there was night and there was morning: a memoir of trauma and redemption

Sara Sherbill was raised by a father who was both a representative of God and a broken man harboring an intricate set of secrets. The charismatic leader of a splinter Orthodox religious community, he was a devoted rabbi beloved by his congregation, but behind closed doors his family lived in fear of his unpredictable violence and manipulation. Sherbill’s riveting story explores what happens when a daughter is tasked with keeping a father’s secrets--and the cost of keeping them too long. Written with grace and raw honesty, it’s a searing story about learning to live alongside our traumas without letting them consume us--what some might call redemption.

Sara Sherbill writes about mental health, domestic violence, and Jewish identity. Her work has appeared in Slate, The Forward, Tablet, and Kveller. She has worked as an independent editor for the past decade after beginning her career at Alfred A. Knopf. She lives in Washington, DC.