While reading the semi-autobiographical Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison, I was stunned by the explicit nature of the novel. We were introduced to a young narrator and protagonist named Ruth Anne “Bone” Boatwright. Bone's family, like the author's, lived a life of poverty as she tried to find her place in a society that had literally labeled her "illegitimate." Merriam-Webster defines illegitimate as: (1) not recognized as legitimate offspring; specifically: born to parents not married to each other (2) not rightly deduced or deduced- illogical (3) leaving for the regular- irregular (4) not sanctioned by law- illegal (5) not authorized by good use. As a young girl, how would you feel about being known as illogical, erratic, illegal, not for good use, and, in Bone's case, constantly reminded that you don't know the identity of your birth father? According to helpguide.org, a non-profit online resource for mental health, the article "Child Abuse & Neglect" addresses the fact that constantly being told that you are stupid or no good, as a child, is very difficult to overcome. You may accept these negative thoughts and believe they are reality. In this research paper, I am trying to reveal the truth about child abuse by focusing on the history, myths and rehabilitation of child abuse victims. From an early age, Bone was sexually abused by her stepfather, Glen Waddell. Like Bone, Dorothy Allison also suffered abuse from her stepfather, starting at the young age of five. At the time of the novel, and until recent years, it was unthinkable to talk about any kind of abuse outside the family. Throughout history, children have been victims of abuse by their parents or other adults, and for...... half of the paper ...... report and report child abuse. Np, nd Web. 06 April 2014. deMause, Lloyd. "The History of Child Abuse." The history of child abuse. Np, September 25, 1997. Web. April 5, 2014. "illegitimate." Merriam Webster. Merriam-Webster and Web. April 10, 2014. "Mary Ellen Wilson." Mary Ellen Wilson. Np, nd Web. April 9, 2014. “Mary Ellen's Story.” The Story of Mary Ellen. Np, nd Web. 9 April 2014. Watkins, S. A. (1990). The Mary Ellen myth: Correcting the history of child welfare. Social Work, 35(6), pp. 500-503.