Shop Ani- May
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
$6.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Catherine Mellen
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

A Childhood Tragedy Under A Mother’s Watch : Part One: 1975-1982 Lowell Massachusetts Kindle Edition

by Catherine Mellen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 out of 5 stars 54 ratings
A true story chronicling the young life of Catherine Alice Mellen and the mother who harbored a monster. A graphic, in-depth detailed look into the daily life of childhood trauma, family secrets and a young girl who just wanted the abuse to stop.


Catherine was five years old when she was subjected to a horrifying evil as fear instilled her everyday life. Being a trophy in a child predators sick world, she turned to a mother who turned her away and looked up to brothers who looked the other way. She pleaded for help, begged to be protected and assumed it was love. It wasn't long until Catherine's mother turned her excuses for her boyfriend into hate for her own daughter. A childhood full of inhumane sexual abuse, torture and cruelty would all end with the completion of a well dug out tunnel inside the cellar wall. Knowing she would be silenced for good, Catherine's desire to live and not be abused anymore would be decided in a split-second decision she made as an eleven-year-old. Would her family be there for her or would she just disappear from the home? This is a true story of one child’s desperation for survival.


Child sexual abuse is a horrifying crime committed on children every day and the least discussed. When the pity is easier to look at than what the communication will tell, we as children are told to move on and forget, as adults we are told to forgive. Yet we live our whole lives trying to forget something we will always remember and search for forgiveness in what is so unforgivable.
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    204 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    October 11, 2021
  5. File size
    782 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details
Unwell Hydration from Alex Cooper
Hydrate & focus with every sip Shop now

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09JB3XZ1B
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ NFB Publishing
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 11, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 782 KB
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 204 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 54 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Catherine Mellen

Catherine Mellen

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Catherine is an American Poet, Author and Blogger. Born in 1969 Lowell, Massachusetts. She shares her story of horrific childhood trauma and the courage to shatter her silence on family secrets through her words of poetry and decade's of writing in journals. In 2015 she was disabled from injuries she suffered in an auto accident. Resulting in a permanent disability, horrifying repressed memories and a lot of free time to put over three decades of writing into multiple books.

Author of:

1) Christmas in Poetry Land: A delightful collection of Christmas Poetry.

2) Survivor's Mind: A deep and dark poetic look into the world of childhood trauma, family secrets and inside the mind of a survivor.

3) A Childhood Tragedy Under A Mother's Watch: Part One 1975-1982 Lowell Massachusetts and

4) A Life Given To Me: Part Two 1982-2019 where she shatters her silence on her childhood trauma, family secrets and the monstrous predator her birth mother harbored.

5) Understanding Childhood Trauma: An informative book to help medical professionals, family, laws and society to better address victims of childhood trauma and family secrets, so they may live their lives as Survivor's rather than the Statistics we are forced to be.

6) Only Beautiful Remains: Word's of a Poet. Poetry grew in her soul... With every breath, her words sliced beauty where only ugly once roamed.

She looks forward to sharing more of her poetry, memoir and fiction works.

Coming in Spring 2025: Then You'll Believe: An inspiring true story of faith, friendship and the unexplainable gift of a promise.

Follow Catherine on the Amazon and Goodreads app for updates of future publications

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
54 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book detailed and brilliant-written, with one review noting it includes just enough details. Moreover, they appreciate its survival narrative, with one customer describing how the author overcame traumatic childhood experiences. Additionally, customers value the book's emotional tone, with one mentioning it's not a pity party.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

4 customers mention "Book description"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's detailed and brilliant writing style.

"...Her writing includes just enough details to put readers in the scene, but not too much to overwhelm us...." Read more

"...The author's memoir is brutal, honest, and brilliant-written in a fast-paced style leaving you pondering how such evil can be practiced but finally..." Read more

"...It’s a very detailed book but it hurts my heart knowing kids can go through this" Read more

"...It was so descriptive that at times I felt like jumping into the story to save Ms. Mellen from the clutches of her abuser. Well-above five stars...." Read more

4 customers mention "Survival"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's portrayal of survival, with one customer noting how the protagonist overcame traumatic childhood experiences.

"...is not a pity party, it is about finding the strength and the will to survive—and the lengths the author went to achieve it...." Read more

"Amazing how strong you have become! A must read! ♥️♥️" Read more

"This amazing woman survived Hell, the same one too many kids suffer from. Her story is important and so are theirs...." Read more

"...Bravo to the child who survived the drastic trauma of childhood and bravo to the brave woman to write her truth for others to read...." Read more

3 customers mention "Sadness"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's emotional depth, with one noting it is not a pity party.

"...But this book is not a pity party, it is about finding the strength and the will to survive—and the lengths the author went to achieve it...." Read more

"Sad story but a must read..." Read more

"very sad book very detailed..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Sallie Moffitt
    5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing story about surviving abuse
    Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This is a must-read book for anyone who knows an abuse survivor or wants to know more about surviving abuse. With brutal honesty, Mellen recounts the abuse she survived with detailed precision. She writes about the frustration, the fear, the horrors, and the lack of control.

    Her writing includes just enough details to put readers in the scene, but not too much to overwhelm us. But this book is not a pity party, it is about finding the strength and the will to survive—and the lengths the author went to achieve it.

    This eye-opening book left me wanting to read more. I am looking forward to reading more of Catherine Mellen's books.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Sandra Desmarais
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sad story but a must read
    Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Amazing how strong you have become! A must read! ♥️♥️
    Helpful
     Report
  • George Yuhasz
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Courageous Story
    Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I have to be frank. This story was an extremely difficult read for me. There were times when I had to take a break and then resume reading. Breaks lasted from an hour to a couple of days. However, I was compelled to finish the book, and very glad I did, out of sheer respect and admiration for Ms. Mellen. Her courage and tenacity overcoming doubt, fear, and anger to tell her story are awe-inspiring. The physical and psychological ordeal she suffered involving unimaginable abuse ran me through a full gamut of emotions. You hear the terrified, confused voice of a little girl desperately crying out for help over a period of many years. The author's memoir is brutal, honest, and brilliant-written in a fast-paced style leaving you pondering how such evil can be practiced but finally surrendering to the reality of its existence. To all the Daves in the world, best keep looking over your shoulder. Justice will find you sooner..... or later. I recommend this book highly to those folks who wish to gain further insight into child abuse from someone who actually lived it. Sending a big virtual hug to you; thank you, Catherine Mellen! I plan on reading her sequel: A LIFE GIVEN TO ME.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Amanda Morgan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to read but important to
    Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This amazing woman survived Hell, the same one too many kids suffer from. Her story is important and so are theirs. I won't lie, there are several parts that were hard to read, but imagine LIVING it? Catherine, if you read this, I am heartbroken by your struggle but also inspired by your tenacity.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mary Schmidt
    4.0 out of 5 stars Must read story
    Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I applaud the author for writing this memoir of her life from nearly age six through age 12. Bravo to the child who survived the drastic trauma of childhood and bravo to the brave woman to write her truth for others to read. I'm an advocate for any type of child abuse, and that includes mental, emotional, physical, sexual, neglect, and more. Everyone should read this book and know the warning signs of child abuse. The book needs to be edited badly, but it doesn't detract from the horrors that happened and were allowed to happen with a mother who was complicit at best, and two older brothers who knew and did nothing. Those three and the perpetrator deserve prison.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars very sad book very detailed
    Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Im so sorry she had to go through all that pain and the mom didn’t protect her. It’s a very detailed book but it hurts my heart knowing kids can go through this
    Helpful
     Report
  • DAVID P
    5.0 out of 5 stars A horrific story of indescribable evil towards Ms. Mellen
    Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I just can't explain what my heart and soul felt as I read this book. It's more than a book review from my part. It's my heart describing what it felt as I read. I'm so glad Ms. Mellen shed light on child abuse so that people who live in silence because of fear can come out and denounce atrocities against them. A well-written book with explicit and exact description of the horrible hell she went through. It was so descriptive that at times I felt like jumping into the story to save Ms. Mellen from the clutches of her abuser. Well-above five stars. Can hardly wait for part II coming up in 2022.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Janet Barsorian
    5.0 out of 5 stars My heart is aching
    Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The idea that this happened is unbelievable. I cried for that little girl over and over. Now, I just celebrate the beautiful, brilliant, talented, sensitive and passionate woman that same girl is now. A wonderful woman, who has taken back her control. So much love, always.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Scarletdementia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    First off, I want to commend the writer for being so forthcoming and brave in telling her story, it was heart wrenching and as a parent I couldn't believe her mother. The fact she knew and basically allowed her boyfriend free rein with her daughter is absolutely disgusting and disturbing. I'm a parent and I just couldn't understand her lack of motherly love and uncaring attitude. If that was my daughter or even a kid I knew I would probably end up doing time .I'm guessing she was probably jealous her boyfriend paid her daughter more attention, but its actually sick that she was jealous of the kind of attention. Everytime Cathy fought and screamed it made me so proud of her fight, even at such a young age she was a fighter, she shouldnt have even been in that situation in the first place. Her brothers blase attitude astounds me, maybe il find out more in the next book . Wow what a story of a brave young soul
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report