There's no denying that the Walls family saga is one of the most disturbing stories of neglect and child abuse. But what is so odd about this story and yet so refreshing is that the greatest element that sheds light into this potentially hopeless situation is that there is a familial love that comes through. Not so if you equate love with physical care but love if you equate it with an internal guage that binds people who could and should have become completely dysfunctional in every way. That can be the only explanation of how three of these children escaped the torment of a lifelong stigma of disorders that would have been the result of such a bleak childhood. While, the youngest found others to meet her needs as a child by escaping into the care of others, it proved to be just that...escape. As an adult, she lacked the tools and grit to live through misery and emerge with the clarity of a sad situation. One in which there is always a choice--to make things better as her older sisters and brother were able to do and not get lost in the misery of the past. Anyone who thinks their childhood was hard could find hope and courage just reading this book and re-examing their own life to find the tools to move along in recovery.