Editor’s note: this column contains themes of sexual assault and trauma.

“Nice to meet me”

By Chris Carlton

“Nice To Meet Me shows us that recovering from sexual abuse is undeniable with hard work and determination,” according to the book.

This candid and inspirational story from Chris Carlton has the audience walking step by step with him as he stops trying to prove he is worthy. “Nice to meet me” follows Carlton as he begins to repair his past and desperately tries to salvage his future. As the third person in the room, the reader can take a seat watching as the walls come crumbling down, relieving a painful surface and the truth about himself. Connecting with the innocent boy he left behind, Carlton’s story is persistent and helpful for any individual seeking to recover from a traumatic experience and better understand someone struggling with their past.

“Dear Sister”

Editing by Lisa Factora-Borchers

Introduction by Aishah Shahidah Simmons

“It wasn’t your fault; it was never your fault. You did nothing wrong. Hold this tight to your heart: it wasn’t your fault. At night when you lay there and your mind fills with images and you wonder if only, if you had . . . if you hadn’t . .  . Remember: it wasn’t your fault,” according to the book.

“Dear Sister” is the telling lessons, memories, and survival stories of over fifty artists, activists, writers, and students who share their Sexual Assault stories and/or what it means to be advocates and an ally to survivors.

“Aaminah Shakur, Adrienne Maree Brown, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Allison McCarthy, Amita Y. Swadhin, Amy Ernst, Ana Heaton, Andrea Harris, Angel Propps, Anna Saini, Anne Averyt, Annu Saini, Ashley Burczak, brownfemipower, Brooke Benoit, Denise Santomauro, Desire Vincent, Dorla Harris, Harriet J., Indira Allegra, Isabella Gitana-Woolf, Joan Chen, Judith Stevenson, Juliet November, Kathleen Ahern, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Marianne Kirby, Maroula Blades, Mary Zelinka, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, Melissa Dey Hasbrook, Melissa G., Mia Mingus, Michelle Ovalle, Premala Matthen, Rebecca Echeverria, Renee Martin, River Willow Fagan, Sara Durnan, Sarah M. Cash, Shala Bennett, Shanna Katz, Sofia Rose Smith, Sumayyah Talibah, Sydette Harry, Birdy, Viannah E. Duncan, and Zoe Flowers.”

All of the names above are contributors to the collective “Dear Sister.” Going beyond the traditional books and method of healing, “Dear Sister” allows the reader to sit in the reality of what the world looks like through the eyes of a survivor, with a constant reminder that it isn’t your fault.

“LUCKY”

By Alice Sebold

In a park near her college campus, the author of “Lucky,” Alice Sebold, reveals her life transformation and the true story of her 18-year-old self who was brutally raped and beaten. Recounting the story of sexual assault recovery and the aftermath of herself as she fights to ensure her rapist’s arrest and conviction, Sebold comes to terms that her relationship with the world has changed. In her memoir, almost 22 years after the original publication date, Sebold continues to illuminate the experiences of trauma and impart her own wisdom: “you save yourself or you remain unsaved.”