Reviews of No Shadows Left Behind Reader Reviews "Our 14-year-old granddaughter loved it! She said she couldn't put it down. Then she told her friends about it as well. So it seems like a great hit with her freshmen friends." ~Annie Warmke, Founder and Advisor, The League of Extraordinary Girl Scientists (LEGS), Founder and Past President, Women’s Peacepower Foundation  (& Earthship Builder/Owner, Blue Rock Station, Ohio) ****************************************************************** "The first thing that struck me about No Shadows Left Behind was that it was written almost exclusively in the present tense. With the exception of memories and flashbacks, this present tense brought all the thoughts and actions to an immediate forefront. Because of the consistency maintained in this, however, it soon fades into the story line, making for a seamless and effortless reading. A beautiful technique! The story was difficult for me to read; but then, it was meant to be that way. As the story unfolded, I found myself anxious for the moment when Christy's secret would be discovered. How would that be accomplished? Will she finally break down and tell someone?...  When it finally is revealed, I was taken aback by how it was done...  In my opinion, this couldn't have been presented in a better way! ...While the entire story moved me greatly, I was not able to cry until the very last page.  At that point, I broke down and wept for the extraordinary characters that have become very real to me."      ~Lidia Tremblay ****************************************************************** "The story is both informative and inspirational. The characters are very real and their struggles can be felt through the pages. For victims of abuse it encourages seeking help without ever being pushy or blind to the attached emotional struggles. For non-victims it offers insight into an ugly reality of our world and how others can gently help and support those caught in abuse and its aftermath. A book much needed and long overdue!"  ~Elke Rose, homeschooling mother ****************************************************************** Editor's Review No Shadows Left Behind (NSLB) by Tina-Sue Ducross, is the fictional account of an eighth-grade student, Christy, and her teacher, Melissa Bates. Both women have been physically and sexually abused by their fathers—Christy continues to suffer in secret as the story unfolds. NSLB covers the course of a school year that proves to be life-changing for both characters. Each woman copes with her experiences of abuse differently, though both search (as we all do) for love, security, and self-expression. Christy and Melissa learn about themselves through their interactions with others, including each other. They also make decisions both wise and questionable (again, as we all do). Christy befriends a girl in her class, Beth, who is very socially conscious and mature, and who helps Christy develop her sense of self and strength—but who is no cookie-cutter chum. Melissa also makes an attempt to open her heart by adopting a kitten, which sets off a chain of events of unpeeling and healing. In NSLB, Ducross doesn't oversimplify the complexities of life. She presents a plausible—in fact, all-too-real—portrait of lives made more complex and painful by the specter of abuse. The characters are intricate and their choices are sometimes frustrating, but at the same time, they are easy to relate to and perfectly understandable. This novel is full of interesting turns that bring laughter and revelation as much as they bring sorrow and outrage. Ducross’ use of the present tense gives the reader the feeling that anything could happen, which adds further to the suspense and drama of the story. There is a jarring juxtaposition of the horror of what Melissa and Christy have endured, set against the backdrop of the “ups and downs” of “life as usual” for Melissa and Christy. This reflects the inner conflict in the two main characters (and of course, of anyone who has lived through abuse), as they try to reconcile the shadows of their pasts and leave them all behind. Hopefully, this book will shine light into the dark corners of society and inspire victims to speak out (or at least know that they’re not alone). Perhaps No Shadows Left Behind will motivate friends with hunches to take action before it is too late, and for all readers to understand more fully what others have been through. Truly this is a book that will make you question… a book that will make you feel. ~Missy Harris Harris edited No Shadows Left Behind and is co-owner of Harris Innovations. NSLB was her first full-length book edit. Harris's own writing has been published in several literary publications of her alma mater, Barnard College (Columbia University), as well as in the New York Press. She was a regular contributor to CBGB's poetry cafe in the mid-1990s. Recently, Harris has been employed as a genealogy and local history librarian, and she is a member of the board of the Galion Historical Society. She has been profiled in the Cambridge Who's Who of Professional Women. Harris is a regular correspondent for the Galion Inquirer and is authoring an inspirational biography about Galion philanthropist Ralph Cobey, entitled Ralph Cobey: American Eagle. ****************************************************************** No Shadows Left Behind has also been reviewed in the Galion Inquirer (the daily newspaper of Galion, Ohio), by reporter/author Rachel Mendell. Be on the look-out for a review in the Columbus Dispatch and in the Hamilton Spectator soon!