about the book
Eden doesn’t know why she didn’t hear the door click shut. She doesn’t know why she didn’t fight back when she had the chance. Eden thinks if she just closes her eyes, it will turn out to be a dream. That IT didn’t really happen.
Eden was a good girl, a quiet band geek. All that changed in the five minutes it took for her brother’s best friend to rape her. Kevin told her no one would believe her if she said anything, and Eden believed him.
She kept the secret, and her personality and world changed overnight. She suddenly began lashing out with booze and sex, lying to her caring boyfriend, and sabotaging her relationships with her friends. During her four years of high school, Eden tried to forget, bury, and ignore what happened to her. But IT would not go away and by her senior year of high school Eden painfully but surely finds her will to survive.
about the author
Author Amber Smith began her career in the arts as a painter. Taking a mixed-media approach with creative writing and visual arts, Amber explored the topics of sexual violence and trauma over the course of a decade. She began to realize that what she was doing was actually a form of storytelling and, over time, writing began to take on a much more significant role in her work.
When she took the leap into young adult writing with The Way I Used to Be, she ultimately felt that the story of sexual assault was better served with words. Her next book, which examines domestic violence, will be published next year.
Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Spot Coffee in Buffalo, New York, and wasabi peas are imperative supplements to her diet, which is balanced with long walks with her two dogs. Amber grew up in Buffalo, but now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Sources:
Author website
Author interview: The Swanky Seventeens
Author essay: Germ Magazine
Author interview: Publisher’s Weekly
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