Ellen Kessner

After the Violence: Seeking My Daughter, Myself, and the Child She Left Behind Ellen Kessner

A young family-dad, mom, baby-are gunned down in their home by a "friend." Dad and baby survive, but the mom does not. Her mom searches for the truth of her daughter's life and murder, while desperately trying to bond with her wounded grandchild. This memoir is both mystery (diamonds, threats, betrayal) and love story: one woman's deliberate re-incarnation of her daughter for her grandchild who would never know her mom. From the Reviews of SAVING BEAUTY FROM THE BEAST:"Who can better understand the rage that erupts and the pain that perseveres in the aftermath of murder than a mother who lost her daughter to male violence? A brave and compassionate account.-Dominick Dunne" an excellent guide as well as a memoir from the heart. Saving Beauty is both heart-wrenching and healing. Highly recommended."-Library Journal, 2003Advance Praise for AFTER THE VIOLENCE: "This mom's affecting portrait of her long-gone daughter relates the emotional devastation that murder inflicts on an entire family through the generations. Incredibly moving in its honesty and inspiration."-June Ginty, Trustee on Board of the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children