"The heartbreaking yet vitally important story of the overturning of a murder conviction, where the accused was a victim of years of abuse and coercive control."
This is such a necessary and significant story, the impact and consequences of coercive control are devastating to the victims, their family and friends. In The Unthinkable, David Challen tells the story of his family life, the years of abuse, how his mother Sally killed his father, was jailed for his murder, and how David, his brother James and others then campaigned for her release. David tells his tale with compassion, frankness, and also a sense of fairness. His openness is important, he speaks from his point of view, details his feelings and how he was affected. We see his childhood, we feel the weight of the years of abuse, we begin to form a picture of the damage, harm, and suffering. I not only felt the pain of his mother, I also ached with sorrow for David and his brother. It was heartbreaking to see how the story was handled in the press, how difficult it was for the team to show the effects of the continuous manipulation. David Challen has become a voice for the victims of coercive control, and he continues to champion the cause. Painful yes, yet The Unthinkable is a compelling and absorbing story that deserves to be heard.
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
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'David is one of the most courageous men I know . . . His book is one that everyone should read to understand coercive control, and what it is like to be a child growing up in a house where there is domestic abuse' Melanie Brown MBE, aka Mel B
'Unthinkable stares down horror and heartbreak. A story told with unflinching courage and a compelling drive for the truth' Laura Kuenssberg
'Beautifully written and deeply moving, I found David's book so compelling I read it in one sitting. It is a powerful call to action as much as a very personal memoir' Samira Ahmed
'A devastating portrayal of coercive control as depicted by a son' Irish Independent
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"When my mum struck, it was with the cumulative rage of thirty years of hurt."
David Challen grew up in the perfect home with the model family.
He also grew up inside a house which concealed his father's manipulation and control.
One Saturday in 2010, David's mother struck more than twenty blows to the back of her husband's head with a hammer after thirty years of abuse. She then washed the dirty dishes from the lunch she had just cooked and left the house. In those few minutes, David's life was changed forever.
Over the next decade, he led the fight to overturn her conviction; and in doing so he not only freed his mother and helped change the legal system, but also became a voice for the countless victims of coercive control across the country.
This is a powerful story of a son's love for his mother; of an insidious form of abuse that must be better understood if we are to truly tackle it; and fight that reshaped how society understands domestic abuse.
The Unthinkable features in the following genres: Non-Fiction Books of the Month, Biographies & Autobiographies, Memoirs, Domestic abuse, Violence and abuse in society, True stories: general, Biography, Literature and Literary studies, Memoirs, True stories: general, Society and Social Sciences, Society and culture: general, Social and ethical issues, Violence and abuse in society, Domestic abuse
The Unthinkable is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Unthinkable was written by David Challen and published by Brazen an imprint of Octopus
The Unthinkable has 249 pages
£9.89
