Angie Cox

I am a woman on fire with purpose. The cause most near and dear to my heart is child abuse awareness, a cause with which I am intimately acquainted from my time in the British foster care system. At the hands of the Laurence family, my twin David and I endured the most brutal abuse on a daily basis—physical, mental, and sexual abuse. My memoir covers our horrific childhood and the failings of the child protective services. The goal is to bring awareness to child abuse by detailing my stomach-turning experiences. As disturbing as the recollection is, I seek to open people’s eyes to how hellish it is in hopes of converting readers’ outrage to action.. While my abuse was an isolating experience, I was not alone: my twin, David, suffered alongside me. There is a thread of hope throughout the novel demonstrated through the love we shared for one another. We kept each other going, and the novel juxtaposes the evil of our foster mother with the adoration my sibling and I had for one another. We kept each other going. In addition, my experiences reveal the fault of the foster care system. There were so many red flags that the social worker failed to inquire about further. It is a cautionary tale to social workers and to people who might suspect child abuse but fail to act upon it. Finally, and most importantly, my tale is a spiritual one. It is clear to me that God was present throughout the torturous years of my youth. Without having gained formal education on religion or the nature of God, I knew Him deeply. I saw His hand in my life as he guided me out of the hellhole in which my twin and I lived. Thus this is a spiritual tale of faith and fight. I am a mother and a wife now and have found an endless love through my little family whom I adore and treasure with my life. xxx