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The crackling of an old wooden floor, the light ever so slowly enters the room.  His shadow is overpowering.  His reflection cast a horror over her body as she sweats and feels her heart beating out of her chest.  The jingling of coins in her dad’s pocket gets closer and louder.  Could it be just 24 hours since the last rape from Dad?  “Hi Daddy.  I have been good.  I promise”. That is what Donna Mae was thinking.  She never uttered a sound.  She knew better.   As he gets on top of her, she thinks about warm days playing with friends outside.  Tag you‘re it. 

     Donna Mae, a little girl with a huge afro who craved affection and attention delves into and shares her story of childhood incest and how the power of that past dictated and shaped her life, ultimately transforming her into a recognized advocate for treatment and the education of addiction professionals.

     The story begins in the 1950’s highlighting a father’s perception of love for his youngest daughter and her innocent acceptance of that love. A past that led her to addiction to whatever drug “zoned her out”, an addiction that led to mental illness, and far too many unforeseen predicaments emanating from a chaotic and troubled life.   

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Louise Gallagher: Canadian Blogger: A Year of Making a Difference
http://ayearofmakingadifference.com/2012/09/09/a-conversation-with-donna-mae-depola/

It’s not the story of being raped by her father, year after year from the time she was a child until her
teens that is most remarkable. It’s not the story of finding twelve cans of film he’d captured of his continuous abuse of her, or the fact she spent 25 years in a drug induced haze trying to forget, to erase the trauma and horror of his abuse and the betrayal of the other adults in her world. While those things are an amazing story that speak to the true grit of the woman and her fierce passion for life, what is most remarkable about Donna Mae DePola is the joy and compassion with which she approaches each moment of every day. It is her love of life, her fearless conversation about topics that in most instances would be taboo, and, her incredible sense of humour that leave me breathless and wanting to know her better, to talk to her more.



This review is from: Twelve Tins
A powerful tale of self destruction, brought on by sexual abuse. The author, whom the story is based on, does a wonderful job at painting the destructive picture that results from incest and sexual abuse. But more importantly, she shows how the human spirit, no matter how broken, has the power to turn even the most horrible experiences into an opportunity to not only heal, but to also use the experiences to help the spirit of others. I highly recommend this book. It will break your heart, but leave it stronger in the end.

By 

This review is from: Twelve Tins 
In this memoir the author uses humor to depict her brutal childhood and experiences through adulthood. Her journey of sexual, physical and mental abuse makes you believe and cheer for survivorship and ownership. This book is about human transformation at its best. It is a must read!

By 
Lynne - 
This review is from: Twelve Tins 
This is an amazing story about a woman who is an incest survivor who's father filmed himself raping her from ages 5-17. She turned to drugs to cope. She tells an amazing and inspiring story about how she got clean, got comfortable in her own skin and uses her past to help thousands every day.It is a true story and a must read.