Synchrony Books has published an ebook version of 'Disruptive'. The cover has been designed by Kit Foster.

Synchrony Books is delighted to announce the release of an ebook version of Angela Bayley’s Disruptive, a book that formed the basis for a civil case against Nottinghamshire County Council. The cover has been designed by Kit Foster.

It’s now available in multiple ebook formats from Smashwords.  You can read it on PCs, Macs, Kindles, mobile phones, etc. and sample it free!

It’s also available in Kindle format on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Amazon.de and Amazon.fr.  If you don’t have a Kindle you can download a Kindle reader for your Mac or PC.

Twenty pence from every copy sold will be donated to NAPAC, the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, who have endorsed the book. The Chief Executive, Peter Saunders, has said, ‘As well as helping other survivors come to terms with a painful past, books such as this are actually a vital element in how we protect our children today. That is why we should all read Angela’s very powerful and moving message. One thing that perpetrators of abuse, or the institutions that protected those people do not want, is for survivors to speak out. Angela has had the courage to do so and we at NAPAC are pleased and privileged to have her support.’

Read:

• the press release about this news
•  reviews of the paperback version.

Saving the World is available from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de and Smashwords.com.

Cover of "Saving the World", an ebook by R. Eric Swanepoel

Press release:   Canadian academic spurs Edinburgh writer to release book “dangerous to status quo”

High definition image of cover.

Author’s biography.

Synchrony Books has just released "Saving the World", an ebook version of R. Eric Swanepoel's 2004 paperback novel "Saving the World and Being Happy, The Computer Ager". The cover was designed by Kit Foster. Click on the image to purchase it from Smashwords. See below for Amazon link.

The cover of the original paperback version of "Saving the World". The novel received excellent reviews. The ebook format will make it much more widely available and affordable.

Synchrony Books is pleased to announce that it has just released Saving the World, an ebook version of Saving the World and Being Happy, The Computer Ager.  It is now available on Smashwords.com in multiple formats and on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr and Amazon.de in Kindle format. Both these sites offer free samples too, so try before you buy!

The author, R. Eric Swanepoel, answers some questions:

Why are you re-releasing this book now?

• For several reasons.  Firstly, although the paperback version was published in 2004 and received good reviews at the time, I recently received an unsolicited and spontaneous review from an academic and writer I greatly admire, Professor Bruce K. Alexander.  If he thinks Saving the World should be widely read, who am I to argue?
• Secondly, it has never seemed more relevant. It examines the sinister effects of the near monopoly of the media exercised by “Bear Mudrock”, and demonstrates how this might be overcome.  The recent collapse of Rupert Murdoch’s bid to take over BSkyB in the wake of the News of the World phone-tapping scandal has raised awareness of this man’s questionable ethics and influence. The recent riots in England have also led people to ask questions about our society.
• Thirdly, the rights have just reverted to me, so I wasn’t able to publish it until now.

Why are you releasing it in ebook format?

• I believe ebook sales are rapidly catching up on the sales of conventional books.  The minimal cost of producing ebooks means that the price can be kept low and so most people with a simple computer anywhere in the world should be able to read it (the book will be available in multiple formats). It is in keeping with the book’s ethos to keep it affordable so that price will not be a significant barrier.
• It is difficult and expensive to get hard copies distributed and stocked when one is competing with large publishing firms, particularly if one’s book is opposed to the economic orthodoxy. (Prof. Alexander describes it as “dangerous to the status quo!”)

Ten pence from every copy sold will be donated to a charity that educates girls in the developing world. Why?

• I want every reader to feel that he or she is making a real and practical difference to the world (and I want to feel this too).
• Educating and empowering women and girls in the developing world is, I believe, the single most cost-effective way of improving the wellbeing of humankind.

Who designed the cover?

A Facebook friend recommended an artist called Kit Foster. Kit seemed to instantly understand the brief I gave him. I think the design he has come up with is striking and fresh, and manages to convey the book’s humour as well as its depth. I hope this will lead to more commissions for this talented young man.

Angela Bayley and 'Disruptive' were the lead story of one of the UK's biggest regional papers.

The following article was the lead story in the Mansfield Chad of 19 May 2010:

Abuse victim sues council

Woman writes book alleging how she was:

• Raped by care worker
• Raped by foster dad
• Attacked by teacher

Report by Chris Breese

A MANSFIELD woman has issued a landmark claim for compensation for a catalogue of horrific sexual abuse she says she suffered as a child in the care of Nottinghamshire County Council.

How the story of 'Disruptive' was covered by the Mansfield Chad

The woman, now in her 30s, is asking the authority for recompense after obtaining hundreds of documents relating to the handling of her case in the 1980s.

She alleges she was sexually abused by a teacher, groomed and raped by a care home worker, and repeatedly raped again by a foster father she was placed with, all between 1983 and 1988.

Her action was launched after she decided to write a book chronicling her alleged experiences, using the pen name Angela Bayley, which has made it onto the shelves of major bookshops.

Angela, who grew up in Mansfield and still lives locally, started writing ‘Disruptive’ as part of psychological therapy, but only recently named Nottinghamshire County Council as the authority involved.

She said: “Everything was pushed under the carpet – not just the sexual abuse. I often wonder whether the more vulnerable you are the more you have got that tattooed on your forehead – that you are an easy target.

“Now that we have solid evidence of the appalling negligence and culpability of the council I believe I am likely to win major damages and that it is safe to reveal the name of the local authority which failed to protect me.”

Abuse victim to sue the council

Angela’s allegations include that a teacher she was a pupil of groomed and raped her, that a children’s care home worker later raped her on ‘numerous’ occasions and that a foster father groomed and then raped her around 15 times.

She alleges this has left her with deep psychological scars, including post traumatic stress disorder, anorexia, bulimia, and emotionally unstable personality disorder.

Case documents seen by Chad show at least one social worker who interviewed her about the claims at the time believed her allegations were true.

Her claim comes after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to take her allegations further in 2006, saying that pursuing criminal proceedings would not be in the public interest.

Nottinghamshire County Council has declined to comment while the case is live.

Her solicitor Andrew Grove specialises in claiming compensation for the victims of childhood sexual abuse. He explained child abuse victims were previously barred from taking

This story ran on the first and third pages of the Mansfield Chad!

action later than six years after they turned I8, but recent rulings may have opened the door for people like Angela.

In 2008 the Law Lords ruled Iorworth Hoare, dabbed the ‘Lotto Rapist’ after winning £7m on the Notional Lottery, could be sued by a woman he attempted to rape, even though her claim was outside the deadline.

Mr Grove said: “Angela has a good claim for compensation. Her abusers were employed by Nottinghamshire County Council and it is the council who must take responsibility for the wrongdoing and for Angela’s suffering.

“It is a matter of law that employers are responsible for the actions of their employees and there is strong evidence of negligence by the local authority in her social care records which were released to us recently.”

He also said by negotiating with the council the claim could be settled out of court, but added he and his client would ‘stand ready’ to launch court proceedings if they felt it necessary.

Added Angela:  “If the claim is successful, the scars will still be there, but it will be like I’ve had plastic surgery.

“I came up with tho courage to do it having met many others who have been in my position and realising that I’m sadly not alone.

“People are frightened of the consequences of coming forward but it should be the people who have done things like this that should be frightened.”

A Nottinghamshire County Council spokesman said: “We are aware of a letter from the solicitor of the person concerned.  At the moment it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

We have reason to believe that this news will break in a local (Nottinghamshire) paper on Wednesday, 19 May, and nationally thereafter.

Photograph of a review of "Disruptive" in Rostrum magazine ("the voice of social work in Scotland"), January 2011. Click to see larger, or click on the link in the accompanying text to see a PDF.

“An invaluable resource…The book is really important for practitioners in child protection”

1. Disruptive received a glowing review in the January 2011 issue of Rostrum magazine, “the voice of social work in Scotland”:

THERE IS so little research on the long term outcomes (or people who experienced public care in childhood that the memoirs of people who have been in care are very important to understanding how the decisions and recommendations that we make as social workers – and the way that we communicate and work – impact on young people’s lives as they grow up through our public care systems.

These books are an invaluable resource both for students and also experienced practitioners to reflect on their own practice of listening to young people. Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires that we listen to the views of children and young people and take them into account when making decisions in their best interest.

Disruptive is the revisiting of childhood experiences, sometimes very traumatic, of a happy wife, mother and paramedic following a sexual assault by a colleague at a period when she thought she had left behind being the victim of abuse in childhood. Angela revisits her childhood emotionally and intellectually.

Many practitioners in mental health and criminal justice services will have heard tragically similar accounts. But this book allows us to think through our own practice in listening to people, creating that opportunity when people learn to trust us with that awful information that they fear to share with anyone else because it may risk another rejection. It brings home the importance of the social relationship in connecting with people who have been abused so that they can get back the self-esteem to gain control over their own lives and move on.

From the social work perspective, this book is particularly good at highlighting the methods parents, carers and children go to hide what really happens behind closed doors. It covers loss and bereavement revisited at various times in childhood and the importance of just being there for someone who has not yet worked out if you can be trusted or if you can help. From this aspect, the book is really important for practitioners in child protection.

2. Six reviews have appeared on Amazon. They’re all excellent!

3. Endorsements from organisations:

Reveals a larger slice of the bigger picture
Angela has not only retold the events on a ‘surface level’ basis but she extends a hand to the reader and takes them into the depths of her experiences, sharing the innermost vulnerable parts of those experiences. I believe that this story needs to be told. It reveals a larger slice of the bigger picture (in terms of the impact of abuse) than many other books of its kind.

Helen Munt, Office Manager, National Association for People Abused in Childhood

Particularly helpful
This book [...] would be particularly helpful to those who work or intend to work professionally with children and young people, in helping them to understand the impact that a damaged, disrupted childhood can have on a person’s life, behaviour and relationships.

Pauline Pearson, Dip. Counselling, Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service

Well-written
Angela suffered neglect and abuse in childhood, the legacy of which resurfaced after she was raped as an adult and resulted in her being sectioned. Although graphic at times, this well-written story tells how she emerged a stronger person, wanting to help others.

Jenny Stucke, Project Manager, Directory and Book Services

Angela has also received this message from a reader:

Hi! I’ve finished reading your book. I’m shocked at the awful things you have experienced. It made me cry on several occasions. It has certainly made me think differently and has made me more open-minded regarding certain jobs at work [as a paramedic].

Having had a wonderful childhood and a relatively non-traumatic life since, I didn’t quite realise what a shit life some people have. Keep smiling. I think you’re very brave.