A horrific true story of extreme bullying and the sexual abuse of a disabled child. Life was never easy for little Siobhan. Born with cerebral palsy, she already has extra difficulties to contend with. But her disability isn’t her only problem. For Siobhan, life is a nightmare of constant verbal and physical attacks. The verbal and physical abuse soon turns more serious, even violent. And Siobhan plunges deeper into a relentless hell of daily attacks. As the abuse escalates, Siobhan begins to fear for her life. The urge for survival takes over and Siobhan must take drastic and extreme action to escape the torment. But her safety is short lived and the abuse returns once again to her life. And this time, it is worse than ever. The story builds to a powerful crescendo, and one final, shocking act of sexual violence changes the lives of all concerned for ever. Kate Skylark has previously co-authored two child abuse memoirs. But now, it’s time for Kate to tell her own story. Ugly Child, is the touching and shocking account of the author’s own childhood bullying and sexual abuse hell. Kate Skylark’s real name is Siobhan. This is her horrendous story… The author believes no child should ever have to undergo such torment. So for every book sold, a donation will be made to the NSPCC.
Ugly Child is the author's personal experience with bullying in her childhood. I had high hopes for her book based on her other books / storylines, but I have to admit this particular book fell a little flat for me.
It felt like there was a lot of repeating of the same things / topics over and over. The storyline itself didn't flow as easily as I'd like. With it being such a short read, it was easy enough to get through the book, but It definitely didn't hold my interest as easy as I'd hope.
I'd still read others by the author, since I can say for sure that her other books flowed a lot better than this one.
I could relate to siobhans bullying experience I myself was bullied for dislocating at secondary school students would hold there knee and fall to the floor taking the mick out of me.so many children and adults get bullied siobhans experience was a real eye opener more needs to be done about bullying nobody should be bullied and be made to feel worthless and ugly.im glad siobhan was able to share her experience I'm sure this book will help other people reach out about bullying ita lovely that siobhan makes a donation from her book sales to the NSPCC.reading this book broke me I could relate in so many ways.apeakjng out could make the situation so much worse for you so you bottle it up in the hope it might eventually stop the silent tears you shed in your bedroom not wanting to go to school the dread of what the next school day would bring it broke my heart what siobhan faced it also brought up my experience of what I face daily at secondary school all the way through to my last day there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was my first time to read a book by this author and I wasn't that impressed. First let me say that I really did have sympathy for what she went through as a child and I am glad that she overcame the abuse and became a productive member of society and in the end was able to forgive her abuser. I however, found the book to be repetitive and begin to lose interest but, did finish the book. I don't think I would recommend this book or read any other books by her.
This is a heart wrenching book, bullying at any level is a terrible crime, and school bullying is at the top of the cruelty list, committed to children by children, and can take years to recover from, I have every admiration for the Author, who turned her life around after such cruel treatment, and my heart goes out to all bullied children, especially to those who are now adults who still suffer from depression and other illnesses brought about by cruel nasty bullies.
I loved this story. It came from the heart of Siobhan. This is one of the most disturbing bullying I’ve read so far (as a true story). I’m so happy it turned out well for you because I am still having trouble trying to breathe. You are truly an inspiration to the kids that have to face this vicious bullying everyday at school and sometimes in their own neighborhood….
I chose to read this book on Amazon's recommendation based on other books I had read. This book did not have a good flow and could have been written with a lot less repeating of the same subject. The author states she used to write essays. This book felt like reading an essay that required a certain number of words. Not an author I'll look to read in the future.
This book didn't take me long at all to read. I was really surprised to see who her abuser was. I'm very glad Ms. Skylark came out the other side. There is still much bullying happening today. I hope this book can help someone else.
In our country today there is much talk about bullying and the pain it causes. This book deals with that subject and the young lady that somehow had the strength to overcome those problems and find healing. I’m glad she did; so many don’t.
Congratulations to Kate Skylark for being able to tell of the horrendous things she went through in her childhood. Children can be bullies and very unkind but for them to not just get away with it but to ramp it up to what it ended up being was disturbing!
This book hits close to home for me . I am so happy that Siobhan was able to articulate her experiences of being bullied and how she succeeded in life. I hope her book helps bullied children today. I am sure that it has and will.
Such an emotional yet inspiring book. Bullying has no place in our society. The mental and physical scars it can leave on a person never disappear. Well done to Kate Skylark for achieving what she has despite what she went through.
Thank you for sharing your story. Sharing personal experiences are not easy and I commend you for it. I have learned a lot from all your books I've read.
I enjoyed this book. However half way it dragged and it not my favourite book of the series however I always learn something from each book and feel sorry for the victims. I'd rate it 4.5
Another great book I couldn't put down. Although child abuse its different from every other aspect of abuse we read about, even makes you think was the abuser actually abused too?