Talking Penny

This is a journey into the mind of a former cutter weaving a complex web of circumstances personality and social interactions that led to intense psychological pain relieved only by the distraction of physical pain. Look Beyond the Scars is a book that needs to be read and discussed by adults and adolescents alike to demystify the compulsion to cut oneself and lead to a deeper understanding of and compassion for those who hurt inside. -Pat Peterson MeD third-grade teacher. A candid and forthright memoir of one womans experience as a former cutter... Rather than averting our eyes in horror may we read this book and open our hearts in empathy for those who hurt so much inside they feel compelled to hurt themselves. -Nancy Eaton RN MA LMHC psychotherapist. In Look Beyond the Scars Hanagan gives us the wisdom of her reflections as we realize life through the eyes of a self-abuser. She reminds us that there is more to parenting than just being there...our kids need us to advocate for and believe in them and take the time to give them hugs each and every day. We learn from this book that it is never too late. - Mother of a teen self-abuser. Look Beyond the Scars puts into writing one womans experience with cutting at a time when no doctor understood the disease when families did not acknowledge it when hospitals forced lonely and desperate young girls into seclusion rooms to teach them a lesson. In this heartbreaking yet uplifting book Hanagan tells her story with blunt and compassionate honesty and reaches out to todays youth so that those who are cutting themselves can at least know they are not alone and that they can recover.