Kevin Hughes’s Sociomom is a raw and gut-wrenching memoir about surviving a childhood dominated by abuse, manipulation, and the long road toward emotional healing. The book begins with a haunting scene at the deathbed of Hughes’s mother, a woman he portrays as both magnetic and monstrous. From there, he guides the reader through the labyrinth of trauma recovery, recounting his experiences with therapy, memory, and faith. The story is both personal and universal — an unflinching portrait of how the scars of childhood shape the adults we become and how confronting buried truths can lead to redemption.

Reading Sociomom felt like sitting across from someone who’s finally ready to tell the story they’ve held inside for decades. Hughes writes with an honesty that is as uncomfortable as it is necessary. His prose isn’t flowery; it’s direct, sometimes even harsh, but that’s what gives it power. There’s no pretense, no dressing up of pain. I found myself angry at times, heartbroken at others, but always drawn in. The way he weaves memory, faith, and self-reflection gives the book a rhythm that feels human, messy, and real. You can sense his years of emotional armor cracking as he writes, and that vulnerability pulls you right into his experience.

What hit me hardest wasn’t the horror of the abuse, but the quiet aftermath, the way Hughes describes trying to live as a functioning adult while feeling half-alive inside. His exploration of therapy, especially EMDR, and his struggle to reconnect with emotion felt deeply relatable. There’s pain in every line, but also resilience. The book doesn’t beg for pity; it asks for understanding. At moments, it’s almost too heavy, but then he grounds it again with flashes of humor or self-awareness that make it bearable.

Sociomom is a survival story and a testament to what healing can look like after a lifetime of emotional ruin. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an important one. I’d recommend this book to anyone who’s walked through trauma or works with survivors. It’s also for readers who crave truth told without varnish, who want to see what courage looks like when it’s stripped of polish and performed in real time.

Pages: 183 | ASIN : B0FDLFFLH8