Click on the titles below to find books related to each topic.
Child Sexual Abuse: Hope for Healing
By: Maxine Hancock and Karen Burton MainsFor: Victims/Survivors of Sexual Abuse and their parents
Recap: A book on childhood sexual abuse and the problems the victim contends with later in life. This book is that it gives practical steps on how to work through the steps of recovery and forgiveness.
Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don’t Deserve
By: Lewis SmedesFor: Victim/Survivors of Sexual Abuse, and anyone struggling to forgive past hurts
Recap: A classic book on forgiveness shows that it is possible to heal our pain and find room in our hearts to forgive.
Helping Victims of Sexual Abuse: A Sensitive Biblical Guide for Counselors, Victims, and Families
By: Lynn Heitritter and Jeanette VoughtFor: Counselors, Victims/Survivors of Sexual Abuse and their Families
Recap: A sensitive and biblical guide that provides perspective on how sexual abuse affects children and the family dynamics that play into its development. This book also gives readers practical tools that can lead adult victims into full recovery.
Hope When You’re Hurting
By: Dr. Larry Crabb & Dan B. AllenderFor: Victims/Survivors of Sexual Abuse and their Families & Friends
Recap: Answers to Four Questions Hurting People Ask- What’s Wrong? Who can Help? What Will the Helper Do? And What Can I Hope For? Explains the strengths and weaknesses of various Counseling models and provides insight how the Church is an agent for restoration and growth.
Hush: Moving From Silence to Healing After Child Sexual Abuse
By: Nicole Braddock BromelyFor: Victims/Survivors of Sexual Abuse and those that love them.
Recap: This book exposes the harsh realities of childhood abuse, explains the pain it causes, examines the false beliefs it creates, and empowers survivors to begin a personal journey toward healing by breaking the silence.
Mending the Soul: Understanding and Healing Abuse
By: Steven R. TracyFor: Any Victim/Survivor of Abuse- Sexual, Physical, Verbal and Spiritual
Recap: This book provides a well-researched biblical and scientific overview of abuse. It deals with the various types of abuse, the various effects of abuse, and the means of healing.
Not Quite Healed: 40 Truths for Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
By: Cecil Murphey and Gary Roe For: Male Sexual Abuse Victims/Survivors and those that love them Recap: In Not Quite Healed, two survivors join forces to share insight and encouragement on the issues that challenge them most. After a candid discussion about each issue, the authors provide a self-affirming statement that men can study, memorize, and recite on their darkest days.On the Threshold of Hope
By: Diane Mandt Langberg For: Sexual Abuse Victims/Survivors and those that love them Recap: This book offers hope and healing to men and women who have been traumatized by sexual abuse.Sexual Abuse in Christian Homes and Churches
By: Carolyn Holderread Heggen For: Anyone in the Church – Pastors, Board Members, Youth Group Leaders, Sunday School Teachers . . . Members Recap: What sets this book apart from the many others on the topic is the emphasis on how a church congregation can begin to work to heal the wounds of sexual abuse and prevent further abuses from happening.Victim No Longer: The Classic Guide for Men Recovering From Sexual Child Abuse
By: Mike Lew For: Male Sexual Abuse Victims/Survivors and those that love them Recap: This book helps male survivors to: Identify and validate their childhood experiences, Explore strategies of survival and healing, Work through issues such as trust, intimacy, and sexual confusion, Establish a support network for continued personal recovery and make choices that aren’t determined by abuse.When a Man You Love Was Abused: A Woman’s Guide to Helping Him Overcome Childhood Sexual Molestation
By: Cecil Murphey For: Wives of Sexual Abuse Victims/Survivors Recap: For all women who know and love a survivor of sexual assault, best-selling author Cecil Murphey has penned an honest and forthright book about surviving―and thriving―despite past abuses.When a Woman You Love Was Abused: A Husband’s Guide to Helping Her Overcome Childhood Sexual Molestation
By: Dawn Scott Jones For: Husbands of Sexual Abuse Victims/Survivors Recap: Author, pastor, and survivor Dawn Scott Jones candidly shares her own abuse experience to help husbands understand the varied emotions, fears, distorted thoughts, and triggers that hold their wives captive. In practical and accessible language, Jones explains the stages of the healing journey (processing denial, asking for help, grieving, expressing anger, learning to forgive, and finding resolution). Building on that knowledge, Jones then moves to an honest discussion of what husbands can do to help. Whether it’s creating a healing environment, understanding the need for control, building trust, or even just praying for healing, a husband plays an active role in helping his wife survive and thrive despite her past abuse.When Your Past Is Hurting Your Present: Getting Beyond Fears That Hold You Back
By: Sue Augustine For: Victims/Survivors of Sexual Abuse Recap: Augustine leads the reader along a clear, manageable path to reconciliation with a painful past. Relying on biblical principles and using her own heart-rending story, she points the way to a future full of hope.The Wounded Heart: Hope For Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse
By: Dr. Dan P. Allender For: Sexual Abuse Victims/Survivors and those that love them Recap: This book explores the secret cries of the soul damaged by sexual abuse and lays hold of the hope buried there by Jesus.Cutting: Understanding and Overcoming Self-Mutilation
By: Steven Levenkron For: Counselors, Victims/Survivors of Sexual Abuse and their Families Recap: Cutting explains why the disorder manifests in self-harming behaviors and describes how patients can be helped.Love Hunger
By: Dr. Frank Minirth, Dr. Paul Meier, Dr. Robert Hemfelt, Dr. Sharon Sneed, and Don Hawkins For: Anyone struggling with an eating disorder Recap: Based on the premise that overeating is linked to emotional and spiritual deprivations, Love Hunger begins with a relationship inventory that will help you understand how this can result in obesity. This is a complete plan for body, mind, and soul.Love to Eat Hate to Eat: Breaking the Bondage of a Destructive Eating Habits
By: Elyse Fitzpatrick For: Anyone struggling with an eating disorder Recap: Helps reader identify destructive eating habits, break the vicious cycle of emotional eating and develop a flexible plan suited to unique situations.Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Back Control of Your Life
By: Henry Cloud and John Townsend For: Anyone Recap: Book shows readers how to set reasonable boundaries in order to follow the true path of Christianity.Boundaries in Marriage
By: Henry Cloud and John Townsend For: Married Couples Recap: This book helps you understand the friction points or serious hurts and betrayals in marriage — and move beyond them to the mutual care, respect, affirmation, and intimacy.Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself
By: Melody Beattie For: Anyone Recap: Does someone else’s problems become your own problem? Book helps reader explore how to stop controlling others and start caring for self.Dysfunctional Family
By: June Hunt
For: Anyone
Recap:”The dynamics of dysfunction are detrimental to the family. Discover how to cultivate your family now for the generations that follow as you establish and apply the principles of biblical truth in your own family.”
Healing the Hurt in Your Marriage: Beyond Discouragement, Anger and Resentment to Forgiveness
By: Barbara and Gary Rosberg For: Married Couples Recap: Book walks couples through a very manageable step-by-step process of understanding different styles of conflict resolution and then encourages them toward forgiveness and healing.The Heart of the Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts
By: Gary Chapman For: Anyone (note there are other versions of this book for Kids, Singles, Married Couples, Men, etc.) Recap: People express and receive love in different ways. Dr. Gary Chapman identifies the five languages of love as: quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service and physical touch. Book encourages expressing love toward others in a way they will understand and recognize as love.Intended for Pleasure: Sex Technique & Sexual Fulfillment in Christian Marriage
By: Ed Wheat, M.D. and Gayle Wheat For: Married Couples Recap: A complete sex manual to help married couples enjoy the gift that God intended for pleasure.Intimacy Ignited – Conversations Couple to Couple: Fire Up Your Sex Life with the Song of Solomon
By: Dr. Joseph & Linda Dillow and Dr.Peter & Lorraine Pintus For: Married Couples Recap: Embark on a verse-by-verse exploration of the Bible’s very own manual on sex and passion: the Song of Solomon. You and your spouse will discover the freedom, holiness, and beauty of sex in marriage and learn why it all begins with a servant’s heart.Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs
By: Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs For: Newlyweds and Married Couple Recap: Cracking the communication code between husband and wife involves understanding one thing: that unconditional respect is as powerful for him as unconditional love is for her.Men and Women Enjoying the Difference
By: Dr. Larry Crab For: Married Couples Recap: The author explores how we can turn away from ourselves and toward each other to become “other-centered.”Sacred Sex: Embracing Your Sexuality as God Designed It
By: Tony Evans For: Married Couples, Parents, Singles Recap: Sex isn’t everything that the world makes it out to be. It’s more. This is a great resource for singles, married couple, and parents looking for a way to teach their children about sex in a real and godly way. It is impossible to tell our children to abstain and expect them to agree, without providing them solid information about why it is vitally important to abstain prior to marriage.Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage
By: Kevin Lehman For: Married Couples Recap: A practical guide to sex according to God’s plan for married couples written with warmth and humor to help a married couple overcome any awkwardness in discussing it.Desires in Conflict: Hope for Men Who Struggle with Sexual Identity
By: Joe Dallas For: Men That Struggle with Sexual Identity & Those that Love Them Recap: This book provides effective help for restoring sexual wholeness and moving ahead in your Christian life.Homosexuality: A New Christian Ethic
By: Elizabeth Moberly For: Anyone who wishes to understand more about Homosexuality Recap: Focuses on the root causes of homosexuality – the unmet developmental needs and the desire to have those needs met.Out of Egypt: One Woman’s Journey Out of Lesbianism
By: Jeanette Howard For: Women that Struggle with Sexual Identity & Those that Love Them Recap: The author seeks to provide a practical tool to guide others towards freedom in Christ. Her careful and honest teaching is invaluable for Christians struggling with lesbianism, but also pastors, counselors and family members seeking greater understanding.Restoring Sexual Identity: Hope for Women That Struggle with Same Sex Attraction
By: Anne Paulk For: Women that Struggle with Sexual Identity & Those that Love Them Recap: This book offers insight to the following questions: Does becoming a Christian eliminate all desire for members of the same sex? What support is available for women who struggle with lesbianism? Can a woman be a lesbian and a Christian at the same time? How does childhood sexual abuse relate to the development of lesbianism?You Don’t Have To Be Gay: Hope and Freedom for Males Struggling with Homosexuality or for Those That Know Someone Who Is
By: Jeff Konrad For: Men struggling with Sexual Identity & Those That Love Them Recap: For all who desire to understand the root causes of homosexuality.
We encourage you to review these books for their appropriateness for your child or children and pray about sharing them accordingly.
Our prayer is that the book you select to share with your kids will help you both to feel safer and know how bring up this delicate subject.
Note: Some libraries may carry these titles or you may wish to purchase these books and share them with your church.
The Berestain Bears Learn About Strangers
By: Stan and Jan Berestain For: Children Ages 3-7 Recap: All kids love these Bears, and this is a good book to start awareness in young children about both strangers and the privacy of their bodies.God Made All of Me
By: Justin A. Holcomb, Lindsey S. Holcomb, Trish Mahoney For: Children ages 2-8 Recap: It’s easy to convey the message to children that their bodies or particular parts of their bodies are shameful. This misconception fuels confusion, embarrassment, and secrecy, and often prevents children from recognizing or reporting sexual abuse. God Made All of Me is a simply-told, beautifully-illustrated story to help families talk about these sensitive issues with two- to eight-year-old children. Because the private parts of our bodies are private, the home is the ideal environment where a child should learn about his or her body and how it should be treated by others. God Made All of Me starts from the fundamental truth that God created everything and applies that truth to kids and their bodies. It equips parents to talk with both boys and girls about their bodies and to help them understand the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touch of others. God Made All of Me allows families to build a first line of defense against sexual abuse in the safety of their own homes.I Said NO! A Kid-to-Kid Guide to Keeping Your Private Parts Private
By: Kimberly King For: Children Ages 4 and up Recap: Written from a child’s point of view, the kid-friendly language and illustrations in this book help parents to help their child set “boundaries” for their private parts.My Body is Private
By: Linda Walvoord Girard For: Girls ages 3-8 Recap: A book for girls, written from a young girls perspective.My Body Is Special and Private
By: Adrianne Simeone For: Children ages 2+ Recap: Recommended for children ages 2 and up, this book was created to help parents and caregivers introduce or reinforce the concepts of privacy and body safety to children learning for the first time and for those not quite ready to handle a longer book and/or more complex concepts like secrets, tricks, and intuition.Samuel Learns to Yell and Tell: A Warning For Children Against Sexual Predators
By: Debi Pearl
For: Children
Recap: An award winning author steps into troubled waters writing books for children instructing them how to respond if a sexual predator makes an advance.
Sara Sue Learns to Yell and Tell: A Warning For Children Against Sexual Predators
By: Debi Pearl
For: Children
Recap: Award winning author, Debi Pearl, steps into troubled waters writing a book for children instructing them how to respond if a sexual predator makes an advance.
Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept
By: Jayneen Sanders For: Children ages 3-12 Recap: We teach water and road safety, this book teaches body safety and includes discussion questions for parents and children. Note: This book also has a Youtube.com video of it being read by Debra Byrne. This is an easy way to preview the book for yourself or share it with your kids.Your Body Belongs to You
By: Cornelia Maude Spelman For: Children ages 3-6 Recap: In simple and reassuring words, this book explains that a child’s body is his or her own!Wreck this Journal
By: Keri Smith For: Anyone interested in journaling Recap: Readers are introduced to a new way of art and journal making, discovering novel ways to escape the fear of the blank page and fully engage in the creative process. Results in learning more about expressing yourself in the process.Grace Notes: Daily Readings with Philip Yancey
By: Philip Yancey For: Anyone desiring to better understand God’s grace. Recap: Author provides daily readings and articulates God’s wonderful but mysterious relationship with you.The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God
By Brent Curtis and John Eldredge For: Anyone wanting to grow in relationship with God Recap: This book inspires readers to enter into the greatest romance of all time–one with God.Soul Repair: Rebuilding Your Spiritual Life
By: Jeff Vonderen along with Dale and Juanita Ryan For: Anyone who is spiritually wounded. Recap: This book explores questions like: Do you fear that God is angry with you? Do you wonder if God is really FOR you? If God really loves you? Deep down many of us believe that we are not good enough, and never will be good enough, to have a meaningful relationship with God.What’s So Amazing About Grace?
By: Philip Yancey For: Anyone desiring to better understand God’s grace. Recap: Author writes about grace – the freely given and unmerited favor and love of God. Grace is both utterly simple and utterly confounding. The author guides us into a clearer understanding of grace by using stories, in much the same way Jesus did. We read stories of both grace and ungrace at work in people’s lives.Five Steps to Breaking Free From Porn
By: Joe Dallas For: Men that Struggle with Pornography & Those that Love Them Recap: Author Joe Dallas has worked for more than 25 years with Christian men caught in the porn trap and has developed a five-step plan for breaking the cycle and developing a practical structure anyone can implement to keep himself from the destructiveness of pornography.For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women
By: Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn For: Men who want to understand women Recap: Book helps men to know how to love their wives. Explains: Why she can’t “just not think about” something that’s bothering her. How to get her real answers without games. How your provider instinct can actually cause her heartache – and what to do about it. Why “not tonight, honey” may not mean what you think. Why listening to her feelings is so hard for a guy, and a fix-it plan that works. Why her “I do” at the altar will always mean, “do you?” and the answer that rocks her world.Pure Desire: How One Man’s Triumph Can Help Others Break Free From Sexual Temptation
By: Dr. Ted Roberts For: Men struggling with Sexual Addition and Pornography Recap: This book will help you tackle the difficult issues of sexual addiction and pornography with confidence, clarity and with biblical perspective.Steering Clear: Avoiding the Slippery Slope to Moral Failure
By: Earl Wilson For: Men struggling with Sex Addiction and Pornography Recap: Practical help for those who want to get off and stay off the slippery slope of porn and sex addiction.Surfing for God
By: Michael John Cusick For: Men (or Women) that Struggle with Pornography & Those that Love Them Recap: Cusick’s insights help readers understand how porn struggles begin, what to do to prevent them, and most importantly, how to overcome the compulsion once it begins. In the end, this powerful book shows us all how the barrier built by porn addiction can become a bridge to abundant life.Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul
By: John Eldridge For: Men and the Women who love them Recap: This book gives women a look inside the true heart of a man and gives men permission to be what God designed them to be: dangerous, passionate, alive, and free!Winning Your Wife Back Before It’s To Late
By: Dr. Gary Smalley and Dr. Greg Smalley For: Husbands Recap: Through true stories of previously separated couples, you’ll see how the principles illustrated in this plan have been fleshed out in the lives of real people and can lead to a successful reconciliation. Although there is no guarantee that you will win your wife back, you can still experience personal gain in becoming the godly man you were intended to be.Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of Women’s Soul
By: Stasi and John Eldredge For: Women and the Men that love them Recap: This book gives men a look inside the heart of every woman and gives women permission to pursue their core desires to: be romanced, play a role in her own adventures and display beauty.Every Woman’s Marriage: Igniting the Joy and Passion You Both Desire
By: Shannon and Greg Ethridge For: Married Women Recap: Practical tools and wise biblical counsel for transforming a listless marriage into a vibrant relationship.For Women Only: What You Need To Know About the Inner Lives of Men
By: Shaunti Feldhahn For: Women who want to understand men Recap: Discover how to respect your husband. Explains: Why your respect means more to him than your love. How he feels deep inside about his role as provider. What it means for a man to be so visually “wired.” Why sex for him is primarily emotional, not physical. What he most wishes he could say to you.Hope After Betrayal: Healing When Sexual Addiction Invades Your Marriage
By: Meg Wilson For: Wives of Men struggling with Sex Addiction Recap: Meg Wilson uses her own story, along with other examples and Scripture, to help women cope and find their way out of the darkness of their husband’s sexual compulsion. She wants you to know that God’s first concern is for your relationship with Him—not your circumstances.Intimate Issues: Twenty-One Questions Christian Women Ask About Sex
By: Linda Dillow and Lorraine Pintus For: Married Women or those about to be Recap: Authors speak woman to woman: examining the teachings of Scripture, exposing the lies of the world, and offering real hope that every woman’s marriage relationship can become all it was intended to be in God’s design.Living With Your Husband’s Secret Wars
By: Marsha Means For: Wives of Men struggling with Sex Addiction Recap: For wives discovering your husband is involved in sexual sin such as lust, porn, infidelity, or some other behavior and surviving the betrayal.The Power Of a Praying Wife
By: Stormie Omartian For: Wives Recap: The author pinpoints common marital struggles and reveals the miraculous way that disciplined prayer can alleviate heartache and sustain unity.Surfing for God
By: Michael John Cusick For: Women (or Men) that Struggle with Pornography & Those that Love Them Recap: Cusick’s insights help readers understand how porn struggles begin, what to do to prevent them, and most importantly, how to overcome the compulsion once it begins. In the end, this powerful book shows us all how the barrier built by porn addiction can become a bridge to abundant life.Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions
By: Lysa Terkeurst For: Women Recap: Provides practical and inspiring ways to make emotions work for you instead of against you.A Wife After God’s Own Heart: 12 Things That Really Matter in Your Marriage
By: Elizabeth George For: Wives Recap: Practical insight and advice on being a wife, improving or rekindling sexual intimacy, communicating effectively, being a team player, and having fun in your marriage.Winning Your Husband Back Before It’s Too Late
By: Dr. Gary Smalley and Dr. Greg Smalley For: Married Women Recap: Book provides helps to rebuild a strong marriage in which you and your husband see each other through Christ’s eyes and become one in Him.Women and Stress: Practical Ways to Manage Tension
By: Jean Lush For: Women Recap: Examines emotions unique to women and helps them develop practical coping methods.Holding on to Heaven While Your Friend Goes Through Hell
By: Connie Neal For: Women/Friends Recap: Specific ways to help your friend trust and follow God’s guidance, know when to give godly advice and when to keep silent, help get past hurts, wage spiritual warfare on your friend’s behalf.Samuel Learns to Yell and Tell: A Warning For Children Against Sexual Predators
By: Debi Pearl
For: Children
Recap: An award winning author steps into troubled waters writing books for children instructing them how to respond if a sexual predator makes an advance.
Sara Sue Learns to Yell and Tell: A Warning For Children Against Sexual Predators
By: Debi Pearl
For: Children
Recap: Award winning author, Debi Pearl, steps into troubled waters writing a book for children instructing them how to respond if a sexual predator makes an advance.
Someone I Love Is Gay: How Family and Friends Can Respond
By: Anita Worthen and Bob Davies For: Anyone that loves someone struggling with Homosexuality Recap: This book will help you handle your feelings while appropriately responding to your loved one.When a Man You Love Was Abused: A Woman’s Guide to Helping Him Overcome Childhood Sexual Molestation
By: Cecil Murphy For: For all Women who know and love a survivor of Sexual Assault Recap: The author helps women understand the continuing problems that abuse survivors may encounter, including hurtful memories, issues of self worth, and the need to feel in control. Informative and highly practical, Murphey explains what women can do to help bring about healing and forgiveness.When a Woman You Love Was Abused: A Husband’s Guide to Helping Her Overcome Childhood Sexual Molestation
By: Dawn Scott Jones For: Husbands of Women who were Sexually Abused Recap: Jones explains the stages of the healing journey (processing denial, asking for help, grieving, expressing anger, learning to forgive, and finding resolution). Building on that knowledge, Jones then moves to an honest discussion of what husbands can do to help. Whether it’s creating a healing environment, understanding the need for control, building trust, or even just praying for healing, a husband plays an active role in helping his wife survive and thrive despite her past abuse.Where Does A Mother Go to Resign?
By Barbara Johnson For: Anyone struggling with hard times, esp. Parents. Recap: A story of triumphant faith that endured with God’s help family crises and sufferings resulting in joy.Becoming a Titus 2 Woman: A Bible Study
By: Martha Peace For: Women Recap: Addresses the biblical and practical mandate to women regarding teaching and ministering to younger women.In My Father’s House: Women Relating to God as Father
By: Mary A. Kassian For: Women Recap: This study explores how a woman’s image of God the Father is often based on her experiences (or lack of experiences) with her earthly father.Loving Your Wife: How to Strengthen Your Marriage in an Imperfect World
By: Jack and Heidi Heald For: Husbands Recap: A topical Bible study for men with 12 proven ways to strengthen and improve your marriage.The Wounded Heart Workbook: A Companion Workbook for Personal or Group Use
By: Dr. Dan P. Allender For: Victims/Survivors of Sexual Abuse Recap: This companion workbook to The Wounded Heart will help you work through the complex issues of sexual abuse in a concrete way by leading you step-by-step through the process of change. It also includes specific sections for men, ideas for discussion-group facilitators, and reflective quotations from fellow strugglers with sexual abuse.A Note on Recommended Reading
While the ALC Balm of Gilead does not agree with everything that is presented in all of the books listed on this page, we believe that when used with the guidance of the Holy Spirit they may be beneficial in the process of healing.
We offer the Amazon.com and Christianbook.com links as a convenience to help find books we recommend. We do not fully endorse, nor approve of, all material in the books and links that may appear on these websites. Please use your own discretion.
