Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 364

Tonight's special guest is Annie O'Sullivan from Oregon, child abuse survivor, author and advocate for adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Annie says she's, "Advocating for adults who have survived childhoods of sexual abuse, be it violent or not, [and] have a need to be validated, recognized and heard. How frustrating to have lived a life so colored by abuse that one is not allowed to discuss it in polite company. How sad to be careful not to offend someone with who you really are, when the trurely offensive individual is likely lurking around happily." Her book, "Can You Hear Me Now?" is a collection of short stories built around art therapy, old photos, and the memories of a child. It drops you into the mind of the child as she tells her shocking story from a very different and important point of view; hers. The reader is taken on an intimate life journey through the eyes of this child’s confusion, misunderstanding, will to persevere, and seek goodness in the world. It’s the true story of careening through her life with her dysfunctional family as she experiences violence and abuse without a compass, to ultimately, against all odds, prosper. It is also the story of the toll taken 50 years later on the body, caused by mental and physical abuse. This is not your typical survivor story. You won't be able to put it down. “Can You Hear Me Now” is the voice of a child you as you have never heard it before.