Thirteen-year-old Sophia had had enough of her father's drinking and abuse, not to mention her mother's denial of what was going on in their home. After her father takes from her what she holds most sacred, she paddles her kayak to a nearby island to find refuge. It is on that island where Sophia discovers her own strength, inner wisdom, and resources to heal from her family dysfunction.
Hope Island: An Adventure of Self-Discovery and Personal Growth
is more than a gripping story of courage, emotional recovery, and post-traumatic growth. It is a workbook for adolescents and teens dealing with trauma, and a manual for adults seeking to heal their inner child.
The author, Donna Bardell, grew up in an alcoholic and dysfunctional home with four siblings. By the time she was 25, both her parents were sober and have remained so. As an adult, Donna recognized the trauma she had experienced in her home as a child still impacted her in the present. She sought help to process the trauma and found the fellowship of others with similar experiences to be a powerful remedy. This book was written with the goal of sharing some of the tools that helped Donna in her recovery find their way to teens living in dysfunctional homes, and to other adult children of alcoholics and dysfunctional families seeking healing.
Here's what one expert has said about this unique book:
"Hope Island
uniquely wraps useable information about trauma and healing around a personal story of courage, loss and emotional recovery. It is both an enjoyable narrative and a rich manual for adolescents, teens and adults who seek healing."­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ - Dr. Becky Bailey, award-winning author, creator of Conscious Discipline, and internationally recognized expert in childhood education and developmental psychology
.