Peace by Piece

Peace by Piece Not since Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning have I read a narrative of trauma survival and recovery that has impacted me this profoundly. Cheryl writes in unflinching first person, giving voice to the little girl trapped in the dark heart of abject torture-the terror and loss is real-time and sensorial for the reader-and out the other side into the light of recovery and healing. It is a breathless journey that leaves the reader awe-struck and reverent to the resilience of children to survive evil with their innocence intact and the eternally-springing hope of being loved and accepted by their abusers. This book is a rare treat that navigates the path of heartbreak to the path of posttraumatic growth all the way to the restoration of life, love, safety, joy, meaning and satisfaction-peace by piece. It is an intimately personal story that shimmers with honesty and is not once melodramatic or contrived. Instead, this book is a finely chiseled heroine’s story. The story of a courageous adult who returns to her painful past to rescue and champion her younger self out of the miasma of past violence to the Grace of the present that-by the end of the book-we find ourselves celebrating. Reading the last page of this book felt as though something important was achieved and something precious received-not just for Cheryl, but also for myself and all humankind. A month after reading this book I find it still continues to haunt me…in the best of ways. J. Eric Gentry, PhD, DAAETS, FAAETS President Forward-Facing Institute