Cry Silent Tears - Joe Peters

"Joe was only 5 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 mothers 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."

Joe  was only 5 years old when he saw an incident that would literally strike him dumb. Joe was not able to speak again until the age 9, but in the past 4 years that had passed Joe was unable to talk his way out of the abuse he received.

His schizophrenic mother and two of his older brothers spent years beating him, raping him and keeping him locked in the basement of the family home, When he wasn't a prisoner in the basement, he was treated like a dog, forced to lick scraps of food from the floor, he was sometimes left in the dark naked for 3 days at a time without human contact.

Unable to read and write Joe could only express through drawings. Most were of his father burning in the flames, His mother was then allowed to convince teachers at his school that he had become mentally unbalanced by the trauma.
The violence and sexual abuse escalated, his step father along with other men, were allowed to use him as they wished, most of them would pay.

The only thing that helped him survive was the kindness of his oldest brother and his only school friend who showed him that love is around even in the darkest of situations.
At 14 Joe finally found the courage to run away,fed by the local kids after the discovered him mile away from his home. His freedom was short lived and he spent the following 2 years being dragged between foster homes and his mothers house until the moment he turned 16. He hitch - hiked his way to the other side of the country. he was finally free and on a journey to a new life.

Joe Peters grew to become and extraordinary man who build up the strength to walk away from the abuse. He now speaks out against abuse and supports the children who's lives have been affected by it.
This is the heart wrenching story of a scared child on his journey to becoming an extraordinary man.

Book Rating:
5/5