Lebanese-American writer, actress, and entrepreneur Nadia Sahari has written a highly revealing memoir entitled BREAKAWAY: HOW I SURVIVED ABUSE. She dramatically details her eighteen years of abuse, including sexual molestation by her grandfather, frequent severe beatings from her strict father and then from her alcoholic first husband, rape, kidnapping, family abandonment, and several
attempts on her life. The book explains how she overcame the fear and shame that kept her imprisoned in intolerable conditions and how she broke away from abuse and adjusted psychologically to personal freedom.
“Because there is so much abuse of women and children, I wrote this book to show what I went through and what I did to survive and get out of it,” Sahari explains. “I wanted to give my readers hope, encouragement, and inspiration to make the right choices that can save their lives and those of their children.
“When I endured abuse, I had no one to turn to, but today there are many groups people can go to for help. I list contact information for twenty-six of them in my book, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800/799-SAFE. I also emphasize that forgiving your abuser, whether they ask for it or not, is crucial to setting yourself free. There’s no reason to stay in an abusive situation. You have friends, neighbors, and others who can help you, so you can break the silence that imprisons you.”
