Book excerpt: Heart wrenching book with triumph over tragedy. Elle found the inner strength and courage to move beyond the devastation that surrounded her. A soul touching read...definitely a 5. -America K. West Palm Beach, FL This book left my heart hurting for Elle and children like her. The family members each hid their own lies and shame... It inspired me to know these same children can become the strength of the world. What we (I) do matters! ... - Jean B. Round Lake, IL From her earliest childhood memories until the age of 17, Elle fought a battle that didn't belong to her but to adults. At 4, she was removed from her parents due to physical abuse...and that was just the beginning. Elle quickly learned how to survive each situation she was given: adoption, foster care, abandonment, sexual, physical, emotional abuse, secrets, and later the search and rejection by her biological father. She was always able to hide under a smile of masks at school. But everything changed the night her father put a gun to her head. That was the defining moment. Elle realized if she didn't take things into her own hands and escape the abuse, she would probably end up dead. This memoir is the true story of Elle’s journey to save her own life and begin a new one. It is an inspiring voyage of relentless courage, self-reliance, and most of all forgiveness. Through her darkest challenges she never lost hope. She found that love and life can still exist if you never give up and remain steadfast in your personal quest for healing. Elle fought being a victim and became a “Survivor.”