Survivor: From childhood abuse to a life of crime and prostitution [Paperback]

Victim. Prostitute. Gangster’s Wife. Survivor.

Tara grew up in squalor on the island of Alderney. When she was only four, she was sexually abused by one of her mother’s many lovers, a horror that continued for five long years. As a teenager, desperate to escape the toxic environment at home, she fled to London – but was swiftly drawn into working as a prostitute. She became involved with some of London’s most notorious gangsters – even marrying one – but when she realised the danger she was inflicting on her children, she knew she had to find a way to get out.

This is the inspiring story of one woman’s will to survive, and to fight for a better life.Tara O'Shaughnessey was abused as a child and later fell into a life of crime and prostitution. She is now a university graduate and counsellor, and has dedicated her life to helping ‘fallen women’, walking the streets of cities in South Wales in search of the homeless and down-and-outs. She buys them food and clothes and tries to help them back into society. Tara would like her book to be a source of inspiration to women (and men) who have lost their way in the world, something they can find hope and a way forward from reading.GB