Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin (2006)

Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother. Written as a cathartic letter to his youngest half-sister, Matt details specific events so that she, and more importantly, he, himself might understand how they arrived where they are. Well written; this realistic fiction depicts how and why emotional (psychological) abuse is so difficult to detect but how devastating the effect on its victims. Suspenseful and heartbreaking, a real horror story. Ages: 14+