2 Books Published by Steerforth Press on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

An unforgettable coming-of-age memoir awaits in Harrison Mooney’s powerful debut, a story that explores the complexities of transracial adoption and the internalized antiblackness within the white evangelical Christian movement.

Mooney’s memoir, inspired by Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and resonating with the spirit of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me, offers a riveting journey of self-discovery and sheds light on the trauma experienced by transracial adoptees.

As a Black boy with ADHD adopted into a white fundamentalist Christian family and immersed in a world of conflicting messages, Mooney’s upbringing in Canada’s Bible Belt was marked by the desire to belong and be seen in a radical and racist right-wing environment. However, through reconnecting with his birth mother and gaining a deeper understanding of the trauma and systemic violence faced by Black families, Harrison begins to forge his own path and develop a newfound connection with himself.

Mooney’s memoir is a poignant exploration of identity, belonging, and the pursuit of self-acceptance. It delves into the intertwined issues of race, religion, and personal growth with a keen eye for insight, a captivating storytelling style, and a touch of wry humor.

Don’t miss this remarkable memoir that unveils the realities of transracial adoption and exposes the trauma embedded within religious fundamentalism.

One of The Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2021 (Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly)

An incandescent and inspiring memoir of resilience from a courageous young woman whose powerful advocacy brings to mind the presence, resolve, and moral authority of Amanda Gorman and Greta Thunberg

Before launching an unprecedented protest movement, Toufah Jallow was just a 19-year-old dreaming of a scholarship. Encouraged by her mother to pursue her own ambitions, Toufah entered a presidential competition purportedly designed to identify the country’s smart young women and support their educational and career goals. Toufah won.

Yahya Jammeh, the dictator who had ruled The Gambia all of Toufah’s life, styled himself as a pious yet progressive protector of women. At first he behaved in a fatherly fashion toward Toufah, but then proposed marriage, and she turned him down. On a pretext, his female cousin then lured Toufah to the palace, where he drugged and raped her.

Toufah could not tell anyone. There was literally no word for rape in her native language. If she told her parents, they would take action, and incur Jammeh’s wrath. Wearing a niqab to hide her identity, she gave Jammeh’s security operatives the slip and fled to Senegal. Her eventual route to safety in Canada is full of close calls and intrigue.

18 months after Jammeh was deposed, Toufah Jallow became the first woman in The Gambia to make a public accusation of rape against him, sparking marches of support and a social media outpouring of shared stories among West African women under #IAmToufah.

Each brave and bold decision she made set Toufah on the path to reclaim the personal growth and education that Jammeh had tried to steal from her, a future also of leadership and advocacy for survivors of sexual violence, especially in heavily patriarchal countries lacking resources and laws to protect women and even the language with which to speak openly about sexual threats and violence.