A NEW BOOK COMING SOON

Greetings,

After few blog posts lately, I have recently completed some writing projects and returned to this blog to share some writing tips, photography, art, and some of my writing.

I have just finished my eighth book, Papa Dearest.  It will be published soon. The topic has troubled me for decades. Unlike my first book, Eyes of a Pedophile, the true crime story about violent pedophile Nathanael Bar-Jonah I met when working in an ER, Dearest Papa is a novel I hope may help a victim of incest find strength to escape and find help.

The World Health Organization classifies incest as a silent health emergency. The pervasive behavior is so abhorrent victims often carry the pain to their graves. Learning Anna’s story may help other victims gain strength and find help.

PAPA DEAREST

Following her mother’s death. a young girl named ANNA tells her story of surviving a hidden life of generational abuse in rural Montana at the hands of her religious father.

FORBIDDEN

Years of work as an ER physician brought me in contact with numerous victims. Stopping abusers is everyone’s responsibility. Key to saving the children is reporting abuse to authorities including child protective services. A safe environment and proper counseling are key to victim recovery for all forms of sexual assault.

The German word verboten describes incest, absolute forbidden sex acts between family members. Stories of incest are so distasteful they are usually told in whispers if shared at all. Most victims carry the secrets of abuse to their deaths, never revealing the forbidden truth of horrendous actions endured at the hands of a person deemed a protector.

Decades ago, I learned incest occurred in my family. My great grandfather, a German immigrant, impregnated his young daughter Anna who bore a child she named Sophia. The little girl was raised in the family as a cousin and never acknowledged as a daughter, ever. My mother knew Anna and Sophia. She whispered the story to my oldest sister, but details remained verboten to discuss.

How do we stop the abuse of children? They are vulnerable and require protection and education to help them learn to defend themselves. Even in the most protective families, children are at risk and may be harmed by people known to the family including relatives and friends. Sexual predators are not typically strangers, they are usually known to the family and the child.

Incest is the ultimate immoral act of the sexual abuse of a child. This behavior often occurs with the knowledge of other family members including mothers who do nothing, leaving the silenced child unprotected, in a state of ongoing crisis and fear.

Papa Dearest is a novel, but is based on extensive research and interviews with survivors of incest. They are friends and relatives who trusted me with their painful stories to share in hopes of helping others escape the entrapment of incest.

Betty Kuffel, MD