She Is Still Me

She Is Still Me, by Cheryl A. Borrelli, was written to help and support anyone in need of healing from trauma, abuse, depression, and anxiety. This novel shares the memoir and life of the character, Maria. Maria characterizes her experiences with trauma, beginning in childhood, that progressed to adulthood with cycles of toxic, abusive relationships. She describes her experiences with depression and anxiety that led to three suicide attempts throughout her young adult life. Maria takes readers on a journey of life lessons learned through her experiences after divorce and raising her son with autism. She highlights her healing and evolution through learning the meaning of unconditional love from her child and becoming who she is through choices in healing tools to turn her abuse and trauma into success and peace. Maria has a clear message through this book. Domestic violence can ruin lives unless you fight to take it back. Maria made a decision to learn and heal from her experiences, to study and understand herself through therapy as well as journal writing, and her personal relationship with God and the universe. She ultimately turns her life around through motherhood, developing her own career through writing, and ultimately, boxing fitness training.