"If You Tell" by Gregg Olsen is a devastating and disturbingly true crime story. It is about three sisters who suffer mental and physical abuse inflicted by their mother, Shelly. Shelly's power over her husband and her children was absolutely beyond belief and the fact that someone could manipulate other human beings to that extent is just non-imaginable. She and her husband were also responsible for the torture and eventual death of a few other individuals that were residing in their home. Reading this book, I couldn't believe that the abuse and torture were happening at that level for as long as they did, and without anyone noticing anything, and also wondering why it took so long for the daughters to report it to the authorities. I realized that these extreme life circumstances were so traumatizing for children growing up that they had lost all sense of reality. Children are supposed to trust and believe their parents. I was glad that the daughters found a way to do the right thing in the end by telling the truth and bringing their parents to justice. Their love for each other and their own values helped them to find their own happiness despite all the horror they experienced over such a long period of time. I can't say I enjoyed reading this book, as its content was very disturbing. However, this story does educate us on the impact of abuse in the family and the challenges family members go through.
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