Susan Forward's book was groundbreaking in it's definition of problem parents and the dysfunctional families they create. As the title conveys, 'Toxic Parents' are brought out of the darkness of shame, and into the light of hope for any person who was raised by these types of parents.

It was written at a time when the general public was just beginning to associate problems in adulthood with the way they were treated as children.

She aptly describes the various types of parents and identifies their abuse of their children with direct, and sometimes shocking accuracy. Forward also guides the reader in the direction of answers to the question every abused child has, which is, "Why me?"

Each reader will find his or her 'child self' in this book, and will be able to identify the traits of their abusive parents, as well as learn some coping mechanisms to help in their recovery.