
10 things to do and not to do when tragedy strikes
Your neighbor’s husband died suddenly. What do you do? Bring her a lasagna? Your co-worker’s son died of suicide. Should you say something? If so,

Your neighbor’s husband died suddenly. What do you do? Bring her a lasagna? Your co-worker’s son died of suicide. Should you say something? If so,

I’ve told my story in Dumb Girl. Last year was about that—getting it out of my body and into the world, onto shelves, and into

I remember sitting in church around this time of year when I was eighteen, desperately trying not to fall apart. I was in excruciating emotional

My book tour turned out to be far more than a series of events; it became an unexpected chapter in my own healing. I launched

I recently had the honor of sharing my story in Newsweek‘s My Turn column. The essay is called “I Carried a Gun for a Month

“Nobody’s gonna know what I am,” Robby whined as I tied a knot around the thin rope connecting us. “Yeah, they’ll know what you are

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Four years ago, my breasts were amputated. Yes, you read that right. A surgeon cut them out of my

Behind every statistic about domestic violence is a child or adult carrying scars that don’t always show. This month, I’m reflecting on what that means

When you write a memoir, you never really know if your story will reach someone’s heart. This review of Dumb Girl did—and it took my

Of all the people I interviewed for my film, Behind the Bullet, it was Christen, the woman who attempted suicide by shooting herself in the

After months of planning (and stress) Aug. 19 was launch day at Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon, an institution in the Pacific NW.

Just after we got married 35 years ago, I held you and wiped tears from your cheeks when you woke up from nightmares—remnants of a
Dumb Girl is a memoir about my escape from a cycle of abuse and my transformation into a fierce advocate for change. From surviving my own childhood trauma to leading the charge in the fight for gun control, my story is one of survival, strength, and hope.
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