This book resonated so much with me as I too grew up in a Catholic household, where dating, sex, and pregnancy were never discussed. I had to tiptoe around those topics whenever such words come up in books that I read or in movies that I watched. This book is a breather, each essay a love letter.

A stunning and heartbreaking collection of personal insights about the author's lived experiences. Elsa Valmidiano opens a doorway to parts of her life and the reader finds themself unable to stop thinking about the book, even days after finishing it. Abortion, abuse, familial bonds (or lack thereof), and oppression are only some of the windows that Elsa Valmidiano thrusts wide open. The Beginning of Leaving encourages the reader to question how each and every one of us found ourselves to be standing exactly where we are today.