Then she took her own little sister prisoner, stole her grandmother's money, and began a three-day orgy of sex and junk food. From the heinous crime itself to the sensational trial, here is the graphic and shocking account of one of the most bizarre killings ever committed in the state of New York.

    Illegitimate and unwanted, Celine was forced by her foster mother into prostitution. Her bones were broken, her nose was crushed and she ate candle wax to stay alive.Celine was finally rescued and sent to an industrial school, where she picked up the pieces of her shattered life. She also began the search for her parents. But what she found gave her battered survival instincts the hardest knock of all...

    Abused, exploited, and brainwashed by ‘The Family’, Natacha’s childhood was stolen.Born to French hippy parents attracted to the religious movement by the unusual mix of evangelical Christianity, free love and rejection of the mainstream, from an early age Natacha was brainwashed to believe she had a special destiny – that she was part of an elite children’s army bestowed with superpowers that would one day save the world from the Anti-Christ.Torn away from their parents, Natacha and her siblings were beaten on a daily basis and forced to sing and dance for entertainment in prisons and malls. Natacha never expected to live to adulthood.At the age of 18 Natacha escaped, but quickly found herself hurtling through a world she had no understanding of. Alone, and grappling to come to terms with an unbelievable sense of betrayal, she was stuck in a kind of limbo – confused and unable to feel part of either way of life.Natacha is one of the lucky ones; not all of her family survived the battle to shed the shame and pain of their past. To date over 40 ex-Children of God members of Natacha’s generation have committed suicide.All Natacha ever wanted was to feel normal, but escaping the cult was only the beginning. Shocking, moving, but ultimately inspiring, this is Natacha’s full story; it is both a personal tale of trauma and recovery, and an exposé of the secret world of abuse hidden behind commune walls.

    Over the next week, they were held captive, tortured, raped and almost killed. News of the girls' disappearance dominated the headlines, and the entire country held its breath, praying for their safe return as a massive police hunt failed to turn up any clues. But then a miracle happened. The girls were found alive, their abductor was arrested and the case was closed. But there was to be no such closure for Charlene and Lisa. Over the coming years, their friendship was strained to breaking point, as they struggled to reconcile themselves to their painful memories and to each other. Abducted is their astonishing first-hand, insider account of how it feels to be kidnapped, how they survived their horrific ordeal and how they have found the strength to move on and rebuild their lives.

    Now, the next terrible chapter unfolds as his brother Cary admits he's the Yosemite Killer.Bright and likeable, seven-year-old Steven Stayner always listened to his mother. Especially about talking to strangers. But when soft spoken "Reverend" Parnell asked to speak with his mother about church, Steven guessed it would be okay. Until he got into the man's car. By then, it was too late.Held captive by convicted child molester Kenneth Eugene Parnell for seven years as his "son Dennis," Steven was forced to endure abuse so terrible that he forgot his own name. Parnell evaded a statewide search for Steven, keeping his young prisoner moving from one cheap motel to the next. Finally, Steven made a desperate escape with five-year-old Timmy White, another kidnapped boy, return home to their parents, then courageously testifying to convict Parnell for his inhuman crimes.The basis for the blockbuster TV movie, I Know My First Name Is Steven is the compelling true account of Steven Stayner's seven years of horror and of his parents who never gave up hope for his safe return. It is also the complete, updated story of how Cary Stayner made headlines of his own—as the cold-blooded killer who terrorised Yosemite.

    Although happily ensconced in a loving second marriage, and a new family of quadruplets, Sheila never truly escaped the vicious enslavement of her ex-husband, multi-millionaire Allen Blackthorne, a handsome charmer— and a violent, controlling sociopath who subjected Sheila to unthinkable abuse in their marriage, and terrorized her for a decade after their divorce. When Sheila was slain in her home, in the presence of her four toddlers, authorities raced to link the crime to Blackthorne, the man who vowed to monitor Sheila's every move in his obsessive quest for power and revenge.

    Most significantly, I found forgiveness. I might even call it redemption.On July 4, 1990, eighteen-year-old Stacey Lannert shot and killed her father, who had been sexually abusing her since she was eight. Missouri state law, a disbelieving prosecutor, and Stacey’s own fragile psyche conspired against her: She was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole.Redemption is Stacey’s candid memoir of her harrowing childhood and the pain and protective love of her sister that led her to that horrifying night. It is also an extraordinary portrait of what happened after she found herself in prison and how she grew determined to live positively, even triumphantly, despite her circumstances. Ultimately, and most profoundly, she learned the healing power of forgiveness. After spending as many years in prison as she had out of it, on January 10, 2009, outgoing Missouri governor Matt Blunt commuted Stacey’s life sentence. Six days later she walked out of the gates a free woman.Redemption is the story of how Stacey learned to be free while living behind bars. It is a coming-of-age story set in a parallel universe of a maximum-security prison. And, it is a story of sisterhood, courage, and justice finally served.

    She lived the life of a Muslim but, for many years, her father abused her in the cellar of their home. At 16, she discovered a plan to send her to Pakistan for an arranged marriage, and she ran away. Hunted by her angry father and brothers, who were determined to make her an honour killing, she had to keep moving houses to escape them. Then, worst of all, in her family's eyes, she became a Christian. Some Muslims say converting from Islam is punishable by death...One day a mob of forty men came after her, armed with hammers, sticks and knives...with her father at the front...The Imam's Daughter is Hannah's gripping - but ultimately inspiring - true story. How, through her courage and determination, she broke free from her background and found a new life beyond its confines - a new life of freedom and love.

    He cried most of the time, and thrashed about as if in pain. He wasn't learning how to crawl, talk, or interact normally. Doctors told his parents to seek counseling, because nothing could help their son, and the quality of their own lives was at risk. Refusal to accept that advice changed their lives forever. What About the Boy? chronicles a family's rejection of hopelessness and their commitment to the pursuit of normalcy.

    If you passed me in the street, you wouldn’t notice either. You might see the small scar on my neck that was inflicted by a knife being pressed to my throat. You might notice a lump on my left wrist where the bones didn’t heal properly after it was fractured. You might notice small scars on my arms where I was used as a live ashtray. But you won’t see the scars that are deep inside me – the ones which take a lifetime to heal. They’re ingrained in me, trapped under the surface like fish under a frozen lake, waiting for the moment when the surface cracks and they can come to life again. These mental scars are the demons that haunted me when I was at my lowest point. They came out to torment me, rearing their ugly head in the darkness. Then they would retreat again for a time, making me think I’d got over what happened to me, only to show up when I least expected it. But with every year that passed, I learnt how to handle the demons more. Every sick and twisted thing that happened in my childhood has made me into the woman I am today. I’m a survivor. My name is Sarah and this is my story…

    He was a jealous man, who beat her up repeatedly; even when she was pregnant with Jill. She was only nineteen and a half when Jill was born. By the time Jill was two and a half, the marriage had ended. When Jill was around four years old, a much worse man had entered both of their lives; only this time, it was Jill who was the one being beaten. It meant nothing to her stepfather to beat her up around three times a week. He killed several beloved pets and made them eat one and also a neighbour’s pet that was found in their garden. Jill always had felt that she was loved and wanted by her mother, who had been an alcoholic since she had left school. However, when her stepfather sexually abused Jill, that was all to change. After some years of festering her rage and two breakdowns, Jill’s mother’s hate became far worse than what her stepfather had dished out. Jill became the family slave and was told daily how much her mother despised her for actually ‘allowing’ herself to be abused. Her mother also started asking the family who liked who, round the dinner table. They all cheered each other but when Jill’s name was called out, they all booed. That hurt Jill more than all of the beatings put together; though she knew her brother and sister did love her deep down and often told her so. It was just their own survival that made them join in. Jill takes you through her life, step by step, as she seeks emotional healing. She had a faith that helped but that got changed to almost unrecognisable over time. In fact, the beliefs that she once held dear, along with her very difficult upbringing, eventually drove her over the edge to a very nasty breakdown. Only when she had hit rock bottom though, did she find the solace she had long been searching for and the healing that came with it. This is not a bitter tale; in fact, it might surprise you how understanding Jill actually is. There are many good times, as well as bad in this book. You will find certain parts quite amusing, as she focuses on those happier times, as well as the bad. That makes this book quite a refreshing and even an uplifting read. Jill has a special knack of explaining things, that you can almost feel as if you are right there with her. Note: Some names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

    For the next eight years, she and her four sisters struggled to survive the nightmare of sexual and emotional abuse.As an adult, she buried memories of her family’s dysfunction and tried to build the most perfect life she could imagine. But when she discovered that her father was still an incestuous abuser, she knew she had to face her past to protect her children. Going undercover, she was able to prove a twenty-year history of molestation, which her mother aided and abetted. With that evidence and the help of the Adam Walsh Center, she was able, at last, to legally protect her children.From Oregon to the wild beauty of Africa’s interior and back, Laura renders life as they lived it—the isolation, the fear, the losses, the manipulation and control, the tentative and fragile bonds of sisterhood—with humor and a growing sense of self.The Fifth Sister explores incest’s devastating effects on two continents, over three decades. In this compelling, intimate, and artfully told story, readers will experience the crushing impact of psychological, physical, sexual, and spiritual abuse, the burning desire to transcend the family script, and the gritty determination to succeed. Readers who have experienced incest will find their anguish validated by this book. Those who have not faced this trauma will gain deep understanding of dysfunctional families that have many secrets. But above all, The Fifth Sister is a story of hope.

    He'd lay on his bedroom floor, locked in his room listening to the horror unfolding below. Waiting until the boots came up the stairs and it would be his turn. He couldn’t even begin to understand what he’d done wrong. Why he wasn’t allowed to see his brother, why he was always brutally punished and his mother was horribly beaten. Bullied at school and brushed away by his teachers, this fragile boy's only companion was teddy; a dusty, battered and torn teddy bear that meant everything to this young boy. A sad story unfolds shedding light on some of the horrific events that occurred behind closed doors and a seemingly normal house. A harrowing childhood nightmare. A broken and traumatic childhood. "Heart-breaking, I felt every blow to that poor boy who went through so much pain, but I smiled at the happy ending even through my tears, an excellent read" - Joan Johns (Author) WARNING: This book is based upon a true story of child abuse, and as such contains passages that some readers may find disturbing.

    She was her father's slave, in the most horrific ways imaginable. At just a few months old she was adopted by a couple that seemed comfortably well off and perfectly respectable to the outside world. But behind closed doors, Sophie's childhood was a living hell. Her father spent the next decade grooming her for abuse and when Sophie's mother left for good, that very night, he told Sophie that from now on she would sleep in his bed. Unable to cope, Sophie spiraled into suicidal misery. She began to self-harm to try and escape the agony. But one day she went too far and at 16, ended up in a psychiatric unit. It was here that she finally confronted the horrors of home and began the painful journey of rebuilding her life. A phenomenally courageous woman, Sophie now works for the Samaritans and helps other young people in need. Harrowing yet compelling, this is a searing and truly inspirational account of overcoming the worst abuse and self-harm.

    Aged seven, she has a paranoid schizophrenic for a mother and her father is a distant memory. So when Tina gets a new step-dad, who lavishes sweets and cuddles upon her, she feels wanted for the first time ever.Sadly, her new daddy isn't all that he seems. He begins to sexually abuse Tina, using chilling threats to scare her into silence.Tina is so terrified, she even gives birth to four of her step-father's children without breathing a word. Her world becomes so warped the cruelty she endures seems normal. Until eventually, the tragic death of one of her innocent children makes her see otherwise...This is the inspiring true story of how a frightened little girl grew into a fighter and finally found the strength to escape the man who stole her childhood.