Friday 11 May 2007

I was in the city centre branch of Waterstones this morning and was quite taken aback to see, amongst the sections on cookery, travel etc., a whole new section devoted to 'Painful Pasts'. I find this rather disturbing - do some people actually make straight for this section to see if there are any new stories out on abused childhood?

12 comments:

riniroo said...

That is quite disturbing. Nice title, "Please Daddy No". I don't think I'll ever pick one of those up. Oh well, I guess it takes all kinds to make up this world.

Have a great day!

Check out my "flip" on CDP.
www.cypressdailyphoto.blogspot.com

JM Vigil said...

My first reaction was "how disturbing". Then I thought, most people with an early childhood trauma feel alone, that no one understands. Reading about others who have gone though something similar brings them comfort - "they understand how I feel", "they survived, so can I", "I'm not alone". Most bookstores I've been in have this under the self-help section, in the back, where there is less foot traffic and more privacy. A timely post with Lynn's topic.

Cheltenhamdailyphoto said...

How apt this is for what i am going to say i'm afraid. Young children unsafe.

I have posted a photo of the missing UK girl Madeleine in the hope that the more people see her, the more chance she may be found. Please take a sec to pop over to Cheltenham, to put her face in your head. Thanks to you and your readers.

Cheltenhamdailyphoto said...

Oh! Thank you for the link, Jules. All hands on deck.

Stephen Barnes said...

My missus is obsessed by these books, and doesn't read anything else.

She was delighted when I told her about this section in Waterstones last week.

I'll put it down to her being a nurse, and hence a 'caring' individual. Other people would think she's a looper.

Fénix - Bostonscapes said...

In America people started talking publicly about their painful childhoods in the '80s. I think Oprah might've started the trend. I just can't watch shows or read books on the subject, too disturbing.

Greetings from Boston.

Anonymous said...

I think some magic would make them more presentable.

isa said...

I find this concept very tasteless, to say the least...

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Fabrizio Zanelli said...

jules is right but I'm afraid that someone may get inspiration reading those kind og books...

Anonymous said...

I sympathise with the notion of someone being able to unburden their past by talking and writing about it, but there is something about this heap of books that smacks of the marketing man more than the analyst

Bobby D. said...

on the one hand there is money to be made off of every subject it seems-- But I hardly think these books would seem Tasteless to a child who is blaming himself for the hideous actions of others.
This might be helpful to a child who feels they cannot talk to adults for fear of disturbing them or upsetting-- it is the "i am not alone" beacon of light to some kids--

I personally could not get through a book like "A Child called It" when a friend gave me her copy-- too gruesome to imagine such bad parents!
I don't like to read about pain.