Time to Stop Pretending : A Mother's Story of Domestic Violence, Homelessness, Poverty - And Escape

In the passion of this story resounds the brave voice of one woman who harnessed her courage and creativity to overcome seemingly insurmountable misfortunes: domestic violence, poverty, religious dependency, and homelessness. It is a dramatic storyher own accountof quitting school when she was 16 years old to get married, rearing eight children, enduring her husband's abusive treatment, and being homeless with kids in New York City. Although the circumstances and people in this story are unique to one woman, they speak about society as a whole.

Stephanie Rodriguez works as a domestic violence specialist at the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.