Am I Bad ?: Recovering from Abuse

An extremely helpful work on abuse. I used to be a social worker. It is an unfortunate fact of life that abuse is prevalent today, and has been for some time. I do know that things have changed slightly for the better, as understanding of the effects of abuse have significantly improved. That said, much remains to be done. Perhaps one of the toughest parts of dealing with clients, abused, abuser, and family members of both; is getting them to understand the far reaching consequences of abuse. The author, Heyward Ewart III, does an excellent job of illustrating just what some of these consequences are for all involved. Through the use of case studies, discussion and review of psychological theory, and information of on-going research; the author offers hope of healing and working through the abuse for all involved. There are numerous tests, checklists and questionnaires included. These are extremely useful to the layperson, qualified counselor, student and family members. Anyone in the field of psychotheraphy or counseling will find this book extremely helpful. Some of the areas, of course, are simply review of theory and information already known widely. But even for the long-term counselor there is new information to be gleaned. I consider this work to be an important new addition to the field of study of abuse. If you have a family member who has suffered abuse, or been abused yourself, you will find much here to help you. I admire the author's ability to speak to all levels of interested people who will be reading this book. I think no one will be confused, or feel that he is talking "down" to you, or dumbing down the info to make it easier to understand. His forthright manner and detailed writing style will make this book informative and useful to anyone in the field or with an interest in the long term effects of abuse. It is definitely a book that will be referred to again and again by all users. I look forward to reading additional material by this author.

"It's all your fault! You brought this on yourself! If you would have done something different, this wouldn't have happened to you!" Ah yes, these are things an abuse victim may hear. Or they may simply believe. Do you know someone who has been abused? Perhaps it was a close friend or family member. Or maybe it was you yourself who was abused a year or many years ago and you are still dealing with the effects of it all. Your natural reaction, when something like this happens to you, is to blame yourself. Traumatized people often find themselves abusing alcohol, drugs or others but there is something much less destructive. Heyward Bruce Ewart has created the book "Am I Bad?" to help victims, parents and therapists. There are various tests included in this book which can help determine whether the victim is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There is a test for concealed child abuse and a domestic violence inventory questionnaire throughout its pages, descriptions of what effects the abuse has taken and how you can break free. This book is not meant to take over the work of a qualified therapist, but to help therapists and those dealing with abused people. No two cases are exactly alike. What happened in one case didn't happen quite the same in another. Just like each victim may react differently in dealing with what happened to them. "Am I Bad?" is an excellent resource! Reviewed by Lori Plach for Reader Views (6/07)