Books

Books I’ve read and found useful…

Other abuse victims:

Dave Pelzer, A Child Called It; One Child’s Courage to Survive, Health Communications, Inc. Deerfield Beach, FL,1995. ISBN: 1-55874-366-9 
One in a series of his books about surviving an abusive childhood, I was given this book to help find out what I would react to, since I had no memories of my own.

Dave Pelzer, Help Yourself; Finding Hope, Courage, and Happiness, Plume, Penguin Group, New York, NY, 2000. ISBN: 0-452-28276-4 
Dave’s forth book has ideas on how to have a better life, from lessons he learned the hard way.  I underlined many of his suggestions.

Richard Pelzer, A Brother’s Journey; Surviving a Childhood of Abuse, Warner Books, New York, NY, 2005. ISBN: 0-446-53368-8 

Dave’s brother shares his perspective of growing up in an abusive family. This book brought out aspects that were not written in Dave’s book that I connected with for my own understanding.

Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place, Bantam Books, New York, NY, 1971.    ISBN: 0-553-25669-6
Her story of surviving the concentration camps has inspired me for years. I still often think of her sister Betsie reminding her to thank God for the fleas in their prayers.

Corrie Ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord, Jove Books, Penguin Putman Inc., New York, NY, 1974.    ISBN: 0-515-08993-1 
Corrie’s life after the concentration camp sharing her love of the gospel of Christ and her experiences; I enjoyed learning that life can be full and productive after abuse.

Victor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, Pocket Books, New York, NY, 1985.    ISBN: 0-671-02337-3 

Victor is another survivor of the Holocaust. His views and what he learned from that experience gave me a better understanding that good and evil exist in all people, it is what you choose to do that makes the difference.

 

These are the books on Boundaries that my counselors suggested:
Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
http://store.cloudtownsend.com/boundaries-softcover-book.html
http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-When-Take-Control-Your/dp/0310247454
This book is based on the Bible with many scripture references.  I prefer this approach. It also started with the very basics such as the first boundary being our skin.

Boundaries and Relationships: Knowing, Protecting and Enjoying the Self by Charles Whitfield
http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-Relationships-Knowing-Protecting-Enjoying/dp/155874259X/ 
My counselor recommended this book and I found it gave me a broader understanding of boundaries.