Hush: Moving From Silence to Healing After Childhood Sexual Abuse

by Nicole Braddock Bromley

Childhood sexual abuse is running rampant, yet it's the best-kept secret in our nation today.  Its victims grow into adulthood with their little child's heart trapped in the pain and torment of their past.  Nicole Braddock Bromley shares her own story and the steps to moving from silence to healing.  Hush exposes the harsh realities of childhood abuse, explains the pain it causes, examines the false beliefs it creates, and empowers survivors to begin a personal journey toward healing by breaking the silence.With words of understanding and comfort, Nicole tells the real-life stories of those whose voices would otherwise never be heard.  She is straightforward enough to pierce the hearts of those in a survivor's circle of influence, yet careful to tread lightly on what could be tender words.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Christian, Mental Health, Gender Studies, Adult, Biography

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jes · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book disappointed me.
The first 90 pages were brilliant, and I completely understood them but then the rest of the book I had to skim read over all of the talk about God. Now, I am all for people who choose to be religious, that's totally fine. But having it forced down my throat just made the book distasteful.
I wish I hadn't been so disappointed because I was really enjoying the direction it was going in.

[Andria Fredriks]

I read this book on the recommendation of a friend. It is a powerful book written to the sexual abuse survivor to help them through the various stages of healing but it extremely enlightening for the friend, the mentor, the person who wants to understand how the victim thinks and feels even years after the abuse has ended. As one who is considering being a Christian counselor and also just wants to be able to relate to and come alongside people who are experiencing all kinds of pain, this book was extremely useful. It challenged my ideas of the timeline of healing and the thought processes that the victim has as they relive and attempt to deal with their experiences. It forces you to rethink what you perceive to be healthy and normal from the perspective of someone who has experienced sexual abuse. I highly recommend this book.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok. But it was way over-simplified. I'm not really sure who the intended audience is. It seems like it was intended for adults, but it reads more like it was written for young teens. It was way too brief, and I was always waiting for it to go deeper... and it never did. Details lacking all over the place.

Her story was wonderful, and I think she does truly understand what others may be going through. That's where the two stars come in. I've heard her speak before, and I know that she is able to really connect with her audience, even those who have no personal ties to the subject.

But, like some others have said, the first 4-5 chapters were good. But once it got around chapter five, it turned into "You need God. It's not your fault, but you have to ask for forgiveness." While the intentions may have been honestly good, I think a non-Christian reading this would only feel worse afterwards. The second half of the book just felt so insensitive and overbearing to me.

So, overall, if you're a survivor of sexual abuse, or a loved one of a survivor of sexual abuse... I wouldn't start with this book. There are others that go deeper, and help much more. Or just read the first four chapters. Those work well. Especially to get the most basic understanding of the topic.

[Shy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always learn so much about myself when i read books like this.
I liked this book because it didn't talk about abuse in a technical way. It was plain english and everything was accurate.
All of the things she insisted were common among sexual abuse survivors were encouraging. Knowing that those feelings are not mine alone is incredibly helpful to my process. Thank you to Nicole Bromley for this side of childhood sexual abuse survival.

I will have to say that the religious parts (about God and Jesus) were things that I did not personally like but I know that a lot of people that read this book are feeling they are unworthy of their creator because of their situation and I'm glad that Bromley included those parts.

[Lulu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the first part of this book. The second part of the book was so Evangelical and focused so much on satan and forgiveness, that it lost me. There were good
Things mixed in throughout the book but things like Differentiating between how you feel about a person versus their "sin" doesn't resonate. Neither do biblical dictates.

[Rachel Zehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entry-level book that offers clarity for survivors and supporters of survivors.

[Havilah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was referenced in another book I’ve been reading. Very heavy content but well written. Definitely worth reading.

[Penny Sitler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicole brings first hand understanding of what victims of childhood sexual abuse go through. She has such great insights in the first half of the book: how to begin healing, how to talk about it, who to talk to, how perpetrators hold power over their victims and what the victims can do to empower themselves. Wonderful guidance! Then at the half-way point of the book, it becomes a testament to how God will get a survivor through it. I stopped reading at this point. I'm glad that faith was a protective factor for Nicole and it can be for many. However, it's not the only way to get through this or other difficult life experiences. Everyone needs to develop their own self-care strategies - what's right for one person is not right for everyone. So if you've experienced childhood sexual assault, I recommend the first half of this book. If your spiritual journey has been how you've gotten this far, you may enjoy the second half. If that's not who you are, build your own arsenal of coping skills. The most important thing is to be true to yourself.

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needed More...

The way this book is written is phenomenal. The use of. anecdotes to remind survivors that they are not unique, coupled with the infused suggestions for healing, works well to hold the reader's interest. Where this book falls short for me is with the emphasis on God as the ONLY answer. There are survivors who are atheistic, agnostic, or of alternate faith. If they were using this a1s a tool for healing, it is likely that they would feel even more isolated and unheard. The information about God is helpful for some, but having more than 50% of the book include the importance of scripture and Christian context was not the best choice.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written from the raw and real perspective of Nicole who experienced childhood sexual abuse. She approaches the topic in a beautifully gentle way, allowing for others' stories to be heard, to ask the hard questions, and experience freedom. I am forever grateful for this book as it has taught me how to listen, how to ask the right questions, how to come alongside friends and mentees who have experienced sexual abuse. I recommend this to any of my co-workers (I am in Christian ministry) and any students that I am mentoring.

[akacya ❦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book sometime last year not knowing how much it was geared toward victims of childhood sexual abuse. Reading the synopsis now, it seems obvious, but I’m still glad I picked it up because I learned a thing or two from it.

My favorite line: “And just as quickly as He forgave, He turned back to comfort me.” God forgiving those who have wronged you does not mean He no longer cares about you and your hurt. This line really resonated with me—God is always with us and will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). I think this is important for everyone to remember.

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say about 60-70% of it is helpful to everyone who has experienced any form of abuse/assault. As someone who does love Jesus but isn’t in church every Sunday, I think it turned very religious, very quickly. Especially since the synopsis/summary doesn’t mention faith. The writer did provide good information and scripture support for her words. I really did find the beginning and end of the book filled with validating experiences and views. I would recommend this for any survivor, family/friend of, or those who work with this population.

[Dorothea Randazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good got everyone who is starting to learn more about sexual abuse and the emotions that go along with it. It’s not too much into detail, although at the beginning I took a lot of notes.

Since the author is Christian she is writing about her way of dealing with it, which will include forgiveness and talking about sin and so on.

[Rebecca House · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very moving book that takes time to read through. Helps point out the clear path to healing.

[Ann Janvrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense very informative, easy reading.

[Artell Wadsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely recommend for anyone who's experienced sexual abuse at any point in their life. Definitely a Christian perspective and eye opening.

[Stephen Drew]

Recommended by JMcH

[Emilie Buechel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting. I really liked it in the beginning, but the second half of the book relies heavily on religion and wasn’t what I thought.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

As many reviewers mentioned, the book has a strong start. I am Christian myself, so I didn't mind the mentions of religion at first. But at some point, Bromley went from just describing how Christ helped bring her to true healing to trying to evangelize the reader. I chose this book knowing it came from a faith perspective, but since I already am Christian, the long paragraphs in nearly every chapter after the first few focused on trying to get me to accept Christ felt wasted. If I try to put myself in the shoes of someone who actually would be interested in accepting Christ into their life and had not yet, I doubt I would be convinced when reading a book on childhood sexual trauma.

It felt like the book was written from the scripts she may use at her various talks. The Evangelical bent to the later chapters probably works well in person in a speech or even a small group therapy setting. It works in person, I believe. But it certainly feels odd to sit and read it on one's own.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for anyone seeking to move forward from childhood sexual abuse, or for those who love abuse survivors and want to be able to understand and help them. My only problem was the variation in Bible versions.

[Leighanne Main · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I was not sexually abused as a child, I was stuck in an emotionally, verbally, physically, and sexually abusive relationship for two years as an adult. I received this book after going to a fantastic talk by Bromley at my school, and a friend actually got the book for me to read. This book has a good beginning and end, but it does get a little too into religion at times for me. I do believe that this book may help some, but for me it didn't help me as much as I hoped. It did put somethings in perspective for me, and really encouraged the healing process. However, the whole depending on god for everything was a turnoff. There is still value to this book for survivors though, and I do encourage anyone who is having a difficult time to read it.

[Devin Ripley]

This book is not only a self help book designed for survivors but for family and friends of child abuse victims. I wish all of my family and close friends would choose to learn the signs and symptoms of an incest victim. I learned many things about how to move on with my life, things that I have always wondered about but never knew. The little things that make survivors introvert can be overcome with the help of that person's peers. This is an informative must read, thank you for helping me to progress in this new life I'm trying to live.

[Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really am not sure how to rate this one..I loved the beginning of the book, 50 or 60 pages.It got kind of weird for me after that. She was still telling her story but had mixed in some of her students stories. I lended up skipping around after that. I gave it 3 stars because I felt the potential for a great book was there.

[Sonnet Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving account of personal experience living through childhood sexual abuse and pressing forward into healing and helping others. Author and speaker Nicole Bromley uses her story and the stories of dozens of others to outline how you can find healing, and why this silent, shameful epidemic of pain should be exposed and eradicated.

[Lorel Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, Amazing lady. This book broke my heart, and everything she did has helped my heart heal. She spoke at Olivet Nazarene University while I attended and I just fell in love with what she has done and is doing for the survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written by a Highland grad

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend. Nicole ministry of healing is outstanding. Check out her books and definitely go see her speak when she is in your area! http://www.onevoiceenterprises.com/

[Autumn Harris · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much talk about god.. couldn't finish.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little simplified for me, but still an excellent book for us who have been sexually abused.

[Jennifer Jarrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional to read. The scriptures were very helpful and I saw them in a different light as she shared them in context to overcoming the effects of sexual abuse.