Behind The Smile

This is an inspiring, true story of how one woman overcame emotional and psychological damage from childhood abuse, trauma, and a sexual partner's betrayal. Melissa Roberts and John Sternfels's study on childhood abuse and its lifelong effects is a beacon of hope for those seeking to overcome trauma and to live a life with affirmation and purpose.

In today's world of "safe places" and mandated reporting, social workers, teachers, and others can report stories of child abuse protections being weaponized, misused, or misapplied. Many children have become so aware of their "special" status that they will tell a teacher they are abused simply because their parents didn't buy them a cell phone. Nonetheless, Melissa Roberts's harrowing account of childhood torture will remind readers of how things used to be for abused and neglected children who suffered in darkness and why we must have stringent protections in place today.

Deprived of food, water, and proper medical care while enduring the emotional manipulation of a sadistic, alcoholic father and an enabling, dispassionate mother, Melissa struggles to understand what it means to love and be loved. A chance encounter with a young pastor changes the trajectory of her life and gives her the tools a young girl needs for surviving the worst cruelty and neglect.

Though she finds strength and inspiration in faith, she is unaware of the psychological damage sustained and the inevitability of its shadow looming over every critical life decision. Her dream of the perfect life is in no way her North Star as inner voices from the past remind her of her unworthiness. When her handsome prince of a husband reveals himself to be anything but, Melissa is overwhelmed with grief, humiliation, guilt, and hopelessness. It is only through seeking proper therapy while relying on her faith that she is able to climb out of the abyss of self-loathing.

If readers had what they feel was a safe and nurturing childhood, this book will read like a horror story. Not since Dorothy Allison's semiautobiographical work Bastard Out of Carolina have child abuse and family dysfunction been so blatantly and painfully shoved in our faces. But hope and survival are on the horizon as John Sternfels and his coauthor, Mellisa Roberts, explain the psychology behind child trauma, how it is carried forward systemically if not addressed, and how the right therapist, along with immovable faith, are the keys to a life of fulfillment and forgiveness.