I think that it's important to tell the truth, whether the abuser is still alive or has passed away. I think that books like, for example, Mommy Dearest, are very important for the victim, to have a chance to set the record straight, and to be allowed to tell their side --- as they experienced it. As for the children, I was an abused child and I didn't know the "truth" until I was much older. Too bad, because I was really confused and upset by what was going on in my world, and would have very much appreciated knowing what was really going on and WHY. It's pretty well accepted that children sense when something's wrong and don't miss much, if anything --- the trouble is, they usually don't UNDERSTAND it. From my own experience, I don't think that it is a bad thing for Taylor to tell the TRUTH about Russell ---- Kennedy is going to need a lot of help in either case, but it would not do her any good for her mother to tell her that her father was an angel, when all indications (from many other sources) are very much to the contrary. And more importantly, Kennedy will, in the long run, gain more from knowing the truth about her parents and DEALING WITH IT, than to be uninformed (or in denial) and NOT being equipped to deal with the fallout, whatever that may be.