ENDORSEMENTS

Breathing the Night Out: A Story of Intergenerational Sexual Violence and Healing is a heartbreaking, detailed telling of the lived experience of the author in her family of origin, and in community. Ghrian Shine weaves the threads of her memories together with evidence of lasting harmful legacy of child sexual abuse across generations in an effort to bring attention to this devastating experience within her own family and beyond. Each chapter is a short story, and each short story shows the reader another piece of this tragic puzzle. It has taken the author a great deal of therapeutic healing work to put the pieces of her story together, and Ghrian’s work is not done yet. Recovery from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse and its aftermath is a lifelong journey for those who survive common coping strategies such as substance use, risk-taking behaviour, and suicidality.

 The graphic details of abuse, the behaviours exhibited by the characters in this book in the aftermath of abuse, and the systemic issues that leave victims suffering—all of it seems too horrific to be true. As a trauma and grief therapist with a background that includes 20 years on the front lines of child protection, I know that stories like this exist, hidden behind locked and barricaded doors in communities everywhere, and sometimes right out in the open. The truth is often much harsher than fiction, and unlike fiction, the truth doesn’t have a coherent plotline running through it to hold the reader in suspended disbelief. It is terribly hard to read, but perhaps that is the point. It is much harder to live this story than to read it, and living with the legacy of such abuse leaves deep wounds that are passed from one generation to the next, except when there is a survivor willing to break the silence in the hopes of breaking the cycle. Ghrian Shine hopes to break the cycle, and to let other survivors, in her family and beyond, know that they are not alone.

—Maureen Pollard, MSW, RSW; author of Heart Work: The Transformative Power of Story and Song: A Memoir and Guide; and songwriter of I Hope You Stay

A resilient and compelling truth. This book is a powerful and necessary exploration of intergenerational abuse and its lasting effects. The author’s truths are both compelling and deeply concerning, revealing how trauma can perpetuate through generations, leaving a trail of dysfunction in its wake.

What resonates most profoundly is the raw and honest portrayal of how these experiences can break a young spirit, leaving them with a false sense of hope and a distorted reality. The book honours the remarkable resilience required to overcome such profound challenges, and I applaud Ghrian Shine’s courageous calls for accountability.

Through this work, the shame of buried secrets is given a pathway to healing and renewal. Ghrian’s beautiful spirit shines through every page, offering a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of truth.

—Clarence Cachagee, author of North Wind Man and Founder of Crow Shield Lodge

Forced to fight through the pain of having her truth and trauma dismissed by those who were meant to protect her, Ghrian Shine is more than qualified to shine a light on this disturbingly real issue. She does not shy away. With grit and grace, she records it all while sharing the hope that all children should one day be free to breathe the night out in peace, especially in their own homes. The taboo of silence only adds injury to injury. This book offers families a chance to remove the blinders and the muzzles so we can actively listen to survivors of sexual abuse and help them heal. Above all, it stands as a powerful indictment of how such a journey should never be forced upon any child or family.

—Laurie (Loretta) Fisher, Editor, Journalist, Published Poet, and Workers Action Centre Board of Directors

This powerful book is a testament to the courage it takes to share a story of generational trauma rooted in childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and to honour one’s healing journey. With unflinching honesty, the author draws readers in from the first page—I simply could not put it down. Rather than condemning her abusers with malice, she writes from a genuine desire to heal and to raise awareness about the devastating impacts of CSA.

Ghrian’s life reflects the chaos and wreckage that CSA leaves in its wake, yet she rises from it with remarkable resilience, earning deep honour and respect for her perseverance, determination, and grit. This book is a call to action for families to break the silence, end the cycle of CSA, and seek hope and healing with renewed purpose.

A must-read for families and survivors alike, this story inspires us to confront the past, pursue understanding, and move towards a future shaped by healing and hope.

—Michelle Lavoie, Peer-Support Group Facilitator at The Gatehouse