Through over 80 narratives, STRONG explores the harrowing journeys of women from childhood adversity to eventual victory, showcasing their resilience and transformation in the face of trauma. Why was this an important book for you to publish?

I wanted people to know that no matter how difficult our early life may have been, we can rise above it. Our past need not define us. We can rewrite our story.

 How did you approach the task of capturing the distinct experiences and emotions of each woman while also highlighting the shared strength and resilience they all possess?

I had no agenda or preset questions for our interviews. My approach was to see through her eyes as a silent observer. To feel what she felt as the smallest person in the room.

My task was to listen for the child’s thought process. I wanted to enter her world and hear her story, unfiltered, from her perspective as a small child, in the present tense, and not in the voice of an adult looking back and making observations on her life.

That part was easy.

The challenge was to compress the narrative into as few words as possible to fit the narrow confines of the book’s design, and then refine and smooth out the text into a quick, easy read. At times, I felt more like a sculptor than a writer, chiseling away anything not essential to the story.

The collaboration with artist Galih Winduadi adds a unique visual dimension to the book. How did you work together to ensure that the illustrations captured the essence of each narrative and enhanced the reader’s understanding?

I would not have embarked on this project without the visual dimension because I felt the drawings were as important as the text in conveying the child’s innocence.

I wanted the reader to experience each story as a piece of art, visually attractive and charming on the page, regardless of the sometimes-sordid subject matter. 

The collaboration involved me, the child telling the story, the brilliant and patient artist Galih, Google Images and Google Translate.

Most of the women were surprisingly insistent that every detail be accurate—colors, clothing, patterns, textures, hair styles, facial expressions, room layouts, the view from the window. Because my artist does not speak English, you can imagine how challenging that was at times. In some instances, there were as many as eight or nine iterations before the storyteller and I felt we had captured the essence of her story.

What message or takeaway do you hope readers will gain from reading “STRONG” and the stories shared within it?​

As I write in the book’s introduction, adults in general don’t show up well in many of these stories. As much as children suffer, it’s because the parents have suffered as well. They don’t realize they’re inflicting their own pain on the child. Unattended to, early childhood traumas pass on as intergenerational stress.

We can be better parents and teachers if we recognize the signs of adverse childhood events on young lives.

If we want to improve society in general, we need to start with decreasing childhood trauma and stress because that’s what drives our societal problems.

My deepest hope is that “STRONG” helps adults recognize that our children need to feel loved, connected, and safe at all times. 

To the person who did not feel treasured as a child, the empowering message is, you survived. You are strong. You can rewrite your story.

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