In "Torn From the Inside Out" Sara Niles takes the reader through the escalating cycles of abuse. Watching her grow from a lively and curious child to a tortured and demoralized wife and mother is a compelling if painful journey. This is not a book for the squeamish but it is a book for anyone who has been impacted or has someone in her life who has been a victim/survivor of domestic violence.
Born and raised in the rural south of the 1970's Sara's story could as easily be about a girl raised in a big northern city now. Documenting her abuse at the hands of her husband Sara Niles holds back nothing. As the reader travels the long road with her it is sometimes difficult to remember this is not a work of fiction. It seems almost unbelievable that such cruelty could occur in recent history. As our eyes are opened we must ask what we as a society can do to prevent these crimes to continue, what support can be offered to victims of abuse, and how the laws can be re-written to benefit the abused. ( )