Breaking Free: Overcoming the Trauma of My Serial Killer Father

New York Times bestselling author Kerri Rawson shares her vulnerable, eye-opening, and deeply insightful journey through the lasting trauma brought on by her father’s heinous crimes as the BTK Killer.

Though Kerri Rawson was already twenty-six years old when she learned her father was the BTK Killer, her path to healing led to the realization that she, too, had been one of his crime victims--from the day she was born. In her second book, Rawson poignantly shares, in beautiful prose and with inspirational wisdom, the persistence and courage she embraces in her journey through trauma, which have carried her through new obstacles.

In February 2020, Rawson fell ill with symptoms similar to those related to the newly emerging COVID-19. Tests to confirm the virus were neither readily available nor dependable, and treatment for it had not yet been established. She and her doctors battled her unusual, debilitating, long-haul symptoms for months. While Rawson recovered, she re-immersed herself in caring and advocating for her two children with special needs. She sought strength in her Christian faith even as new frictions emerged within evangelical Christianity and political and societal unrest increased across America. Tenacious, courageous, and determined to help others, Rawson continued to encourage those struggling with trauma and to help crime victims and criminologists as they tracked offenders.

Interspersed with biblical insight and candid, sometimes humorous observations, Breaking Free is filled with faith, hope, and wisdom for overcoming life’s challenges. In it, Kerri Rawson shows how she has persisted against all odds to break free from the trauma inflicted by her father so that she can live victoriously, lending a hand to others seeking a way out of their own pain and tragedy.