The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak gets off to a slow and awkward start. I regret that I didn’t read the Author’s Note before I started reading the book:

It’s the stories that make us the most uncomfortable that are often targeted; the ones that shine a light on things we’d rather not see. And yet exposure to these stories and the ideas they contain have the power to expand our understanding and make us more empathetic and better human beings. It’s a closed mind that threatens society, not an open book.

Banned books are getting lots of chatter, but violence against women is a topic most folks would prefer to keep in silent darkness. I started this blog to break down that wall of silence. Ms. Novak brilliantly shines a very bright light on violence against women in this book and invites readers to become more empathetic and better human beings.

Tom and Brenda Novak at the Taj Mahal in India, 2024

Gia experienced sexual assault while a teen in high school. Mr. Hart, her favorite teacher, lured her to his home under the pretense they would discuss her grade on a term paper. Gia discovered that a better grade would come with a price: sex with Mr. Hart. A typical narcissist, he blamed her for the ruin of his career and marriage as well as his sentence to prison. His kids believed in their dad and tried to coerce Gia to tell the truth. This escalated when Gia returned home to care for her mother who had terminal cancer.

Meanwhile, her sister Margot had been their mother’s primary care giver, but she desperately needed relief from her abusive husband Sheldon. Gia definitely isn’t fond of Sheldon, but she has no idea that Margot needs her back home because she plans to go into hiding with their two boys. And, there’s that sexy veterinarian Cormac, who lives next door and is Mr. Hart’s son. Oh, my!

Gia has always been an empowered woman, and the book is the story of her path from survival to thriving and finding joy. She knew that standing up to a bully involves risks ~ risks she’s willing to take because she can’t live with the alternative. She will fight back despite not being sure she will win.

Spoiler alert: she wins. Big time.