Punished: A mother’s cruelty. A daughter’s survival. A secret that couldn’t be told.

Vanessa Steel

Feb 2009 · Sold by HarperCollins UK

About this ebook

‘Punished’ is the inspiring true story of an unusual little girl, Vanessa, whose childhood was devastated by torture and abuse at the hands of her sadistic mother. Vanessa was nearly destroyed until she discovered a secret that ultimately saved her life.

From the age of 3, Vanessa lived in daily terror of her mother's unpredictable rage. If she was 'naughty', her mother would lash out at her – with beatings, torture, starvation and making Vanessa sleep in their garden's pigsty, tied up like an animal. Her mother said her punishments were God's revenge on her for being the devil's child. Her father lived in denial of her suffering.

When she was 6 years old, Vanessa's grandfather began to sexually abuse her – to her despair, aided and abetted by both her mother and grandmother. At eight years old, she then discovered that the 'mother' who hated her so much had adopted her as a baby and would never love her as her own.

At the most horrific times of Vanessa's abuse, she nearly lost all hope that she would escape her prison, until mysterious things started to happen to her that allowed her to fight back.

This is the story of how Vanessa survived a childhood that nearly destroyed her and how her secret led her out of the horrors of her past.

Ratings and reviews

I don't agree with the bad reviews, this book reads very well and the spiritual references give us all hope when experiencing trauma,, what this little girl endured was nothing short of horrific and this book is healing to anybody who has experienced a traumatic childhood. Grammar is not important the message is and the book is written from heart which must have been an extremely painful experience reliving memories, she's a warrior.

Oh wow. What an awesome if not 'shocking' read. I am only half way through and can't put it down. So sad that this is a true story. Brilliant but devastating too. I am going to get my husband to read it. He does not read on a regular basis but I want him to read this . The way Vanessa writes gives you a clear vision of what she went through as if you were actually with her every step of the way. Most parts were sickening and made me very sad and angry and frustrated . I did not expect this book to touch me the way that it has. A definite read for those who have a heart. Child abuse still goes on all over the world. This book gives you an insight on how this abuse is still , to this day, very well hidden.

Such a sad book, u cud not put it down until I'd finished the whole book. To people who have had a normal child hood I cud see how the story might seem fictional or eggsagerated, but being a victim of child abuse myself & knowing what happened to me, I can fully see/imagine exactly what she went through. I wouldn't wish it to happen to anybody. Thank you for sharing your story.... thumbs up from me...

About the author

Vanessa Steel was born and brought up on the outskirts of Birmingham in the 1950s. She survived her childhood ordeals and developed a psychic gift (as a young child she foresaw the assassination of Kennedy in 1963 oblivious to who he was), and started working professionally as a medium. She is now one of the most sought after psychic mediums in Britain with a long list of private clients including many celebrities, both in the UK and abroad.