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  'Invisible Heroes'

The Times-Standard [Arcata CA]
October 30, 2005

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."

Lehman, of Arcata, taught for 15 years in the English Department at Humboldt State University. She writes extensively for children and adults and is active in survivor advocacy. Her first book, a children's novel titled "Promise Not to Tell," was published in 1986 and received a Christopher Award. After publishing that book, Lehman was invited to speak about her own experiences as a sexual abuse survivor at conferences and in classrooms.

"'You should write a book about what you went through, Mom,' my sons told me ... In many ways I knew the subject of child abuse, especially sexual abuse, in depth. I did want my sons to understand what I'd overcome," Lehman said, "but when it came to writing a new book, I wasn't interested in telling my own story. I knew that already."

Lehman began to conduct interviews with other survivors -- nine in all -- from various ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds for a new book. She traveled extensively across the United States and Canada to do her research.

Each person's healing process differs, she said, as do their experiences, and each chapter of the book recounts the steps these individuals have taken to lead a life of their choosing.

"I spent hours, often days, with each person, interviewing them on tape and capturing their personalities in photographs as I came to know them through our deeply personal conversations," Lehman said.

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.

"The speakers are candid about the difficult experiences and emotions they faced," Lehman said, "like when Jonathan showed up at his new high school the day everyone found out he'd been molested. Or when Sheena had to choose between suicide and living with painful memories."

Some of what she heard surprised this author. "I learned that for these survivors the role of forgiveness in healing is contrary to what we commonly believe," Lehman said.

The book also includes a comprehensive resource section titled "Where to Go for More," as well as a forward by Laura Davis, author of "The Courage to Heal."

"My hope is that 'Strong at the Heart' will be a mirror, that young readers will look into the faces of these strong survivors and see their own potential to overcome adversity -- whether they've been abused or not. I hope young survivors will discover in these stories the strengths they have with- in themselves."

 
 

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