After I read The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley I checked to see if she had authored other books. Sure enough, she had. Fighting Words was one of them. I did not want to read it after I read the description of it. It is about the journey of one girl Dalla who shares her experience of being in foster care and of abuse.
I was worried it would trigger my own nightmares and flashbacks of being abused and it would cause me to remember parts I have not remembered. Parts I have prayed I would never remember. I don’t want to have any more smells, colors, feelings, and touches to my conscious memory.
This book is so important to open our eyes and ears to read between the lines of what is being said. To see beyond behaviors, to see beyond words. I learned so much from the foster mom, Francine, and the principal Dr. Penny. And to pray for those who are walking the road of hell with survivors. And may the teachers, neighbors, siblings, abuse survivors have the courage to protect and speak up for those who cannot.
We cannot bury our heads in the sand and pretend it doesn’t happen. We need to always have our eyes and ears open. Let us be brave and not turn away.