Author:
Stuart Howarth
Title:
Please, Daddy, No: A Boy Betrayed
Genre:
Biography, Child Abuse, Tragic Life Stories, Sexual Abuse, Families
and Parents, Health & Family and Lifestyle, Social and Health
Issues, Nonfiction, True Crime, Autobiography, Memoir,
I
was given this book.
To
my sister, Shirley Anne Howarth, 1st February 1965 - 8th February 1991 aged 26 years, I miss you, 'Shirl the whirl', and today
I know that you escaped away to peace and freedom. I watch you dance
in the summer meadows, running free, chasing butterflies. Today I
smile for us all – love you!.
This
book has 320 pages and 27 chapters in it.
I
would tell people that you should step outside your comfort zone with
books because it is good to add more authors and genres to your
reading portfolio. Even if you do not read books like this.
I
normally read books of this genre but l also stepped outside my
comfort zone with authors and genres l am so glad l did because l
have read so many great books and come across some great authors.
I
highly recommend this book.
Synopsis:
he thought he was too naughty to be loved. Stuart just wanted his
step-father to love him, but he was made to believe that he was too
naughty to be loved. After years of abusing Stuart's young sisters,
David Howarth was sent to prison. Nobody knew the truth about
Stuart's abuse until one fateful day when his step-father tried it
again and Stuart fought back in the only way he could. Stuart Howarth
spent the first thirty years of his life in a mental and physical
hell. At the age of thirty-two the rage, pain and confusion boiled
over inside his head and he sought out the man who had tormented him.
Arriving at his step-father's doorstep, he discovered David Howarth
had not changed. Certain that he was about to be attacked in the same
way he had been so many hundreds of times as a small boy, Stuart
grabbed a hammer and battered David Howarth to death. Stuart made no
attempted to deny what he had done, and for the first time in his
life he told his shocked family some of what he had been put though
as a child. Since they had all suffered at the hands of David
Howarth, none of them blamed him, but still Stuart still had to face
prosecution and the judge reluctantly sentenced him to two year's
imprisonment. In prison, Stuart should have received the help he
needed, but some of the staff at strangeways took sadistic pleasure
in taunting him about his childhood abuse and subjecting him to
humiliating strip-searches up to eight times a day. Stuart fought
back, taking the home office and strangeways to court, where he won
his case and was awarded damages. Stuart wrote in his book to my
sister Shirley Anne Howarth 1st February 1965 - 8th February 1991 aged 26 years l miss you 'Shirl the whirl', and today l
know that you escaped away to peace and freedom. I watch you dance in
the summer meadows, running free and chasing butterflies. Today l
smile for us all – love you. To my darling Tracey, you are my love,
my life, my faith, my strength, my today, my tomorrow and my
everlasting! To mum (thanks for keeping us together as a unit),
Trevor, Christina, Clare, Rosina, Maria, Mark and Dominic, now is the
time to begin our journey as a family. To Sebastiano (god bless you)
and to Eric (rest in peace). To Matthew, Rebecca, Jamie and Lee,
thank you for teaching me how to be a father and for the warmth that
engages me every time you are around. Thank you for my grandchildren
and for the unconditional love they bring. To Sue and Geoff Hadfield
and the Hadfield family, you believed in me and showed much love
where others would have turned their backs. I will always be grateful
– thank you. To my legal team: Padhee Singh, Ash Halam, Peter
Pratt, Dr Keith Rix, Dr Lucinda Cochayne and the very honourable Mr.
Justice Elias. To Colm O'Gorman (one in Four) – you heard my cries
and felt my pain, Neil Fox (counselor) – prison needed good men
like you, the god squad at strangeways and the few officers who
fought my cause (you know who you are), and hundreds of men l came
across in the prison system who shared their stories of abuse, hurt
and pain with me ( your anonymity remains as requested). To Anthony
Kelly (I followed the dream, thanks for the review), to Colin and Colleen Heath, the Taylors, Dean Mylchreest, Martin Cashin, the
Sweeney family, Jimmy Barlow ( do not fear uncle Jimmy is here), Vic
Scantlebury, Del, big Roy, Brett, big Scott, Wints, Mark Brittain
(big boys do cry). Scott Gledhill and Kerry Kayes ( thanks for the
support in prison), Colin and Leanne and the bike club, Roy Bailey,
Roy Radcliffe, Tommy, Bob(oh yes), Derek, big Steve, and all the
altrincham crew, to Judy Chilcote and Andrew Crofts, thanks for
helping make this happen, for helping expose the truth and reality of
this often cruel world. To Richard and Helen McCann, thanks for your
unconditional support, encouragement, advice and assistance, to Jim
Browne ( fire in ice Liverpool), Steve Bevan (survivor Swindon),
James Brett ( your story must be told and I love you, man), Mike Lew
(victims no more) and Craig Charles (a brave and courageous man –
exposed the truth), to the thirty brave men l met recently on retreat
who I saw reduced to small boys in pain and with tortured souls. You
too can recover! To Anthony Akka, my sponsor and trusted friend
(direction and honesty) – you are an example to me, to Murad Mousa
my pally, pal, pal and to Patrick Gallagher for you unreserved love.
To Big Paul (up the Irish), the Prichard's. Dennis, Daz Millington,
Dave m, Mark, Dean (scouse), Howard (fireman Sam), Keith and Julie
Clarke (MVS), Andy Banks, Steve Mather and Woody and Mike, to all the
staff at Altrincham priory and again at castle Craig (without you our
souls would be lost forever), Wynn Parry, Johnathan, Richard, Bill,
Ian, Eddy and the righteous path, to Ken and Kathryn, your love for
each other is amazing and you are in my thoughts and prayers on a
daily basis, god bless you!, to all the still suffering and
survivors around the world. You are not alone, feel no shame or guilt
and break free from the horrors of the past, expose your abuse and
make the world listen. To the families of those who suffer, please
forgive them and allow them to recover. Like a pebble dropped in to a
pond, the ripples run far and wide, and without recovery the symptoms
pass on through generations. Finally, to all those people that have
been affected by my actions either directly or indirectly, I bow my
head and offer unreserved apologies.
Review:
this book was really easy to get in to and hard to put down once l
started reading it. This book was upsetting and that nobody realized
Stuart was being abused until the day he killed his abuser and ended
up going to prison and serving time he should not have been there. He
should have been in hospital and l was glad to read that the family
was stinking together and l was sad to read that his sister Shirley
passed away aged 26 l also have a sister called Shirley who passed
away at birth in 1995. It was nice to read that Stuart was helping
some of the men he met in prison and he thanks everybody that helped
him in his book. It was horrible to read that some of the police
officers who worked in the prison strip-searched Stuart eight times a
day after what he went through and luckily he lived to share his
story and I think he is very brave doing so and glad he got damages
for the things that happened to him when he was in prison and he will
always have the memories from his abuse but with his family love he
can try to carry on with his life even though it changed forever
after what David Howarth did to him and his siblings. He can be the
great husband, dad and grandfather and forget his abuser. Stuart and
his family sound so brave and Stuart sounds like a great person.
About
The Author: Stuart lives in Manchester with his wife Tracey, he has
two children, Matthew and Rebecca, whom he loves dearly, he runs his
own business and is continually improving the quality of his life
whilst assisting others in recovering from past traumas and addiction.
He has had two Sunday times top 10 bestsellers.
About
The book: I really like this book cover and the colours are not too
bright or not too dull.
Star
Rating: Five Out Of Five Stars.
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