Scars of Silence: An Amazing Journey of Survival

Mary Ann Worsham
Bridgeway Books (2006)
ISBN 1933538627
Reviewed by April Sullivan for Reader Views (9/06)

Domestic violence and crimes of passion happen every day in this country.  Separation from a spouse is a trigger for domestic violence.  According to “Scars of Silence” “…seventy-three percent of the emergency room visits by battered women occur after separation from a violent partner/husband.  As much as ninety percent of the hostage taking in this country is domestic.  As many as fifty percent of women killed by partners/husbands are murdered at or after separation.”

 Many of us are familiar with famous cases of women murdered by their spouses/partners such as Nicole Brown Simpson, Chandra Levy, and Laci Peterson.  If only these women were here now to tell us what happened so that women in similar situations could learn from them.  They cannot.  But Mary Ann Worsham can.  She miraculously lived through a severe beating that included twenty skull fractures from hammer blows and ten stab wounds to the face and head, during an attack by her estranged husband.  Amazingly, she is alive and able to tell her story.

“Scars of Silence” is Mary Ann Worsham’s story of triumph over adversity - not just the severe beating that left her with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, but everything from fires and earthquakes to workplace harassment and mental and verbal abuse.  Even though she has been through so much, her faith in God and her upbeat attitude keep her going, and gave her the courage to write this book.  By writing this book she is breaking the silence.  A silence that is large because so many of the women in her situation did not live to tell their stories.

Mary Ann Worsham is not a great writer.  She does not need to be.  Her audience should not be looking for a great literary work, but rather a straightforward account of certain events in her life, as well as a resource guide to assist others who find themselves in the same situations.  She speaks from the standpoint of a survivor, not an expert in any field.  This is a fresh approach to what is essentially a self-help book.

“Scars of Silence” is one woman’s brave attempt at breaking down the walls of domestic violence.  As painful as the events must have been to recount, Mary Ann Worsham has taken it on as her personal mission to help others who are going through some of the same issues she has been through.  She teaches us that one person can make a difference and that no one needs to suffer alone and in silence. 

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