Dysfunctional Childhood

AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK A 2002 FEATURE FILM The unforgettable story of a young woman's odyssey through a series of Los Angeles foster homes on her journey to redemption. “Liquid poetry.” —Oprah Winfrey Astrid is the only child of a single mother, Ingrid, a brilliant, obsessed poet who...

Writer Peg Streep lays out seven distinct but interconnected stages on the path to reclaim your life from the effects of a toxic childhood: "discover", "discernment", "distinguish", "disarm", "reclaim", "redirect", and "recover". Each step is clearly explained and richly detailed with the stories of other women. With approaches drawn from psychology and other disciplines and with unique exercises, the book will help the listener tackle her own self-doubt and become consciously aware of how her mother's treatment continues to shape her behavior.

Winner of the 2018 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction Longlisted for British Columbia's National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction 2018 Shortlisted for the 2018 Evelyn Richardson Non-fiction Award Shortlisted for the 2018 Atlantic Book Awards - Margaret and John Savage First Book Award...

“An exquisitely crafted novel of love discovered and friendship found.”—Martha Hall Kelly, author of Lilac Girls Ruby’s life glitters with success, but she still must conquer her tragic past and discover what love really looks like. Lily Decker never meant to become a showgirl. As a...

One of Library Journal’s Best Books of 2025 A fresh, no-nonsense parenting guide that shows you how to become a great parent (even if you didn’t have one yourself). Many of us didn’t have a perfect childhood. But it’s never too late (or too early!) to transform into the parent you were...

The dazzling, fearless debut novel that the New York Times hails as “a future classic”. WINNER: The Bailey Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Goldsmiths Prize, the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award, the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR...

"Mysteries drive this satisfyingly twisty tale by Hepworth, whose work may remind you of Liane Moriarty's...the effect is amplified by the talented cast, which includes Caroline Lee, who narrates Moriarty's audiobooks." -- The Providence Journal Sally Hepworth, the newest breakout star of...

Rewire your nervous system and heal the quiet pain of emotional neglect to finally build secure, lasting relationships. If you constantly struggle with anxiety, harsh self-talk, or people-pleasing, your brain is simply doing its best to protect you from early stress. Find calm, steady validation...

"It’s a dark story that forced me to think more expansively about what constitutes a cult." —The New York Times' Ernesto Londoño "Although this is Mestyanek Young’s first time narrating, listeners will appreciate hearing this deeply personal story told by the author herself. Share with...

From the daughter of the bestselling author of Father Joe: the poignant and ultimately hopeful memoir of a young girl’s struggle to live a normal childhood in the chaotic seventies, and to overcome sexual abuse by her famous father Earlier this year, Tony Hendra’s memoir, Father Joe: The Man...

“Wickedly funny and always movingly illuminating, thanks to kick-ass storytelling and a poet's ear.” –Oprah.com The New York Times bestselling, hilarious tale of Mary Karr’s hardscrabble Texas childhood that Oprah.com calls the best memoir of a generation. The Liars’ Club took the...

A beautiful, startling, and candid memoir about growing up without boundaries, in which Ariel Leve recalls with candor and sensitivity the turbulent time she endured as the only child of an unstable poet for a mother and a beloved but largely absent father, and explores the consequences of a...

Bestselling recovery author Karen Casey looks at stories of people who grew up in dysfunctional families and "the good stuff" that can, ironically, come from the experience. She interviews survivors who emerged from the fires of turbulent households affected by abuse, addiction, or other problems, and reveals how they came to process their often-harrowing personal trials and, against the odds, triumph over their difficulties—using skills they honed in response to their childhoods.

A Simple and Hope-filled Blueprint to Break Free from a Hurtful Childhood that May Be Holding You Back―Secret Hurts, Destructive Cycles, Buried Anger, and More Hiding inside every man is a little boy. For some this kid is healthy and strong. For others he’s insecure. Afraid. Angry. And...