June is Pride Month. In honor of Pride Month, I’d like you to meet a special lady: Barb Hensen. Though Beyond the Silence, and Barb Hensen, are fictional and we are no longer in 1988, the situation in this book echoes what many lesbian mothers face even in today’s world: the loss of their children.

Barb Hensen grew up in the Deep South surrounded by a deadly silence–no one spoke of the violence in their midst. Raised to fulfill her family’s expectations, she marries young and has a daughter. When the horror of her marriage becomes intolerable, alcohol, drugs, and anorexia help her escape. Until the day Yona Adohi drives into her life.

Through her friendship with the lesbian Yankee, Barb begins the journey of self-discovery. Punished by her husband for defying him in her quest for who she might become, suicide becomes the only viable alternative. When the suicide attempt fails, Barb must make a difficult decision: go against her family and divorce; or remain in an abusive marriage and die.

Barb leaves her marriage. In retaliation, her ex-husband uses the biased court system and takes back the custody that he originally was happy to relinquish. Now Barb is faced with an impossible decision–give up her life, or give up her child. She turns to Yona for help.

To meet Barb Hensen, go to https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Silence-Aya-Walksfar-ebook/dp/B01ADRQ0K8