Bookshelf

Alumni and faculty members who would like to have their books considered for this listing should contact Stacey Himmelberger, editor of Hamilton magazine. This list, which dates back to 2018, is updated periodically with books appearing alphabetically on the date of entry.

Diane: True Survivor by Ward V.B. Lassoe ’82.

April 10, 2025

Tags Alumni Book

(Koehler Books, 2024)

Through a series of compelling conversations with Lassoe, a psychotherapist, a woman named Diane shares the story of how she overcame significant hardships and abuse with unwavering resilience. Her intimate memories as a white woman who spends most of her life in an African American community also offer a fascinating perspective on race relations.

According to the publisher, “In 1969, Diane was forced to leave her childhood home in an English village to move to a tenement in the South Bronx. This major culture shock is then compounded by years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse by her parents. Diane gets pregnant at 14 and starts living on the streets. Along the way, she encounters a series of ‘angels’ who help her survive.

“Despite a series of abusive romantic relationships as an adult, Diane manages to create a new life for herself and her eight children. She finds some happiness when the father of her first child kicks his longtime heroin addiction. After 10 years together, he dies. Diane discovers a new sense of spiritual faith when her mother suddenly reappears in her life. Despite the years of childhood abuse, Diane eventually forgives her mother and welcomes her into her home. As they make a new life together, Diane’s story becomes one of grace and mercy.”