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Breaking the Cycle
An eagerly awaited collection of stories dealing with domestic abuse, edited by the New York Times bestselling author Zane. Breaking the Cycle is a stunning and moving anthology of stories, each of which focuses on an aspect of domestic abuse. This powerful collection is sure to serve as a wake-up call for people either dealing with a domestic abuse situation, or those watching someone else endure it. In the title story, Zane describes the turmoil that a young girl suffers at the hands of her stepfather. The girl and her mother plan their escape, but at the last minute the mother falters. In D.V. Bernard's "The Lonely Echoes of My Youth," readers are introduced to a young boy raising himself on the fringes of a drug-infested neigborhood. Nane Quartay's provocative story, "The Grindstone," describes a boy who witnesses a brutal murder which will have far-reaching effects on him and his family. Tracy Price-Thompson weaves a powerful tale in "The Stranger" when a woman constantly abused by her husband finds inner strength after a brutal attack. Collen Dixon's "The Break of Dawn" will keep readers deep in thought long after they finish reading her story about a young desperate mother terrifed that her own daughter will grow up and become victimized herself. Dywane D. Birch's "Victory Begins With Me" reflects how one woman has to struggle to get her life back to normal. Shonda Cheekes' "Silent Suffering" flips the script when a man finds himself abused by the female in his life. Newcomer J.L. Woodson's "God Does Answer Prayers" deals with a young boy fighting for his life in a hospital bed, put there by one of the people who is supposed to love him the a parent. These stories capture the dangerous realities of domestic abuse, while also pointing toward the steps that need to be taken to break the cycle that perpetuates it. It is sure to serve as a rallying cry for all those who desire victory over their own victimization, and a guide for understanding the complex undercurrents that make such patterns possible.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
53 people are currently reading
2094 people want to read
About the author
Zane
86 books3,672 followersZane is the New York Times bestselling author of Afterburn, The Heat Seekers, Dear G-Spot, Gettin’ Buck Wild, The Hot Box, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Nervous, Skyscraper, Love is Never Painless, Shame on It All, and The Sisters of APF; the ebook short stories “I’ll be Home for Christmas” and “Everything Fades Away”; and editor for the Flava anthology series, including Z-Rated and Busy Bodies. Her TV series, Zane’s Sex Chronicles, and The Jump Off are featured on Cinemax, and her bestselling novel Addicted is a major motion picture with Lionsgate Films. She is the publisher of Strebor Books, an imprint of Atria Books/Simon & Schuster. Visit her online at EroticaNoir.com. - See more at: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Z...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 6, 2008
This book is titled Breaking The Cycle by Zane. The book is etchnic fiction. The main theme of the story is if your being abused get the courage to leave and stand up for your self.
this book is about many series of short stories of people who are mentally,physically, and emotionally abused. From men to woamn, to little children to older adults. It tells of how some people get the courage they hadn't found in years while some just chose to stay and never get to break the cycle of abuse. The book undergoes the cycles of abuse which starts with Arguemnts, Put-downs, hitting, apologies and the abusee ending up staying with the abuser untill its to late...
The book was a very Eye-cathcing, and Jaw-droping experience. Some parts told of things that i never thought would happen in an abusive relationship such as a man getting abused by a woman. I would have never expected that in all the years that i have lived. The book told of many discriptive details that made me feel the pain and agony for all characters. There was one character that i had it out for since the beggining of the book, her name was Candence. She was my favorite character because she was only a teenager, like me, in a abusive triangle with her mom and stepfather,but yet she was the back bone for her mother even after she left her child in the dark the past couple of years.. The scene that was most vivid to me was when Candance and her mother got the courage to leave, Then the mother leaves the child to go back to her man. I was very confused as to why the mother liked to be abused. This had me almost in tears. The author left full pages of abusive hot lines for each state. That waqs a good idea, the main reason for that was to give readers who are in this situation some hope and courage.. In a way reading thsi book has taken atoll on me. I always said to myself that will never be me but who am i kiding it cant, Even from someone i love dearly.
I would recomend this book to teenagers(boys&girls), and adults, and friends of adults who are abused and mature readers. However i would not recommend this book for a read out-loud to little kids because some details are just to explisit for kids to understand. I have never read a book like this so maybe that’s why I like it so much.
this book is about many series of short stories of people who are mentally,physically, and emotionally abused. From men to woamn, to little children to older adults. It tells of how some people get the courage they hadn't found in years while some just chose to stay and never get to break the cycle of abuse. The book undergoes the cycles of abuse which starts with Arguemnts, Put-downs, hitting, apologies and the abusee ending up staying with the abuser untill its to late...
The book was a very Eye-cathcing, and Jaw-droping experience. Some parts told of things that i never thought would happen in an abusive relationship such as a man getting abused by a woman. I would have never expected that in all the years that i have lived. The book told of many discriptive details that made me feel the pain and agony for all characters. There was one character that i had it out for since the beggining of the book, her name was Candence. She was my favorite character because she was only a teenager, like me, in a abusive triangle with her mom and stepfather,but yet she was the back bone for her mother even after she left her child in the dark the past couple of years.. The scene that was most vivid to me was when Candance and her mother got the courage to leave, Then the mother leaves the child to go back to her man. I was very confused as to why the mother liked to be abused. This had me almost in tears. The author left full pages of abusive hot lines for each state. That waqs a good idea, the main reason for that was to give readers who are in this situation some hope and courage.. In a way reading thsi book has taken atoll on me. I always said to myself that will never be me but who am i kiding it cant, Even from someone i love dearly.
I would recomend this book to teenagers(boys&girls), and adults, and friends of adults who are abused and mature readers. However i would not recommend this book for a read out-loud to little kids because some details are just to explisit for kids to understand. I have never read a book like this so maybe that’s why I like it so much.
Read
December 15, 2009very deep and good
about people who went through domestic violence
about people who went through domestic violence
January 4, 2010
This book is really good.It's like a reality check.
May 28, 2010
I love this book, not Zane's usual work but I think you wil love it just the same
Shows the true struggle of domestic violence
Shows the true struggle of domestic violence
June 16, 2018
This book was quite intense. I had people around me wanting to here me read and telling about themselves. The last story was strange and scary not in a horror kind of way. you'd just have to read it to understand.
September 23, 2017
This book was amazing, it was definitely a good start to a good series.
September 10, 2022
Great book.
May 6, 2016
I've finished this book 3 days ago but I didn't want to talk about it by that time.
this book is about many series of short stories of people who are abused , different kind of abuse , mental abuse , physical abuse , emotional abuse , it's all about abuse and violence!! too much violence in more than 200 pages. the victims are women , kids and even men! I've had a very hard time during this read , I barely could finish it!
Okay, however these stories are so real , the images of domestic abuse are very seen on those socities and in every society , even ours. but it's so tough .. unsure emoticon I don't know .. sometimes I closed my eyes while reading because the image of that person getting hurt is so clear and real on my mind, well that's a good point for the writer's writting skills.
what's good about this book that it is a collection of stories written by different writers which allowed me to experience different way and type of writting during one and same read, That's pretty cool!!
there's a thing that I want to talk about because I found it a little exaggerated ; I found out that the writers are all black , and all the characters is this book are all black , even all the people who wrote reviews for this book on goodreads are all almost black! It's like domestic abuse is something only related to black people! and that's not really true. I didn't mention the cover which contains a brunette women and little crying girl.
This book reveals how violence and domestic abuse are a cycle that must be broking and finished! violence starts with a person and goes over generations , there must be another person to stand against it and end it. Every character in those stories found a way to break that cycle , different ways for different kind of abuse , in some stories those ways of ending the cycle of abuse are even more hard to read than the abuse itself , some of the stories has a happy ending , some of them felt like victory , no! they are victories and the other ones are heartbreaking.
this book is about many series of short stories of people who are abused , different kind of abuse , mental abuse , physical abuse , emotional abuse , it's all about abuse and violence!! too much violence in more than 200 pages. the victims are women , kids and even men! I've had a very hard time during this read , I barely could finish it!
Okay, however these stories are so real , the images of domestic abuse are very seen on those socities and in every society , even ours. but it's so tough .. unsure emoticon I don't know .. sometimes I closed my eyes while reading because the image of that person getting hurt is so clear and real on my mind, well that's a good point for the writer's writting skills.
what's good about this book that it is a collection of stories written by different writers which allowed me to experience different way and type of writting during one and same read, That's pretty cool!!
there's a thing that I want to talk about because I found it a little exaggerated ; I found out that the writers are all black , and all the characters is this book are all black , even all the people who wrote reviews for this book on goodreads are all almost black! It's like domestic abuse is something only related to black people! and that's not really true. I didn't mention the cover which contains a brunette women and little crying girl.
This book reveals how violence and domestic abuse are a cycle that must be broking and finished! violence starts with a person and goes over generations , there must be another person to stand against it and end it. Every character in those stories found a way to break that cycle , different ways for different kind of abuse , in some stories those ways of ending the cycle of abuse are even more hard to read than the abuse itself , some of the stories has a happy ending , some of them felt like victory , no! they are victories and the other ones are heartbreaking.
June 3, 2015
"Breaking the Cycle" by Zane is a book that is unlike any book I've read by this author. It's an urban-type fiction that takes me into what life is like in a domestic situation. The characters in each chapter had different situation but each of them pertained to domestic violence. I was astonished by how the scenarios played out. I was equally perplexed how some characters chose to stay in the abusive situation. Overall, I was engaged throughout reading the book and it helped me gain perspective on domestic abuse. I’d recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in learning about situations involving domestic violence or riveting turmoil. Definitely give this book 5 out 5.
April 29, 2008
This book is one of my all time favorites. It addresses the issue of domestic abuse from several different angles. It puts the reality out there and you are allowed room to express your emotions freely. Sometimes you will want to yell and scream and fight while other times all you can do is cry and pray for those suffering through domestic abuse. I highly recommend this book.
October 19, 2016
Breaking the Cycle is a stunning and moving anthology of stories, each of which focuses on an aspect of domestic abuse. This powerful collection is sure to serve as a wake-up call for people either dealing with a domestic abuse situation, or those watching someone else endure it.
Very blunt wording. Covers this topic well. many resources listed for those needing help. overall good book.
Very blunt wording. Covers this topic well. many resources listed for those needing help. overall good book.
February 28, 2008
This is a very powerful and surreal read. Very deep in relation to what really goes on in friendships/relationships and with families behind closed doors. The cycle indeed of neglect, abuse - all forms - mental, verbal, and physical. Please prepare yourself for an emotional reading.
September 30, 2012
Pretty good book with short stories from other author's throughout it. Very descriptive when it comes to painting a picture to the reader as to what is really going on in the stories. Sad and touching but these are issues surrounding our communities.
November 12, 2012
This book encouraged me to tell a close friend of mine the truth of what I thought about her current relationship at ther time was like . I gave her the book and read from cover to cover and decided to dump the guy. Thank you Zane :)
November 13, 2012
This was extremly "Real" at times even touching that fine line between to real and breathe taking i found myself deeply attached to all the chars. and wanting more from the story this is a great read for any one familiar with Zanes work or not
December 12, 2014
Awesome book indeed. Not what I was expecting so I was pleasantly surprised. Each story was written with such detail that I felt the characters pain and uncertainty in dealing with their individual situations.
Want to read
January 30, 2008I have this book and have not got to it yet but I will be reading it soon since its nice, wet and cold outside. Gotta get it hot in here!!!
April 11, 2008
This book really gives you a good insight on all forms of domestic violence,mental abuse,verbal abuse,and not just inflicted on women either,men can get it too!!!
August 13, 2008
Excellent stories about dealing with domestic abuse and violence and the strength it takes to want more and know that you deserve more
January 23, 2009
It shows how young girls go through their life after something so cruel happens to them
August 24, 2009
Good read for people who need outlets
Read
January 10, 2011i just started this book.! & it soo far is good.! i wuld rate this book on a scale of 1-10 a 10. & recommend eryone shuld read it.'
October 3, 2012
This book was hard to read. Only because it was so heart breaking. Not Zane's usual erotic work but just like all her books, she make sure to send a message.
August 17, 2013
this was a great book to read and somewhat relate to. I recommend it. I still have it on my mom shelf after all these years.
July 9, 2014
Good book.
August 13, 2014
An amazing book about domestic violence and breaking the cycle of abuse! Very compelling short stories! This is a must read for men and women.
December 12, 2014
Great read!
February 6, 2015
Excellent read about different types of abuse that one can endure. You have been taught that this is your destiny but it's not, you too can break the cycle.
February 23, 2015
very good and inspiring. it made me never give up and i got up out my situation and i am glad i did.
September 23, 2012
Sad book. Had me in tears
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews