A.j. Bassler

Girl, 7 A.j. Bassler

At age 7, Cindy is beaten nearly to death by her drunken stepfather. Because she's an unusually determined child, she survives, although with scars both physical and mental. As she grows up, Cindy finds herself alternately depressed by the damage done to her and exhilarated by stories of other tough-minded survivors. As a young adult, she commits her life to fighting child abuse. She returns to her hometown and finds a job as a child services caseworker. An attractive fellow caseworker catches her attention and soon Cindy is settling down. But she feels unsatisfied. Cindy realizes that she's not solving the child abuse problem, she's just cleaning up messes. With the help of her college friend Evelyn, Cindy gives up her comfortable life and launches herself into a new fight against child abuse. Seizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and supported by the ever-loyal Evelyn, Cindy takes her fight to the highest levels of influence -- the marble halls of Washington, D. C. There, she finds a new romance in the most unlikely place. But she also finds the challenge of her life as her fight against child abuse takes unexpected and difficult turns. "Effective indictment of the evils of violence against children. Readers ... will likely enjoy this story about child abuse and survival." ? Kirkus Review