A Rose Trampled

A retired police officer with twenty-three years of service opens by warning readers that they may view family members differently once they finish this book. Relatives often watch children while parents are away, and the writer, who has listened to many women over the years, says Samantha Douglas's life story stands apart from anything they have heard. The writer describes abusers bluntly, as people without a conscience.

Samantha was sexually abused from the age of four, and doctors believe the abuse may have begun as early as two or three. Her mother did not confront the abuser, a mature male relative. At fifteen, Samantha rebelled against her mother and was thrown out of the house. She ended up homeless and severely depressed, with only the clothes she was wearing.

As an adult, Samantha married and tried many times to have a child, but she lost five children. She later divorced her husband because of his infidelity and remarried, only to learn that her second husband was a murderer. She then found lasting love and gave birth to her only child, Joshua, who had serious health problems. Her husband died suddenly shortly afterward.

Dianna Thomas, PhD, presents this as a true account. The writer suggests that readers who feel they have been through the worst may find that Samantha's experience puts their own hardships in perspective.