It Never Took

A Memoir

Non-Fiction - Memoir
198 Pages
Reviewed on 05/31/2021
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Author Biography

Born in a trailer to an alcoholic, abusive rodeo cowboy and a southern Christian mother who spoke in tongues, Terrah Hancock developed self-reliance, strength, and resilience early in life to survive severe child abuse. She has done extensive study of bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and Complex PTSD in adult survivors of child abuse. She is an outspoken voice for ending child abuse, rape, and any stigmas associated with mental health therapy or illness.

Terrah tells frank, compelling stories about her life and experiences in therapy. She regularly speaks and consults with other survivors about complex PTSD, helping them ...

- commit to the importance of therapy,
- be open-minded about medication,
- deal with thoughts of suicide, and
- overcome the fear of changing therapists.

Terrah has remodeled homes and worked as a marketing executive for tech startups in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. She does daily hot yoga and cultivates flower, vegetable, and succulent gardens. She also posts a joke of the day for her neighbors on a white board outside her home in Phoenix. She has two forgiving sons, two lazy dogs, and one handsome Latin husband.

Other works include: "The Heart & The Ant", written at age 6, which was also a wild success.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Lucinda E Clarke for Readers' Favorite

In her memoir It Never Took, Terrah Hancock relates the years she was growing up in a dysfunctional family. Her father beat her regularly, both parents refused to believe she was raped by her father’s younger brother Keith, and her mother constantly gaslighted her. Her sister Veronica was the golden child, Terrah was the scapegoat. Despite years of trying, they were never able to bring her into line with their expectations. Despite being forthright and confident on the outside, inside she suffered from a lack of self-worth, diminished confidence, and one bad choice led to more. Married four times, she was unable to sustain a relationship and chose unhealthy relationships. She moved jobs, states, and homes several times, but her early years followed her. She has laid her soul bare in this memoir which resonated with me as I too suffered an abusive childhood.

It Never Took by Terrah Hancock is not an easy read. Every time she made the wrong choices, I felt like screaming, ‘Stop, don’t do it!’ Only in her adult years was she diagnosed with C-PTSD and bipolar disorder. She explains her therapy sessions and her relations with family members so clearly you felt you were right there beside her. I particularly liked Gram, the most affectionate member of the family who also refused to ‘be tamed’ and who supported Terrah while she was still alive. It was amazing to read about the therapy sessions since these are common in America and rare in Europe. The short chapters encouraged me to read on, the text flowed seamlessly, and at no time did I have to re-read to remember who was who. The author writes openly and honestly about her experiences and her book may help others who know they do not fit into society but have no idea why, or how to get help. I wish her success with her book.