Shattered but Sheltered

If you are a survivor of childhood sexual assault, this book could save your life. It is written in two parts: Part One is a true story of Martha's encounter with childhood sexual assault. It is a powerful story of resilience and courage that tells how repercussions can follow a person into adulthood. It then gets into how survivors can circumvent those effects. Part Two is a research-based validation of the feelings of sexual assault victims. It mirrors the first half of the book, but is based on empirical articles from psychological journals. It presents some statistical data, then delves into the emotional, psychological and social impact of this kind of trauma and the reasons survivors do not readily disclose. Finally, it gets into a discussion of resilience and spirituality, and concludes with healthy ways of dealing with the trauma and loss.