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Wounds of the Father: A True Story of Child Abuse, Betrayal, and Redemption Kindle Edition

by Elizabeth Garrison (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,276 ratings
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In the bestselling tradition of Smashed and The Glass Castle, this raw, eye-opening memoir tells the powerful story of Elizabeth Garrison’s fractured childhood, descent into teenage drug addiction, and struggle to overcome nearly insurmountable odds. Elizabeth invites the reader behind the closed doors of a picture-perfect Christian family to reveal a dark, hidden world of child abuse, domestic violence, and chilling family secrets all performed in the name of God under the tyrannical rule of her father. Like countless teenage girls, Elizabeth turns to drugs and alcohol to escape. With smack-you-in-the-face honesty, Elizabeth chronicles the dark realities and real-life horrors of teenage drug abuse, living on the streets, foster homes, and treatment centers. She paints an unsparing portrait of scratching and clawing her way out of the grips of child abuse, addiction, and betrayal to find the strength within herself to save her own life.
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  1. Print length
    427 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    February 4, 2015
  5. File size
    417 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wounds of the Father is what young adult audiences have been waiting for: their generation's Go Ask Alice. Her brutal honesty and graphic descriptions of addiction lets readers know that she's been there, done that...She lived to tell her tale proving that even the gravest circumstances can be overcome, and providing an inspiration for troubled teens." --Arlene Garcia, Broward County Library
"Elizabeth Garrison's spellbinding tale of personal transformation is an essential read for anyone who has ever risked a journey to the raw mirror of self and the world. Every high school and counseling center should have this book." --Utne Magazine
"Wounds of the Father is a disturbing, yet hopeful memoir of a 12-year-old girl's journey into addiction and the battle she waged. If you think teen addiction is limited to youth from single-parent homes in urban settings, then you should read this book to broaden your perspective. A must-read for anyone who is courageous enough to hear the truth about small-town America that is rarely told." --Hamline University

About the Author

Elizabeth Garrison is the bestselling author of Wounds of the Father: A True Story of Child Abuse, Betrayal, and Redemption. She is a clinical psychologist who works as a leading researcher in child abuse. Her research focuses on the effects of child abuse and developing interventions to help children recover. In addition, her work on parenting has been featured on Dr. Phil, HuffPost Live, and Today Parents.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00T6ZRKOE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Blueprint Press (February 4, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 4, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 417 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 427 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,276 ratings

About the author

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Elizabeth Garrison

Elizabeth Garrison

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Elizabeth Garrison is the bestselling author of Wounds of the Father: A True Story of Child Abuse, Betrayal, and Redemption. She is a clinical psychologist who works as a leading researcher in child abuse. Her research focuses on the effects of child abuse and developing interventions to help children recover. In addition, her work on parenting has been featured on Dr. Phil, HuffPost Live, and Today Parents.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,276 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

trish voss
5.0 out of 5 stars Wounds of the Father ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2023
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This story was deeply engrossing; I could hardly put it down! Elizabeth's LIFE & sobriety is a miracle! She survived drug addiction, which started at an early age, and was very intense. Her story is truly one of redemption, and is inspirational. For all who have substance abusers in our lives, this story shows that even hardcore addicts CAN turn their lives around.
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Simon John Williams
4.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing but captivating
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2015
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I’m not an addict but I’m drawn to books about addiction. Elizabeth shares her story with the same unflinching honesty of the book Tweak but hers was different because she didn't have wealthy parents who threw tons of money at her to help her. Her parents basically abandoned her to the system and she ends up living in foster homes and has to live in her car at one point. It’s a really raw read. Hard to get through some of the parts. First addiction memoir I've read by a female and I got a totally different perspective on it.
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Jesguz
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2015
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Wounds of the Father: A True Story of Child Abuse, Betrayal, and Redemption by Elizabeth Garrison is a brutally honest memoir. Garrison tells about her life of drugs and abuse as a teenager and how she finally overcame it.

I made the mistake of starting to read Wounds of the Father right before going to bed. Once I began it I did not want to put it down. Garrison does not sugar coat her feelings. What she writes is extremely honest and straight from the heart. Garrison was abused by her father and the abuse was ignored by her mother. I do not know how she is able to still have a relationship with her mother after this, but I have respect for her for doing so. Although Garrison’s story is more about her trying to destroy herself with drugs than the actual abuse she suffered, once you begin reading it you will know and understand why. For Garrison to finally get her life together was amazing and I can see her being an inspiration for others. I hope she has finally found the happiness that she truly deserves.

Wounds of the Father is a book that I will not forget. Garrison’s story touched my heart and has given me a better understanding of people in my own family. This is a book for anyone who is even remotely curious about drugs or has been abused. It is also a book that shows that change in one’s life is possible. I will definitely be recommending this book to people.
3 people found this helpful
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Linda Ranson Jacobs
5.0 out of 5 stars This made her think God hated her when she was a little girl
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2015
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I read "Wounds of the Father" by Elizabeth Garrison last night in one setting. It was so gripping I couldn't put it down. She lived in a God-fearing family where she was abused. This made her think God hated her when she was a little girl. My heart ached for that little girl.This is truly a story about childhood trauma. Her memories were only in bits and pieces. It was like a huge jigsaw puzzle where many pieces were missing. Because she couldn't bring all the memories forward she thought there was something wrong with her. It is amazing this woman is alive today for what she put into her body trying to make the memories go away. A story or resilience for sure and a must read for anyone ministering to or working with children. After years she finally is able to find and trust a loving Father God but oh my the damage her earthly father did to her. So many people missed the signs there was something wrong in her family. They only thought there was something wrong with her.
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JM
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting But Hard to Read
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2018
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Having been raised in a conservative Christian home, I have at times felt rebellious. I am so thankful that my rebellion was held in check. I just found this book extremely depressing and difficult to read. I read mostly biographies and autobiographies so Elizabeth's story wasn't the first I've read along these lines. An addict obviously doesn't think about anyone else and throughout most of the book I wanted to slap this unlikable person. So much is written about her drug induced state and the number of highs she was on that it became almost boring. There wasn't much detail about the alleged sexual abuse from her father only thaose of her memories so the reader is left to wonder what really happened. The most disturbing point was that the counselor that was the most influential in her life acted highly inappropriate with her throughout her therapy. I am glad that this lady is well and turned her life around but the various ongoing descriptions of getting high became redundant.
One person found this helpful
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Dana Christine
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone who has been abused and turned to drugs
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2015
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This book is not a literary masterpiece, but I was hooked from the first line by her disassociative style of writing. It was like being inside her head. Near the middle of the book, she splits into two voices in her head. This is very difficult for a writer to pull off, but not only did she do it, she did it well. The voices show the war that is going on inside her in a way that is raw and transparent. She is constantly engaged in the battle of wanting to know the truth and at the same time, wanting to run away from it. When she steps over the line into addiction, she shares all the moments most girls work so hard to hide and never hesitates from sharing her terrible truths. I can’t imagine the courage it took to write this book and share it with the world. I thought the epilogue was too short because I wanted to know more about how she is doing now, but I was happy to see she was still sober and working as a psychologist with abused kids.
2 people found this helpful
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Heather A
4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Close Up in One Person's Struggle to Overcome
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2015
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While the book starts out a bit vague, almost hard to follow, it soon becomes clear that the writing reflects and mirrors the confusion, pain, humiliation, loneliness, and anger that the writer felt in her childhood and ultimately through addiction. With precise repetition, reflection, and an up close look at what humans can endure and overcome, Garrison shows not only a broken girl, but an angry, sometimes selfish person in addiction, coming back full circle to show us every bit of it was an elaborate cover up from a deep pain and eventual realization of truths she didn't want to imagine. It's an honest book, open, and anyone seeking to know they are not alone in abuse, shame, loneliness, and addiction would do well to read it.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Sianie82
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2021
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I didn't think I would be able to read this book. Especially with my own struggles. But once I started I couldn't put this book down.
I love the way she has written it, without leaving all the sensitive parts out.
I would SO recommend reading this book. Amazing. Elizabeth I want to say Thank you.
One person found this helpful
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Susan Shepherd
5.0 out of 5 stars A harrowing, horrific tale of addiction and debasement and living in “hell” only to fight tooth and nail to overcome and become a remarkable woman
Reviewed in Canada on December 31, 2019
Verified Purchase
this was such an honest account of a horrible life of abuse, addiction,relapse, debasement, I can hardly believe that this young woman not only lived through it all, conquered her demons but overcame her challenges to educate herself and dedicate herself to helping others who had experienced the same horrors.
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Amanda Clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing person, amazing read.
Reviewed in Australia on October 1, 2017
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This is probably the best written book in it's genre I've ever read. Furthermore, it tells a powerful story, a true powerful story. It's just truly mind blowing, sad, hopeless and hopeful.
Do read this.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Heartfelt story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2023
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This is a harrowing tale of near self destruction and then ultimate triumph. Uplifting and tragic in equal measures it is well written and well worth the read.
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Chris Pedersen
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational
Reviewed in Canada on April 3, 2020
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If this story doesn’t give you the strength to over come any barrier in your life then nothing will. Elizabeth is a true example of the strength we each have to shape our own destiny
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