DonnaLynn Hall wants teenagers and young adults to know there’s hope for recovery from abuse.
Hall, 40, of Hampden remembers the fear and isolation of growing up with an abusive parent. She suffered 13 years of physical abuse at the hands of her alcoholic father and many more years of verbal abuse, Hall said last week.
Through counseling and being open about what happened to her, Hall found the hope she did not have as a girl. Now, she wants to help others recover.
In addition to starting a website, www.victoryfromabuse.com, Hall has written a book of fiction titled “A Week to Remember.” AuthorHouse, a self-publishing firm in Bloomington, Ind., published it this summer
An excerpt from “A Week to Remember”
When Carrie reads a paper in English class, she overreacts:
“So I am shaking since I am so nervous, I read my paper, which is ok until Mr. Moots starts questioning me afterwards. He said things like, where is the emotion in the paper? At this point I was back at my desk, shrinking when he started asking me these questions. What was I supposed to say, I don’t feel any emotions except anger. I wasn’t sure what to do or say. I said something stupid like I didn’t think we needed to put that in the paper. At that point the class starts laughing at me. Then things go from bad to worse. I couldn’t believe I did this, but I was so angry at the time for being humiliated by this dumb teacher. Teachers are supposed to help the students not make them feel worse. I get up, grab all my things, go to the door, turned around and said something like: I don’t have to take this anymore. I hate English and slammed the door behind me. It’s not like I said anything bad, but saying it to a teacher in front of the class is bad. I was just standing in the hallway thinking do I go back in? I don’t want to fail the class. What if he tells my parents? Then I will get beaten for sure.”
“This site is used to encourage and help people,” Hall said on her website. “That is why I wrote my book. It is a positive spin on what happened. I know not all stories end that way. The point is we want to deal with the abuse so we don’t end up in that situation again.”
Hall’s 80-page paperback, available only through her website, is written as a first-person diary by 16-year-old Carrie. The girl struggles to hide her bruises and with seeking help from an adult. She distrusts her teachers and school officials but does have a favorite aunt to whom she would like to turn.
Unfortunately, just as Carrie is ready to seek help, her Aunt Mia is diagnosed with cancer.
Despite the girl’s feelings of isolation, one teacher recognizes the signs of abuse that Carrie exhibits and gives the girl the phone number for an abuse hotline.
The teenager also does some research on a school computer and, eventually, writes her aunt seeking support.
“For the first time in my life,” Carrie wrote after realizing there were adults to help her, “I didn’t feel alone. I felt that I had someone looking out for me and it was great. I knew that things [would] change in my life now; I just had to get through the hard stuff [with Child Protective Services at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services].”
“A Week to Remember” and Hall’s website list resources on domestic violence in every state and detailed information about what takes place when child abuse is reported to authorities.
Hall has plans for two more books — one with a character in college and another about a young adult beginning her career.
“What I really want to do is start a nonprofit that would help abuse victims pay for counseling,” the writer, who works in the Bangor area as a computer programmer, said last week. “This is all about making a difference and helping other people.
DonnaLynn Hall will hold a book signing at 2 p. m. Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Bangor Public Library. “A Week to Remember” will be available.