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Panic Child: A Harrowing True Story of Sexual Abuse and Neglect
The traumas of childhood neglect and sexual abuse cannot be left behind when victims mature into adults. Too often, those adults repeat the crimes once perpetrated against them, depend on substances to dull the pain of memory, or choose partners similar to the adults who once abused them. Is there a way out of this darkness? Carol D. Levine, in her heartrending and yet hopeful memoir, Panic Child, reveals her childhood of parental neglect, sexual abuse, and the stranger who raped her, and her ascent from the depths of this terrible childhood to a life of service to children who suffered their own nightmares. The strong and steady voice of author Levine is the most powerful reminder that nobody is obliged to repeat the sins of those who harmed us, and that with support and a will to overcome trauma, we can heal from the deepest wounds and live loving, healthy, productive lives.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 9, 2018
This review is for Carol and for all those who are unable to tell what happened to them. Carol D. Levine, a NAASCA Officer and Volunteer (National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse) has written a memoir that is a template of subjects associated with childhood sexual abuse. This conversationally written book feels like the reader is sitting down with a good friend and listening to her pour out her life story in a matter-of-fact tale of betrayal and ultimate triumph. The sociological value of PANIC CHILD is immense in that it tells the story from a survivor's point of view. We have all too many news stories that are told in dry, distant tones that leave readers with the same question, "Why didn't she/he tell?" This book answers the question.
The thread of panic runs through the book. The child Carol has had so many assaults against her on so many fronts with so little support that it is a wonder she survived. She suffers bullying in a drug infested school, a drunk father and uncle who assault her, caretakers who starve her, a mother who spoils her brother while denying her enough clothes to be warm and neglects her emotional needs. And much more - I don't want to spoil an interesting read.
PANIC CHILD shows how child abuse alienates victims from themselves and isolates them socially. Neglect and substance abuse by adult family members leads to economic problems that encourage bullying at school. Kids without warm, clean, appropriate clothing are often subject to ridicule because they are "different". It leads to a lack of lunches and to sitting alone while others eat lunch so normal socializing becomes a problem.
PANIC CHILD illuminates the pattern that child abuse so often follows. It is a book that has a grounding and validating effect, particularly on survivors who will often be nodding as they read, thinking "Yes, that happened to me too."
The problem of choosing abusive friends and/or marital partners is common to survivors for the obvious reason that a person who has been so badly treated devalues herself/himself and allows people to encroach on them in destructive ways. They often stay in abusive relationships most people would leave after the first slap, the first hate filled word hurled at them. People often gravitate toward what is familiar. A person's compass in life is usually formed by the conditioning of earliest memories and experiences. This might answer the "But WHY do they keep coming back?" question that is so often asked.
Carol Levine shows how she made her way through the maze of pain and moved to a place of more peace in her life. She has a calling to help others and his has been a thread that led her into positive job choices and helped her in the future. One cannot help but applaud the courage of this woman who has turned a tragic set of circumstances into a hand held out to help others.
The thread of panic runs through the book. The child Carol has had so many assaults against her on so many fronts with so little support that it is a wonder she survived. She suffers bullying in a drug infested school, a drunk father and uncle who assault her, caretakers who starve her, a mother who spoils her brother while denying her enough clothes to be warm and neglects her emotional needs. And much more - I don't want to spoil an interesting read.
PANIC CHILD shows how child abuse alienates victims from themselves and isolates them socially. Neglect and substance abuse by adult family members leads to economic problems that encourage bullying at school. Kids without warm, clean, appropriate clothing are often subject to ridicule because they are "different". It leads to a lack of lunches and to sitting alone while others eat lunch so normal socializing becomes a problem.
PANIC CHILD illuminates the pattern that child abuse so often follows. It is a book that has a grounding and validating effect, particularly on survivors who will often be nodding as they read, thinking "Yes, that happened to me too."
The problem of choosing abusive friends and/or marital partners is common to survivors for the obvious reason that a person who has been so badly treated devalues herself/himself and allows people to encroach on them in destructive ways. They often stay in abusive relationships most people would leave after the first slap, the first hate filled word hurled at them. People often gravitate toward what is familiar. A person's compass in life is usually formed by the conditioning of earliest memories and experiences. This might answer the "But WHY do they keep coming back?" question that is so often asked.
Carol Levine shows how she made her way through the maze of pain and moved to a place of more peace in her life. She has a calling to help others and his has been a thread that led her into positive job choices and helped her in the future. One cannot help but applaud the courage of this woman who has turned a tragic set of circumstances into a hand held out to help others.
October 16, 2018
This is a very authentic view of the life of an abuse/neglected child. Carol brings you on a journey throughout her young life into adulthoood showing how the continued abuse affected her, and caused internal damage. The silence that continues to control the reality. This is a powerful story and shows how the child's mind thinks and acts during such trauma.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews