Patty Wain Smith’s “A Letter to a Friend” brings hope, help, and support for the oppressed. Smith has brought the subject of abuse in America into the light where we can relate. That which once was kept behind closed doors is illuminated, given a name, and the abuse is not always physical. When the abuser speaks of your flaws, which others do not find, the intent is to leave a stigma which will cripple you into staying in this cycle where you feel powerless to their manipulations.

“A Letter to a Friend” lets us know we can break free from this cycle. And once free, “Your armor must be strong, your resistance sound, your feet firmly planted–and you must maintain it.”