And She Wasn’t Damaged

“Hagit Vardi’s poetic journey through the nightmare of childhood sexual abuse is a moving testament to the deep power of art to heal and give life. The poetry is startling and gorgeous. An unforgettable experience.”
—Susan Sweeney, professor emerita of theater, University of Wisconsin-Madison

“In spare images, with no extraneous words in either English or Hebrew, Hagit tells the story of her betrayal by one who should most be trusted. She uses her voice to declaim the hurt, and refusal to stay damaged. To tell her truth, she has shared it with us as revelation for all survivors; that we carry the shame of the abuse that truly belongs only to the abuser, for as long as it is kept secret. Told in words unminced, yet beautiful, we can share her determination to heal, to reject any pretense or false images to excuse abusers’ actions. As a therapist and survivor, I value the courage Hagit radiates. She rejected denial, didn’t pretend to forgive, and so became strong. And now she helps others to heal.”
—Cynthia Wall, author of The Courage to Trust

“‘...heart strain, feet/Breathing, vomiting, calves/Shuddering, hallucinations, thighs,’ Hagit Vardi’s poetry about childhood sexual abuse by her father is unique and strong. Written in the beautiful script of Hebrew we find ourselves in dream and nightmare translated to English. In Chorus, Single Chorus Member, and Speaker, we recognize our own conflicting inner Voices. In the antithetical meaning of the title, from deep soul devastation to self and soul salvation, ‘from the depth of my wound/I drew will and power’, we come away from And She Wasn’t Damaged enlightened, in triumph.
—Sharon Doubiago, awarded The Oregon Book Award, author of Naked to the Earth (poetry), My Father’s Love (memoir)

“Vardi’s voice reverberates with passion, pain, indignation, and truth; it cuts deep into fellow wounded souls but only to exorcise the demons of distress and, as she so aptly puts it, obscenity. Her journey can only be traveled by the brave, the defiant, the determined survivor who refuses to be silenced. She dares to speak the unspeakable and put her raw emotion on display as only those who survive the death of their dignity and resurrection of their very soul dare to do. I will take my time with this amazing work of art, healing and compassion.”
— Linda Settles Zeboskey, author of Redeeming Our Treasures: Finding Joy in the Shadows of an Abusive Past

“Hagit Vardi creates multifaceted, challenging poetry. Not every poet has the courage to dive deep into such a painful place, but her every poem is a diamond filled with a deep sense of awareness, sorrow, sensitivity, and humility toward the self and the world.”
—Yakir Ben Moshe, poet, and editor of Velo Haya Bah Mum

“This courageous book is a most moving work in its frankness. The reader cannot remain indifferent to the power of Hagit’s words. Her poems arouse anger, pain, sadness, insult, outrage, betrayal, hope, and awakening. There is an acceptance and an enormous embrace of the wounded soul alongside a powerful therapeutic force. These poems are inspirational—a clarion call to those silent women who have not yet found their voice or their power to emerge from darkness to light.”
—Ronit Goltzman, music and movement therapist

“Hagit gives an articulate voice to the little girl she once was and the pain of the sexual assault she suffered. The poems clarify for the reader the immense damage that sexual abuse of children causes the body, the identity, and the very depth of the soul. She uses words like a painter to share the abused girl’s helpless suffering that rises to her consciousness years later.”
—Liora Zomer, MA, psychotherapist, art therapist, sexual assault therapist

“Hagit’s central theme focuses on a sharp pain that is lodged like a thorn in the living flesh. The frequent transitions between narrator and choir paint a dramatic, alert, and vigorous portrait. The poems possess a searing power that is both polished and mature”
— Yair Mazor, Professor Emeritus, former head of New and Biblical Hebrew Literature, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

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