The events revealed in Broken are based on a true story—my story—and are shown exactly as I remember them best to my ability. Writing Broken was one of the hardest things for me to write and began as a very personal experience. I am writing to you, dear reader, because there are a few things I wish to say.

All mental healing begins with awareness. Broken was written as the events shown in Part Five and the Epilogue occurred. As you will see, I needed to remember. I needed to make myself aware. I needed answers that were dependent on a change of perspective. The only way I could gain the perspective I needed was to write Broken. This was all about being honest with myself and coming to terms with what I am.

I wrote this not to berate those who wronged me, to wallow in self-pity, or to help others. I wrote this for me. I am publishing it for you. The more I wrote, the more I became aware of how absolutely broken I am. Through my writing, I capture my state of mind and the severity of my mental condition. By the time I finished, I realized three truths:

1.  Many others could benefit from this book. Broken had to be published.
2. My children were already affected by my mental condition and I was passing it on. The damage I caused them had to be stopped and corrected. I have so much more to say on this topic, but for now here is an article I wrote on this.
3. Whatever psychologist or therapist I ended up with, would need to see this.

This third truth is what led me to make a very conscious decision.

Broken is raw.

Normally, I would subject a book to multiple revisions, more than three dozen edits, and a dozen beta readers before even allowing my professional editor to see this. This revision/editing process is gruesome and mandatory. However, my perspective and mental awareness changed so quickly after writing this book that, to edit this manuscript or pass it on to beta-readers, would be to lose the honesty that I had captured. It is imperative, that I not change a thing.

Broken has seen one revision, one beta reader, and one authorial edit.  My editor will put this through two professional edits. That is it.

I did not review Broken for story, flow, or characterization because I truly believe the more I revised and edited this manuscript, the more I would lose what I needed to present here. Near the end of my first and only authorial edit, I caught myself applying changes on a subconscious level that altered the psychological meaning. Those changes could complicate the process needed for diagnoses and my own awareness. More importantly, those changes could have allowed me to slip back into denial. I removed the additions made, finished that only edit, then shut myself off from this manuscript. If the reading is rough, I ask that you forgive me.

The topics covered in Broken are difficult for some people. I portray a number of sensitive subject matters including animal abuse, torture, graphic rape scenes, violence, strong language, and drug references.  I do not sugar coat any of this. It is their for honesty. Not for shock factor. If you are victim of sexual abuse, I strongly encourage you to speak to a therapist before reading this book. Otherwise, I do not condone you reading this book. Do not repeat my mistake and take on this book unless a therapist has given their professional opinion that you are ready.

As always, I thank you for your support.

Warmest wishes,

Angela B. Chrysler

 

Broken is a work of creative nonfiction. All events, opinions, and views are my own and are portrayed through subjective perspective based on the memory of Angela B. Chrysler. While all the events are true, I have altered and changed the names, places, characteristics, and relationships to protect the identity and privacy of the people involved. Some characters have been combined into one while others have been divided into two to suit the story.