Dealing with It by Author Donna Taylor is a poignant memoir of her life and the effects of physical, mental and sexual abuse before she turned 16 years of age. Throughout her story the reader can see how the effects of childhood abuse can lead to long term health conditions and how these conditions can be exacerbated through continued exposure to stress. Her writing is both sensitive and emotive, as she explains how the abuse affected her self confidence, decision making, and relationships. Following the death of her father, whom she had a difficult relationship with, Donna must confront her past and find a way to heal and live with the scars.

Whilst the subject matter may be uncomfortable for some, Donna’s story seeks to raise awareness of the effects of childhood abuse, and many who have been through a similar trauma will resonate with her words. For me as a reader, and a survivor of abuse, books of this nature, only go to show that we can never truly know what goes on behind closed doors, and in someone’s life and therefore we should always treat each other with kindness, patience and understanding.

What I particularly liked about Donna’s memoir is how she not only shared these painful events with us, but then she goes on to share what she has learned, and the tools and techniques that enabled her to cope and come to terms with what happened, to enable others to find their way. And for that reason, I would encourage you to read this, because many of her life tips and her ‘Be, Do, Have Activity’ apply to us all, no matter what type of stress or trauma we are suffering from. We all have stressors in our lives and we are not all as resilient to those as we would like to believe.

I cannot say that I enjoyed reading Donna’s memoir, but only because I cannot enjoy someone else’s pain. However I connected with Donna on an emotional level and I found her hints and tips, life affirming and her activity beneficial in steering me through my own challenges in life. For that reason I am awarding 5 stars.

Dealing With It will be coming soon to the Book Dragon Shop