from her mother, forbidden from wearing a school skirt above her knees by day, abused by her stepfather at night. Years later, when she summons the courage to report her stepfather to the police for the first time, she is forced to re...

Both party and elegy, Drink to the Lasses is the story of Mary Beth Ellis’ life at Saint Mary’s College, the all-women’s sister school of the somewhat-more-famous University of Notre Dame. The same wit that made her a popular campus columnist is now shaded with a steely view of her younger self. Ellis battles her roommate, struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder, and discovers that her chosen career might not be so choice after all. In vignettes and set pieces, she introduces us to is...

'If you say anything to your mother, I'll tell her it was your brother. And then he'll be locked away in prison forever because of you.'Zara's stepfather, Hassan, mercilessly bullied her brother and sister. But at just seven years old Zara knew she could never tell anyone about what Hassan was doing to her.For the next nine years, she kept the terrible secret, until eventually she found the courage to fight back. But was she too late to save the people she loved?

'Over and over again he warned me he’d kill me if I told anyone. I was completely isolated.He made sure of that.’Mary was a shy ten-year-old when her new dad, Sean, came into her life. From the very beginning he seemed to pay her special attention - praise for good behaviour, compliments about her clothes, help with school work. Mary trusted him. Then he started touching her. When she was twelve, he raped her.Sean continued to abuse Mary for twenty years and...

The second in a series of true short stories from foster carer Mia Marconi.India was a child who was destined to end up in care. She came to foster carer Mia Marconi’s house when she was three; she’d already been in care for five months by then. But her mum Amy didn’t get on with her carer and threatened to kill her so India was moved.But no matter how inadequate parents are, children in care love them and want the world to love them too.Amy had had a hard life: she...

In her bestselling memoir As I Lay Me Down to Sleep, Eileen Munro vividly documented the abuse she experienced at the hands of her adoptive parents and, later, within the care system. The birth of Eileen's son, Craig, and her escape from the authorities' clutches should have seen her turn a corner, but she remains haunted by the spectre of her past.In If I Should Die Before I Wake, Eileen chronicles her search for her real parents and her battle for an education f...

In the much-anticipated follow-up to Sunday Times bestseller Trapped, foster carer Rosie Lewis tells the heartbreaking true story of 13-year-old Zadie.When the young teenage girl runs away from home and is discovered hiding on the city streets by the police, it is clear that all is not as it should be.Taught to believe that Westerners should not be trusted, when Zadie is initially delivered into the experienced hands of foster carer Rosie she is polite and well-behaved, but...

One hot summer's afternoon, two abandoned infants are brought to Trisha and Mike Merry's door, forlorn and afraid.Their mother walked out on them. (They don't remember her.) Their grandmother tried, but couldn't manage them. And now their young father has given up on them too.These cast-off kids desperately need somewhere to live and a family to love them. They've come to the right place.Trisha and Mike welcome them into their home a...

When eight-year-old Jayne left bomb-torn Northern Ireland, her family stayed with relations and a distant relative began a campaign of abuse so horrifying that her world was shattered forever. When the family moved again, Jayne thought the nightmare was over. She was wrong. Her relative came too. And, as her parents had to work nights, Jayne's abuser became her carer.Raped repeatedly by him, beaten, abused and battered, Jayne's life was a living hell.One thing kept Jayne sa...

A difficult and distressing tale of a young boy who desperately needs to be loved.Nathan is a troubled young child. Disruptive, aggressive and, most disturbingly, prone to violent mood-swings Nathan soon finds himself in at the school’s behavioural unit, managed by Casey – Ms Watson to her students. What’s even more disturbing is Nathan’s split personalities; from Jenny with a bright blonde wig to sexually frustrated Jack, Nathan’s behaviour demonstrates some serious psychological ...