One Small Word - Eveleigh, Gloria

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Résumé :
Fifty-year old social work student, Frankie, is on work experience when she is suddenly triggered, and finds memories flooding back into her mind of the childhood sexual, physical, and psychological abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, which she had long suppressed. She seeks counselling and takes readers with her on the journey through the painful and heart-breaking recollections of her childhood experiences that come to light as she speaks to her therapist. She remembers some good times, but the raw emotions that surface as she recalls the many instances of the abuse that she suffered, overwhelm her at first. Each time, she goes away, analyses, and learns from her experiences, gradually understanding the ways the abuse has and continues to affect her adult behaviour. She then finds ways of turning around her negative experiences into positivity, healing, and hope for the future, so that she can become the good social worker that she wants to be. The author's writing is honest and impactful, and the use of imagery throughout this memoir really puts readers into the author's perspective, providing a whole new understanding of those affected by childhood abuse. You will feel the raw emotions that went into the writing of this evenly paced and engaging story. This memoir is a powerful read not to be missed - a remarkable story that needed to be told. ...

Biographie:
Gloria Eveleigh was born just two years after the end of World War II. The middle child of three children; Gloria remembers how difficult it was for her parents to afford to feed and clothe their family at a time when food rationing was still in place. She did well at school and went on to become a research metallurgist. After several years she moved into social care, managed a day centre for older people, gained qualifications in management and social work, and then set up and coordinated the first multi-agency safeguarding framework. She spent the last few years of her career running her own successful safeguarding consultancy. During those years, Gloria enjoyed bringing up her three children, who have since grown up and had children of their own. When Gloria retired in 2015, she began to write, illustrate, and publish phonics-focused picture storybooks for small children. Each story is based on one sound. She has written 42 books covering the 42 phonics sounds that children must learn to be able to read fluently. Her aim was to make learning to read fun. Gloria then moved on to writing novels. She began with her multi-award-winning autobiographical novel, 'One Small Word - Surviving childhood abuse' which was published in December 2018, and followed this up with 'No - sequel to One Small Word' published in April 2020. By January 2023, she had written and published her historical fiction novels entitled, 'Shattered Pieces Can Still Shine - Georgie's story', and 'The Price of Worthlessness - Petra's story', both of which won several awards and attracted numerous positive reviews. She is currently writing a new novel, which should be published at the end of 2023. All Gloria's books focus on the issue of abuse. She also posts extensively on social media to keep this issue high on the public agenda. As an abuse survivor herself, she knows about the stigma attached to disclosure, which in effect protects the abuser. She wants to break down this invisible wall so that abusers no longer have a place to hide. As a Christian, Gloria knows that the biggest help in recovering from abuse comes from God for whom everything is possible.