Cry Silent Tears: The True Story of the Horrific Childhood of a Mute Little Boy - Hardcover

Joe Peters

4.22

4,323 ratings by Goodreads

9780007274048: Cry Silent Tears: The True Story of the Horrific Childhood of a Mute Little Boy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007274041 ISBN 13: 9780007274048

Publisher: HarperElement, 2008

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Joe knew his mother was cruel and violent, but he trusted his beloved father to protect him from her. When a freak accident saw his father burn to death in front of him, Joe was left at the mercy of his mother. Without the love of his friend and brother, he wouldn't have survived. With them, he went on to spend his life fighting child abuse.

Joe was just five years old and the horrific scene literally struck him dumb. He didn't speak for four and a half years, which meant he was unable to ask anyone for help as his life turned into a living hell.

His schizophrenic mother and two of his older brothers spent the following years beating him, raping him and locking him in the cellar at the family home. Fed on scraps that he was forced to lick from the floor, he was sometimes left naked in the dark for three days without human contact.

Unable to read or write, all Joe could do to communicate his suffering was draw pictures.

The violence and sexual abuse grew in severity as more people, including his stepfather, were invited to use him in any way they chose.

The only thing that saved Joe was the kindness of his elder brother and his only school friend, both of whom showed him that love was possible even in the darkest of situations.

At fourteen he finally found the courage to run away, hiding in a hut by a railway line, fed on scraps by some local children who found him.

Joe's is the ultimate insider's story, casting light into the darkest of hidden worlds, and a truly inspirational account of how one small boy found the strength to overcome almost impossible odds and become a remarkable man. Now that he has found his voice again, Joe speaks out against child abuse and helps support and protect other children whose lives have been blighted by it.

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From the Publisher:

Sunday Times Number 1 Bestseller

From the Back Cover:

`Then he made me stand up and wash myself in front of him. I felt ashamed and dirty. No one had ever told me these things were wrong, but I knew anyway.'

Joe was only five years old when he watched his beloved daddy burn to death in a garage fire. And five years old when he lost his voice.

Left at the mercy of his abusive, violent family and unable to ask anyone for help, little Joe's life turned into a living hell. Raped by his mother's boyfriend, beaten and locked in the cellar, he was fed only on scraps that he was forced to lick from the floor. To drink water, he first had to gnaw off the glued top of a bottle, a trick played on him by his brothers.
But much, much worse was to come...

This is the heart-warming true story of how an abused little boy overcame impossible odds and grew up into a remarkable man.

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