A Hymn To Life: Shame Has To Change Sides by Gisele Pelicot is a moving memoir of survival, courage, and the triumph of a woman who was raped repeatedly by her husband and other men for years. Pelicot describes her struggle with not only accepting what happened to her, but also the gut-wrenching, emotional ride…
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No one will forget the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Now imagine facing an even deadlier disease without modern medicine. The plague, or Black Death, killed an estimated 75 to 200 million people in Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353, wiping out nearly 60 percent of Europe’s population in its Bubonic,…
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Our personal stories help us celebrate and appreciate our lives. If evaluated, they encourage us to put our lives in perspective and learn from our hardships, tragedies, triumphs, and soft moments. Even the terrible, heartbreaking experiences shape us into the people we are today. It is important to share our stories to inspire others to…
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Heidi Eljarbo’s historical fiction novel, Catching a Witch: A Novel of Loyalty, Deception, and Superstition, is a story about the persecution of witches in Rossby, Norway, in the 17th century. According to Britannica, witchcraft is the “exercise or invocation of alleged supernatural powers to control people or events, practices typically involving sorcery or magic.” Although difficult to know…
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I used to think feminists were insane. I actually thought they were overblown, volatile, superfluous, and – get this, “asking for it.” I thought they hated men. I thought they wanted to destroy men. And, as ignorant as a turnip, I thought feminists were Satanists. (Gulp. Did I actually admit that?) It was what I…
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An absolutely compelling read, The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks (she does not capitalize her name) urges us to reclaim feminism for men as the result of patriarchy maintaining its power over their lives. I have to admit that this reading left me in awe. I had not thought of…
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I’ve never been raped. I’m one of the lucky ones. Violence from men towards women is at an alarming, disturbing high. It is extreme because we allow it. We dismiss, trivialize, ignore, and ridicule what happens to women. We laugh when woman talk about it. We silence their voices. We do not hear their cries,…
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“Let us pick up our books and our pens. They are the most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzai The above are the words of Malala Yousafzai, spoken in 2014 in Oslo, Norway, as the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.…
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We live in a cruel world. But, you already know that, right? Today, I felt the nudge to pass on someone else’s blog article not only in hopes of bringing attention to the embedded and horrific abuse pointed out by the article’s author (and victim), but in hopes of encouraging you (especially if you are…
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“I start every day with the knowledge that helping people and fighting for justice is my duty, and that nothing worthwhile comes without sacrifice, self-discipline, and courage.” – Gloria Allred One of my latest finds is Fight Back and Win: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Injustice-And How You Can Win Your Own Battles by the champion…
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