The Way We Survive

'This book will often hurt. It will make you angry, it will make you feel. My hope is that this hurt, this anger and these feelings will move you to change the way we talk about surviving sexual violence.'

Sexual violence is an epidemic happening across all intersections of society, impacting every one of us. In the aftermath of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements, a cultural conversation has been ignited about the prevalence, immediate impact and long-term effects that sexual violence has on people. It has begun conversations on sexism, misogyny, consent and trauma. From the entertainment industry to governments; from India to the USA, people are beginning to listen to the pain survivors have been living with forever.

Writing from her own experiences and those she has met through her podcast and her work as an activist, Catriona Morton will approach topics of consent and education, the mental and physical health of survivors, the cultural shift concerning attitudes surrounding sexual violence, the impact of politics and governmental cuts to survivors in the UK as well as the realities of subjects such as dating and reclaiming sexuality in the aftermath of sexual violence.

With unflinching honesty and surprising moments of humour, Catriona wants to change the narrative around survivors, and to force us to reconsider the ways in which we talk about surviving sexual violence.

“Honest and unapologetic, Catriona Morton's book brings nuance and poignant personal insight to a topic which is more than just 'timely' -- sexual violence is a lived a reality for many of us in society, and has always been. In so doing, she offers a guiding hand for any victim or survivor out there who has felt lost, isolated, or misunderstood. A book that builds community and understanding.”

Winnie M Li, author of Complicit
A luminous, empathetic, inclusive and urgent book. This book taught me so much about trauma and survival, about the world, and about myself. Catriona's voice is clear and lucid and it is a lifeline to survivors everywhere and those who love them. I am so grateful for this book and I will return to it again and again. Everyone should read it. Lucia Osborne-Crowley, author of My Body Keeps Your Secrets
Through intimate, sensitive, and nuanced writing, Catriona Morton builds community with survivors across the world, and offers solidarity and illumination for those who may be stumbling through the darkness. Catriona's writing wraps the soul up in the warmest, most comforting of blankets, offers it a warm cup of tea, and listens without judgement and with a deep-rooted empathy that helps you feel incredibly seen. A truly beautiful book - one everyone should read. Prishita Maheshwari-Aplin, the Politics Editor at BRICKS
One of the most important, impressive and compassionate books I've read on surviving sexual violence. The Way We Survive perfectly blends the personal with the political to create a series of raw, honest, moving and well-researched essays. This book helped me enormously in understanding my own CPTSD. I'm so glad I found it. Katy Wix, author of Delicacy
Morton's own story is so inspiring - and provocative - and her honesty deeply uplifting. The conversations contained are generous, varied, exquisitely realised and profoundly nuanced. Morton provides a valuable resource to readers who carry forward difficult histories, and the result is beautiful. Jessica Cornwell, author of The Serpent Papers and Birth Notes

Catriona Morton is a twenty-three-year-old writer, activist and podcaster based in London. Catriona is the host of the BBC Sounds podcast After: Surviving Sexual Assault and the founder of the survivor-centred blog/resource sharing website, Life Continues After . Catriona founded both of these platforms as a space for survivors of sexual trauma to come together to share their stories and the things that have helped them to cope with what's happened in their lives.

Catriona is also a facilitator as part of the 'Against Sexual Violence' campaign at her current university, Goldsmiths University of London, where she is studying a Master's in Gender, Media and Cultural. Through this she has received complete training from Rape Crisis on rape, consent, and active bystandership.

'This book will often hurt. It will make you angry, it will make you feel. My hope is that this hurt, this anger and these feelings will move you to change the way we talk about surviving sexual violence.' Sexual violence is an epidemic happening across all intersections of society, impacting every one of us. In the aftermath of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements, a cultural conversation has been ignited about the prevalence, immediate impact and long-term effects that sexual violence has on people. It has begun conversations on sexism, misogyny, consent and trauma. From the entertainment industry to governments; from India to the USA, people are beginning to listen to the pain survivors have been living with forever.Writing from her own experiences and those she has met through her podcast and her work as an activist, Catriona Morton will approach topics of consent and education, the mental and physical health of survivors, the cultural shift concerning attitudes surrounding sexual violence, the impact of politics and governmental cuts to survivors in the UK as well as the realities of subjects such as dating and reclaiming sexuality in the aftermath of sexual violence.With unflinching honesty and surprising moments of humour, Catriona wants to change the narrative around survivors, and to force us to reconsider the ways in which we talk about surviving sexual violence.

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