ARCATA (CA)
The Times-Standard
ARCATA -- A new book by local author and lecturer Carolyn Lehman deals with the subject of sexual abuse and, through stories and photographs, shows “the true faces of healing.”
”Strong at the Heart: How It Feels to Heal from Sexual Abuse” (Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, $18) addresses the topic of sexual abuse from the standpoint of those who experienced it, “giving a voice,” Lehman says, “to the survivors who triumphed over their past to shape their future.” The book is geared toward teen readers, as well as their parents, friends and the people who work with them.
”The individuals I talked with are heroes, invisible heroes who overcame violence, betrayal and hurt to become strong, caring and vital people,” Lehman said. “I knew I wanted to show others what I was seeing -- the strength, the honesty, the sheer guts of these survivors.” ...
Each survivor shows how healing is possible, she said -- from Jonathan, now 19, who was abused as a child by a priest who was a family friend, to Sheena, now 18, who was sexually assaulted at age 15 by a cousin, to Akaya, who was abused by her alcoholic father beginning at the age of 2.