Laurie O'Neil & Marisa da Silva, Coauthors of Graceful Woman Warrior

I had such a great discussion with Laurie O’Neil and Marisa da Silva for this episode. Laurie is a social worker and is Marisa’s great-aunt. Marisa is 10 years old, and her mom, Terri, died when Marisa was just 5. Together Laurie and Marisa are co-authors of the book Graceful Woman Warrior, which is based on the journal Terri kept while she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Topics we discussed include: How the book Graceful Woman Warrior started as a blog by Marisa’s late mom Terri during her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment; Laurie losing her own dad at age 8 and feeling alone in her grief as a child; What the kids in Marisa’s class thought about the “book talk” she and Laurie gave in class; What Marisa likes about the EmpowerHER program; and Why Laurie says writing this book has been transformative for her. I hope you enjoy my discussion with Laurie O’Neil and Marisa da Silva.