The companion to The Dead Inside, “[An] unnerving and heartrending memoir” (Publishers Weekly) This is the story of my return to high school. This is the true story of how I didn’t die. High school sucks for a lot of people. High school extra sucks when you believe, deep in your soul, that every kid in the school is out to get you. I wasn’t popular before I got locked up in Straight Inc., the … wasn’t popular before I got locked up in Straight Inc., the notorious “tough love” program for troubled teens. So it’s not like I was walking around thinking everyone liked me.
But when you’re psychologically beaten for sixteen months, you start to absorb the lessons. The lessons in Straight were: You are evil. Your peers are evil. Everything is evil except Straight, Inc.
Before long, you’re a true believer.
And when you’re finally released, sent back into the world, you crave safety. Crave being back in the warehouse. And if you can’t be there, you’d rather be dead.
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Moving Story of Dealing With Abuse As A Teenager
This is a powerful story that is not an easy read. This is the true story of an abused teenager coming to grips with life. This story should make you re-live some of the more painful parts of your high school years. I hadn’t read the author’s first book about her years in a tough re-hab program. However, this book did well as a stand-alone read. I don’t think I will read that first book, as this one was tough enough. Surprisingly, I read several books like this when I was a teen and would like to encourage teens to read both books. All things are not as they seem, but the author ties them up nicely at the end. I was very glad to see that she has come out of the other side in pretty good shape. I received a free copy of this book (ARC) and voluntarily chose to share my honest review.
Not sure why anyone put this book in the category of Romance Novels.
The person Cyndy really falls in love with is herself.
An absolutely horrid Recovery story that painfully depicts many of the sad realities of the Tough Love centers so popular in the 90s.
I was honored to receive an advance read copy of this book.
The mother who is so shocked when baby sister discloses abuse is an unfortunately well depicted idiot mom.
After big sis having brief acting out, and running away from contact, the assault is unfortunately no surprise.
No mention of official response besides mom being upset is also deplorably not that unusual. Especially in an suburban setting.
Congrats to the author for sharing that survival is possible and resources available for victims of child and teenage sexual assault.
Jeers to anyone who didn’t take assault or abuse accusations seriously.
Cheers to those who found ways to help the survivors, and to the survivors for taking the chance on making it another day.
Wow, reading this (as well as “The Dead Inside,” Etler’s first book about her life and time in Straight, Inc.) was…ROUGH. I can’t imagine having to go through what she did. And yet, the way she writes about her experiences as a teenager trying to find her way in a world where everyone else is doing the same, makes it universally understandable. You may not be able to relate to her pathological fear of so-called “druggie” things, but you can see parts of yourself in her teenage awkwardness, her attempts at trying to fit in and meeting rejection. It bothered me at times how she wrote these books in a juvenile way, using weird slang words, but I get why she did it – that was who she was (a teenager, in the 80s) when this stuff happened to her, and the juxtaposition between her youthfulness and the insanity she lived through makes a big impact.
*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A tough true story of Cyndy’s return to Hurtado than School after been locked in a very strict rehabilitation institution. A lesson to young about what it’s really important in life, take your own chances and stand for yourself even when life beats you constantly.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.