First-time author D. M. Ditson will launch her award-winning memoir, Wide Open, at the Revelstoke public library at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
Ditson’s story is a raw and emotional account of unravelling in the wake of a series of sexual assaults by several men that left her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Written during her recovery, Ditson shares her remarkable story of resilience to offer survivors hope – and maybe even proof – that they too can heal.
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“This incredibly brave and powerful memoir is written in prose both luminous and stark,” said Alison Pick, Man Booker Prize-nominated author of Strangers with the Same Dream and Far to Go. “I read it in one gulp, in awe of the author’s willingness to surrender to her experience of trauma and of her generosity in sharing her journey with her readers. Wide Open will take you to the farthest reaches of what it means to be human.”
Before Ditson’s manuscript had been selected by a publisher, it was awarded the John V. Hicks non-fiction prize.
Ditson believes it is crucial that the national dialogue about sexual assault include conversations about PTSD and recovery because:
- Sexual assault is a leading cause of PTSD
- One in four North American women have been sexually assaulted
- Nearly a third of women develop PTSD after being raped
- Women are more than twice as likely as men to develop PTSD
- 9.2 per cent of Canadians develop PTSD at some point in their lives
- Suicide risk is higher for those with PTSD.
Wide Open is published by Coteau Books.
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