Out of Darkness

Out of Darkness is a poignant and beautifully written historical novel, authored by Ashley Hope Perez. She speaks of love and relationships, racism and racial violence while also telling the story of the 1937 New London school gas explosion.  

This stories depiction of sexual assault is hard to read.  The reality of having lived through these experiences is even harder. The reader can experience the painful truth of being “the other.” To be a woman, to be brown skinned, to be poor is hard. For those who may never know this reality, the least we can do is validate the lived experience of others by reading about it. The discomfort felt on a page is a lesson in empathy.

Read this book and sit with the discomfort it may create. Be grateful that in telling this story, somebody may be spared this reality.