Book excerpt: Sylvia takes us on a journey from her life’s childhood to being an adult. Her private battles in and out of the public’s eye, and her struggles were full of highs and lows. One night, she suffered another beating that led to two black eyes and a knot the size of an egg on her forehead. She was extremely exhausted from all the tossing, banging and hard blows to her body. She could barely get out of the bed, and she was a scheduled panelist for the CT Commission on Women discussing HR Bill 5207 Ban the Box. There were great panelist on the program, including a CT State Representative sitting right next to her. How would she explain all the bruises to her face? She applied as much make up as she could, but there were no hiding these scars. This problem was closing in on her, and she felt as if she was losing not just the battle, but the war. Who was this abuser? Her silence had now turned its back on her.