Diamond in the Dark: Leaving the Shadow of Abuse

Some memoirs you feel the story that is laid out before you, but in this case, Diamond in the Dark is a book you live while reading. Author Phyllis Hain isn’t just any victim. She is a victim who dedicated herself to helping other victims, and this simple act of kindness is what sets this book apart from most memoirs of abuse. As a Navy spouse myself, I am well aware of the high rate of PTSD and abuse that happens within many military families. While resources are much better, more acceptable, and more readily available today than when Phyllis was a child and young adult, it is people, such as Phyllis, who step up to the plate and take upon themselves the sorrowing role of sexual assault response coordinators. It’s not a job most people want, or can even relate too, but for twenty years Phyllis gave of herself freely to try and protect others from her own horrors. In this book, she opens up her darkest closet and pulls her skeletons out baring them out in the open for all to see. Her story is what books are made of, but somehow she overcame the obstacles in her life and moved forward. If you are looking for that one stroke of inspiration, let this book be it.