Julie Barton

"Too many siblings are getting hurt and hurting each other. Sibling violence is one of the last sanctioned forms of domestic abuse. Parents often say that kids just hit each other. While some aggression between siblings is inevitable, parents need to be equipped with ways to intervene and stop the fighting before it turns into serious physical, emotion, or verbal abuse. Physical fighting should never be allowed. No child should be permitted to regularly intimidate, torture, or hurt his or her sibling, because the effects of this kind of treatment will last a lifetime" Julie Barton (p. 228-229).

At 22-years-old the author of this book suffered a total collapse, suffering from severe depression. This is her journey which included coming to terms with physical and emotional abuse from her older brother, a father who worked long hours so was absent most of the time, and a mother who couldn't deal with the situation. She then went through therapy and medication, but what really helped to heal her was adopting a Golden Retriever puppy she named Bunker. Although the author will never be able to come off anti-depressants, she is now able to live a fulfilling life. A good story, little bit repetitive and the author does come from a privileged background, but her story serves to highlight sibling abuse and the horrible disease known as depression that plagues our communities.… (mais)