Finding the Light

A Mother’s Journey from Trauma to Healing

Marian Henley's beautifully illustrated memoir tells an emotionally resonant story about the wonder and redemption of raising a son after surviving extreme male violence.  

This poignant graphic memoir describes the most difficult conversation between a mother and her son — the one about the two rapes she experienced as a young woman. It’s something she always knew she would share with her son, but the process of doing so is harder — and more freeing — than she could have imagined. This difficult but beautiful story chronicles how she overcame trauma and violence to find love and healing as a mother. Drawing on her decades as a professional cartoonist, Henley’s elegant black ink illustrations, trademark humor, and witty writing style shine through even in the darkest moments and tell a story of survivorship, parenting, and hope.

Reviews

  • “Honest and raw.”

    advance review from Netgalley

  • “…possibly the best reading experience I’ve ever had. I will remember the feelings I had while reading this book for as long as I live.”

    advance review from Netgalley

  • “It deserves to be read by as many people as possible.”

    advance review from Netgalley

  • “Fearless and lyrical…the pain in her story is braced by her hope, elegantly expressed, that sharing it can make a difference, and her lithe art makes a difficult subject approachable.”

    Publishers Weekly

  • “This is a passionate memoir, accusatory, but never descending into primal rage, which would be entirely understandable...The presentation is heart-wrenchingly unflinching, resulting in a book many men could benefit from reading just for the sake of greater understanding, and anything that raises awareness of both rape and the long term effect on victims is invaluable."

    theslingsandarrows.com

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