Disruptive

Abuse, betrayal and negligence fail to break Angela's spirit. A sensitive and intelligent young girl and talented athlete, she is myopically labelled "disruptive" by the incompetent authorities. Though at times her beloved cat and budgie seem to be the only reasons to keep going, she somehow pulls through. Then, years later, a happy wife, mother and paramedic, she is sexually assaulted in an ambulance by a colleague and buried memories of her childhood resurface to devastating effect.

Four years of therapy see her sectioned, re-living the sexual, emotional and physical horrors, plumbing the depths of suicidal depression, and re-visiting her old friends, bulimia and anorexia, before emerging a stronger person, determined to expose her persecutors and put her experiences at the service of others.

Angela Bayley's acutely observed and heart-rending autobiography is a long way from your average misery memoir, including as it does a moving chapter by her consultant psychiatrist.

Disruptive should be compulsory reading for the caring professions, and will appeal to all students of human nature. This gripping book is an enthralling testimony to the power of love and friendship (both human and animal) and the survival instinct."...When you can live your life from day to day without the past overwhelming you, you have truly begun your recovery. This book is an account of such a new beginning." - Extract from the chapter written by Angela's consultant psychiatrist.