Ravaged By Violence

In the moving and educational novel Ravaged by Violence, author Teleha M. Coolman creates a family torn apart by brutality. Tim and Ellen have a tumultuous marriage due to his abusive nature. In the throes of anger, Tim beats his wife and daughter, Patricia, a girl who is left for dead and miraculously survives. Motherless after a series of tragic events, and her father serving time in prison, Patricia lives out her childhood in foster care and matures into a woman of substance and caring. This story is certainly about the emotional ravages experienced through physical abuse, but it also touches deeply on the benefits for abusers who seek treatment. For Tim, his therapy helps him to uncover his own childhood abuse. While it explains so much of his earlier behavior, it does little to soften his profound sense of guilt. Will his daughter ever forgive him? At the heart of this novel is one man reaching out, a tender reminder that forgiveness can heal.