Biography of the woman who defied fear and violence to serve as a witness for the prosecution at the retrial of Byron De La Beckwith for the murder of Medgar Evers.

Witnessing comes in as many forms as the trauma that gives birth to it. The Holocaust, undeniably one of the greatest traumatic events in recent human history, still resonates into the twenty-first century. The echoes that haunt those who survived continue to reach their children and others who did not share the experience directly. In what ways is this massive trauma processed and understood, both for survivors and future generations? The answer, as deftly illustrated by Nancy Goodman and Marilyn Meyers, lies in the power of witnessing: the act of acknowledging that trauma took place, coupled with the desire to share that knowledge with others to build a space in which to reveal, confront, and symbolize it. As the contributors to this book demonstrate, testimonial writing and memoir, artwork, poetry, documentary, theater, and even the simple recollection of a memory are ways that honor and serve as forms of witnessing. Each chapter is a fusion of narrative and metaphor that exists as evidence of the living mind that emerges amid the dead spaces produced by mass trauma, creating a revelatory, transformational space for the terror of knowing and the possibility for affirmation of hope, courage, and endurance in the face of almost unspeakable evil. Additionally, the power of witnessing is extended from the Holocaust to contemporary instances of mass trauma and to psychoanalytic treatments, proving its efficacy in the dyadic relationship of everyday practice for both patient and analyst. The Holocaust is not an easy subject to approach, but the intimate and personal stories included here add up to an act of witnessing in and of itself, combining the past and the present and placing the trauma in the realm of knowing, sharing, and understanding. Contributors: Harriet Basseches, Elsa Blum, Bridget Conley-Zilkic, Paula Ellman, Susan Elmendorf, George Halasz, Geoffrey Hartman, Renee Hartman, Elaine Neumann Kulp-Shabad, Dori Laub, Clemens Loew, Gail Humphries Mardirosian, Margit Meissner, Henri Parens, Arlene Kramer Richards, Arnold Richards, Sophia Richman, Katalin Roth, Nina Shapiro-Perl, Myra Sklarew, Ervin Staub.

My Soul Is a Witness is a powerful collection of poetry, prose, reflections, prayer, and song celebrating spirituality in the lives of African-American women. Featuring a variety of voices including Johnetta B. Cole, Marsye Conde, Rita Dove, Nikki Giovanni, Akasha (Gloria) Hull, Toni Morrison, Iyanla Vanzant, and Alice Walker, this collection demonstrates the diverse ways that women connect with the Spirit. Exploring faiths ranging from Islam to Buddhism to Christianity, these writings illustrate the importance of religion and spirituality in the women of the African-American community. No matter how the Spirit expresses itself in these women's lives, their faith is experienced not just as individuals but also as an inheritance from the women in their community. This anthology will surely touch every sister of the Spirit.

A luminous memoir of how the author's involvement in his mother's accidental death reshaped the emotional landscape of his childhood and adult life. In 1962, at the age of fourteen, Fergus Bordewich's life was shattered as his mother attempted to jump off a runaway horse and fell calamitously under the galloping hooves of the horse Fergus was riding. Crouching beside her in a gathering pool of blood, he convinced himself that she would be fine. But an hour later, in the hospital waiting room, he and his father listened in shock as the doctor told them that she had been dead on arrival. At that moment, he thought to himself, I've killed my mother. So begins My Mother's Ghost, veteran reporter Fergus Bordewich's anguished attempt to come to terms with the emotional chaos his life was thrown into with his mother's death. For all practical purposes, Fergus's childhood was over. His mother, a fierce, fireball of a woman, had been the dominant figure not just in his family, but, as the executive director of the Association on American Indian Affairs, a galvanizing force in national politics behind Native American activism and tribal rights. She was a woman who traveled the country meeting with tribal chiefs and regularly dined with senators and congressmen. And Fergus had been the son she doted on. In the aftermath of her death, his father slipped further into alcoholism and silence. In the decade that followed, Fergus would follow his father into a life of despair and drink. By the age of twenty-seven, he was close to suicide. A devastating and beautifully written account of Bordewich's attempt to make peace with his mother's death and rediscover her place in his heart, MyMother's Ghost is a poignant and heartrending memoir that, like Angela's Ashes, is neither easily put down nor readily forgotten.

A secret society of women, borne of gender oppression and brutality in the form of forced female circumcision, existed for centuries in Africa. They arrive on American soil via the slave trade, adapting and ultimately thriving in the new world. Today, four young women, raised together within the society, try to fit in, however, their unusual upbringing, their entry into womanhood and the unorthodox manner in which they relate to the world around them marks them and, ultimately, takes a tragic toll on most of their lives. Ania, the most intuitively gifted, is the glue that holds the four together. Strange, conflicted, and unabashedly sexual, Ania must balance her desire to join the innermost circle of the society with a perverse rebellious streak, which makes her long for fulfillment in other areas of her life. Ania=s rebellious streak prompts her, as an adult attorney, to take a case defending a man accused of sexual contact with a minor female in the post‑Megan=s Law era. Ania doesn=t notice that a terrible storm is brewing within the societyCa storm which will plunge her headfirst into a whirlwind of events that will mark her life and very soul in a manner she never imagined possible.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Soon to be a Hulu Original series • The internationally acclaimed author of Wild collects the best of The Rumpus's Dear Sugar advice columns plus never-before-published pieces. Rich with humor and insight—and absolute honesty—this "wise and compassionate" (New York Times Book Review) book is a balm for everything life throws our way. Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills—and it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice.

"A portrait of Mother Angelica describes the influential nun's youth, her dedication to a cloistered order of Franciscan nuns, and her creation of the powerful, multimillion-dollar Eternal World Television Network,"--NoveList.