I See You, Survivor Life Inside (and Outside) the Totally F*cked-Up Troubled Teen Industry

by Ianelli, Liz; Witter, Bret

• ISBN13: 9780306831522
• ISBN10: 030683152X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2023-08-29
• Publisher: Hachette Books

Summary

"A must read for anyone concerned about teenage mental health." -- Maia Szalavitz, NYT bestselilng author of Unbroken Brain co-author of The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog

A survivor of the Troubled Teen Industry exposes the truth about the dark side of a billion-dollar industry's institutionalized abuse—and shares the story of her own fight for justice.

Liz Ianelli, known around the world as Survivor993, spent years at the Family Foundation—labeled an “institution for troubled teens.” The children who went through The Family School like her were good people. They had potential and dreams, but they came out with lifelong trauma: anxious, angry, paranoid, self-hating and in pain. Most of them have suffered lives of hardship, unable to integrate back into society. Hundreds have died, mostly by overdose and suicide.

I See You, Survivor is about what really happened at The Family and what continues to happen at thousands of facilities like it. Beyond the trauma, this book is about triumph, resilience, and an effort to help others, and it conveys Liz’s critical message for every survivor she sees:

“You are not broken. You are not unlovable. And you are not alone. There are millions of us. And I come with a message, for you, for them, for everyone: They act strong, but we are stronger. We are worthy. We are not alone. Speak, and we will be there for you. Speak, because there is power in your testimony. Speak, and we will win.”

This is a book first and foremost for survivors who can find support and community in these stories. It is also for parents, counselors, law makers and others to expose this industry for what it is: child abuse. And how that abuse has consequences for all of us.

Author Biography

Liz Ianelli is known online as Survivor993, for the number of days she was confined at The Family School in upstate New York from 1995 to 1998. She has been an EMT on the overnight shift, a therapist, a traumatologist, a social worker, a wife, a mother, a VA critical response team member, an amateur sleuth, a vigilante, an outcast, a three am call, a FOIA requester, a suicide hotline operator (both official and unofficial), a friend, a mentor, a bunker buddy, a serial social media poster, and the worst nightmare for the people who for three years tortured her and her friends. Her hashtag #ISeeYouSurvivor has been posted more than 237 million times. She has been featured in two investigative articles in the New York Times and a documentary film. She lives in an undisclosed location.
 
Bret Witter has co-authored eight New York Times bestsellers. His books have sold more than 3 million copies, been translated into more than thirty languages, and been made into two movies: one starring George Clooney and the other Jake Gyllenhall. He lives in Georgia.