She Spent 20 Years Teaching Teens About Sexual Assault. Now She’s Sharing Her Own Story

Twenty-three years ago, Laurie Halse Anderson woke up to the sound of a young girl wailing. Pulling herself from bed, she rushed to check on her daughters. Both were sleeping peacefully. The cries, she realized, had come from her own nightmare—an image of a girl, broken and sobbing. She sat down to write about what she'd dreamt.

Twenty-three years ago, Laurie Halse Anderson woke up to the sound of a young girl wailing. Pulling herself from bed, she rushed to check on her daughters. Both were sleeping peacefully. The cries, she realized, had come from her own nightmare—an image of a girl, broken and sobbing. She sat down to write about what she'd dreamt.