This is a book of HOPE. Hope for recovery from the traumatic consequences of child abuse and from what many consider to be its deepest problem--damage within our spirit. This is Cathy Ann Matthews' moving story - the horrors of her sexual, emotional and physical abuse as a child, the devasting effects on her life and the practical steps she took with God towards recovery. Cathy Ann also writes about her spiritual struggles as a Christian. She honestly describes the confusion and fear she felt towards God and her battle to trust Him. This book encouraged countless people who were abused as children and teenagers, and those who support them. It offers the positive message of hope for emotional, physical and spiritual recovery. The film, "Breaking Through", was based on this book and won the 1990 Australian Human Rights Award for Television Documentary Drama.
About the Author: CATHY ANN MATTHEWS is the pseudonym of Beth W.Jones, who was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, and is an internationally recognized speaker on the topic of the effects of child abuse. In 1997 she was honoured by her country with the award of the Medal of The Order of Australia, the citation stating "for service to the community in the area of support for victims of abuse." She published her first book "No Longer a Victim" in 1986 on this hitherto taboo subject. This was followed by her second book "Breaking Through" in 1990, which is now in its fourth reprint. After the first printing she began speaking publicly on the books' topic and soon became known for her experience and understanding of the consequences of childhood abuse and how people could be helped to recover from its devastating effects, as an adjunct to professional couselling. A Human Rights Award was presented in 1990 for a television documentary drama based on "Breaking Through". As Cathy Ann grew up she suffered abuse at the hands of her father, who it appears, had been traumatized by his own harsh childhood and his service in the First World War. Her faith in Christ enabled her to survive her childhood and go on to marry a Christian minister and raise three children. When her children matured into their own careers, Cathy Ann began her own mature age career. Upheld by God, and with the help of her devoted husband and the support of her older sister, who was her only sibling, she continued to face her own past and began to encourage and enable others who had also been abused to cope and move on with their lives in a healthier and more productive way. Cathy Ann lives with her husband to whom she has been married for nearly sixty years in a beachside suburb of Sydney. She has three children and seven grandchildren. She continues to thank God for his love and never failing support.