You've Done Nothing Wrong

I am a ghostwriter and I have been responsible for writing many of the best selling stories that have been published recently by victims of child abuse.

Like most people who have never been abused themselves, I had no idea when I started that such things went on. It was probably the greatest secret ever kept. Those who were not abused couldn’t believe it was possible, those who were abused felt too dirty and guilty and embarrassed to talk about it. The more fortunate amongst us could hardly bear to think of such things and the victims stayed silent, fearful of what people would think of them and certain they would never be believed.
About fifteen years ago I ghosted a book called Sold, for a Birmingham girl called Zana Muhsen. It told the story of how she and her sister, Nadia, had been sold by their father as child brides in the Yemen. Every publisher except one turned us down, saying that they couldn’t imagine it was more than a newspaper story. I was fascinated to find out more about this world that I knew nothing about and just glad to have a publisher at all.

In the years since then the book has sold about five million copies around the world and not a day goes past that I don’t receive emails from readers saying it is their favourite book of all time, and asking what has happened to Zana and Nadia since it was published.

After that other people approached me with horror stories from their childhoods and I tried to persuade publishers that they should publish them, that they were stories that deserved to be told and that the world should be made aware of just how widespread the problem was. But publishing houses are mostly staffed by people who have come from safe and happy family backgrounds. The details of these stories were too horrible for them to contemplate, let alone publish. They turned down everything I took to them.

Then an American called Dave Peltzer wrote A Child Called It. He had to publish it himself initially because no publisher was brave enough to take it on, but the public responded in the millions. People who had always believed they should never tell anyone what had happened to them read Peltzer’s book and wondered if they might be able to follow his example.

I started to receive even more calls from victims of abuse and each time I would warn them of how hard I had been finding it to persuade the publishers to help. Kevin Lewis, however, was determined to tell the story of the beatings he had suffered at the hands of his mother. I wrote The Kid for him and, thanks to Dave Peltzer, it immediately found a publisher and went to number one in the book charts.

Suddenly other publishers wanted to duplicate this success and I was able to sell Just a Boy by Richard McCann, about his childhood after his mother was murdered by the Yorkshire Ripper, which also went to number one and stayed there for months.

When Jane Elliott came forward with her story about the sexual abuse she had suffered at the hands of her stepfather, some publishers were nervous that this time we were going too far, that the public wouldn’t be able to cope with the sadness and cruelty of her tale. But her story was so affecting we managed to get a deal and The Little Prisoner stayed at the top of the charts for even longer than The Kid and Just a Boy. Hardly anyone complained about the frankness of the content because they were overcome with admiration for Jane’s strength and courage. Readers knew that these books were about real heroes and heroines, and hundreds more victims who had been frightened to speak up about what had happened to them as children found the courage to come forward.

More and more people came to me with their stories, asking for help in writing them. Stuart Howarth told how he had ended up killing his abusive father in Please Daddy No, Maria Landon told how her father swore on the day she was born that he would make her the best prostitute in town, and Daddy’s Little Earner told how effectively and ruthlessly he carried out his promise. In Cry Silent Tears, Joe Peters told how his mother had beaten and starved him and then sold him to a paedophile ring after he was struck dumb by witnessing the tragic death of his beloved father and protector. Each story seemed more shocking and horrifying than the last. Tam Wilson told of his experiences in a Scottish care home in Tears at Bedtime, and the public now sees more and more evidence of what has been going on under our noses emerging from places like Jersey, stories which a few years ago might not have been believed by anyone who hadn’t experienced them.

The people who have written these books deserve every bit of praise and admiration that comes their way. They have been brave enough to face their greatest fears and have refused to be silenced any longer. They all knew they had done nothing wrong and now they know that they will be believed if they speak up. They have done the most amazing job because although there are still people who will say that such stories should never be published, that they are too horrible to see the light of day, many more now realise that the only way to stop the abuse of children is to bring it into the open, talk about it, shine a spotlight into the darkest and most frightening corners of human existence and let every victim know that if they tell their stories people will believe them.

Many of the victims I have written for have told me that publishing their books has been ‘the first good thing that has ever happened to them’. Who would dare to say they shouldn’t be encouraged to speak out? I feel honoured to have known them all.

ends

By Andrew Crofts