In Our Midst: A Series of Narratives

By Elaine R Snyder and Elaine R. Snyder

From the time we are able to walk and talk, girls are taught to watch out for "dirty old men" and frightening strangers who may jump out of alleys to rape us or steal our virginity. What we aren't taught to watch for are the men in our own families, those men who have no qualms about performing sexual acts with their own children, grandchildren, sisters, or cousins. Such men live among us, and an undocumented number of women and children suffer with the secret that they have been victimized by men to whom they are related by blood, often from the time they were very young girls. In Our Midst is a series of narratives written from the perspectives of women and children who interact with one such abuser, a man named Lester Beauchamp. Lester's behavior with women and girls showcases the many facets of how dangerous abusers operate right in the midst of familiar company, often in the open, and in public, without anyone else even noticing. While woman after woman and girl after girl must contend with Lester's abusive and destructive presence in their lives, the abuser himself continues to rely on their shame and humiliation to keep his secret. This series of first-person fictionalized stories draws on true experiences of abuse, and reveals the depth to which some men will go to satiate their own desire for power and control over vulnerable members of society.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1076269389
• ISBN13: 9781076269386
• Release Date: June 2019
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"