Suzan’s Story: “Why don’t you just lie there and stop crying!” Those were the words of my perpetrator, one of three men who lured my friend and me on false pretenses. Behaving like animals, they used our bodies shamelessly. I was sixteen years old, a...
Ugochi’s Story: My mom always told me you don’t need friends. I think that’s why she and my dad had so many kids. Being the black sheep of the family, I wanted to prove her wrong. Finding friends would be challenging because I was not cool, I had a gap between...
Maya’s* Story: Eager for closure, I arrived early at the courthouse. My marriage had been stressful from the first day and never got better – instead, I feared for my life at the end. When I signed the divorce papers, a heavy weight lifted from my shoulders....
Angela’s Story: As I reflect on my early life, I see how growing up without a mom and then with a Disney-esque stepmom shaped me. It may sound melodramatic, but I don’t really like recounting my childhood. It feels like opening the door to a foreboding...
Heidi’s Story: I harbored and nurtured so much bitterness toward my father as I grew up that I preferred the term “the patriarch.” Justified by events of my childhood, I felt I earned the right to hold him in disdain. He netted a living as a lawyer, so...
Dana’s Story: After the children left there was quiet. It was deafening. My days had gone from vibrant, organized chaos, to a hum of familiar routine. Although we shared 25 years of marriage and he is absolutely the love of my life and soul mate, a chasm...
