Palm Beach, FL –For fans of “The Glass Castle” and “Educated,” an abuse survivor-turned-advocate examines the full circle of generational trauma, resilience, and healing in “Facing the Jaguar” (She Writes Press, June 17, 2025).
The average person can keep a secret for forty-seven hours. Babs Walters held onto the worst kind of secret for nearly 70 years.
Since age 11, Babs suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her father. His edict–children should be seen and not heard–defined her childhood. Desperate to be loved and seeking approval, Babs absorbed both the responsibility and the shame that was not hers to begin with.
Now, decades later, Babs Walters shows us how uncovering the truth is a critical step to healing. “Facing the Jaguar” is an inspirational story of resilience and courage—a story that proves anything is possible when we claim our truth and shine a light in even the darkest of places. As Babs says, “We are not what happens to us. We are the meaning and purpose we give to what happens to us.”
“Facing the Jaguar: A Memoir of Courage and Confrontation”
Babs Walters | June 17, 2025 | She Writes Press | Nonfiction, Memoir
Paperback | ISBN: 9781647429201 | $17.99
Ebook | ASIN: B0DKFPPDD8 | $12.99
Praise for “Facing the Jaguar”…
“In this honest and raw memoir, Walters exposes a secret that burdens the souls of countless children–because most don’t tell. Her story is a plea to all adults to believe and help the courageous children who do tell. An important and brave journey from a frightened child to an empowered woman.”
–Feather Berkower, M.S.W., Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Educator and author of “Off Limits: A Parent’s Guide to Keeping Kids Safe from Sexual Abuse”
“‘Facing the Jaguar’ is one of the few books that will hold you spellbound from the very first page to the last. Walters is a beautiful writer and I look forward to reading more of her work. I also applaud her bravery, courage, and strength in sharing her story.
–Readers’ Favorite
“‘Facing the Jaguar’ is a powerful story of reclamation. Without offering advice or excuses, Walters’ reveals what it takes to heal. This is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand a survivor’s journey or for survivors looking for healing and hope.”
–Jane Epstein, author of “I Feel Real Guilty: A Memoir of Sibling Sexual Abuse”
“‘Facing the Jaguar’ is a chilling, honest account of parental abuse, but it is also a story of hope, tenacity and the belief that with hard work and a determination to understand, the cycle of generational trauma can be terminated.”
–Patti Eddington, author of “The Girl with Three Birthdays: An Adopted Daughter’s Memoir of Tiaras, Tough Truths and Tall Tales”
About the author…
Babs Walters: is a speaker, advocate, and author as well as a survivor of domestic violence and childhood sexual abuse. She brings difficult subjects to the surface through the power of storytelling.
With a Masters’ in Counseling Human Relations, Walters developed creative, healing, journal-writing workshops for women in alcohol and drug recovery. During her corporate career, she led workshops on Preventing Sexual Harassment and continues to teach women to raise their voices today.
Babs lives in Florida where she teaches Jazzercize and enjoys time with family. Learn more about her life and work at www.babswalters.com and on Instagram @walters.babs
In an interview, Babs Walters can discuss:
- How holding onto secrets causes us harm, and why it’s important to share stories of abuse as a path toward healing
- How we should talk about generational trauma and ways to put a stop to cycles of abuse
- What she wants people to know about child safety
- How to forgive without compromising on boundaries
- Steps we can all take to find healing after life-changing pain
An Interview with Babs Walters
1. How does keeping secrets harm us? How did telling your story help you?
Keeping secrets can create a heavy emotional and physical toll for individuals, resulting in a negative self-image fueled by self-criticism, shame and guilt. Fear of the secret being discovered produces ongoing anxiety. This adds to difficulty in trusting other people, or even the ability to form healthy relationships. Breaking the silence around my story has not only given me a sense of relief but also enabled me to find the support of a community of other survivors and memoirists. Through fostering those connections, I no longer feel isolated and want to use what I learned to help other secret keepers.
2. What is generational trauma, and what role does it play in your story?
Generational trauma occurs when one generation transmits trauma from a deeply distressing situation they may have experienced to the next generation, passing down behaviors often unconsciously. These patterns can be systemic or familial, like discrimination and oppression or neglect, violence and abuse.
3. What is your advice to readers who are trying to heal from their own adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)?
What helped me heal from my ACE initially was finding connection. Talk therapy began the process. Journal writing allowed disassociated memories to resurface and acted as a witness. Most recently what has made a difference is giving meaning and purpose to what happened to me through sharing my voice to help others.
4. What do you hope readers take away from your story? How do you hope they approach child safety moving forward?
I would love for my story to encourage and inspire other family secret keepers to find their voices and bring awareness to the world of areas where more attention, advocacy and action is needed. We teach children to keep innocent secrets. But this can subtly teach them that some things should be kept hidden to avoid trouble. Encourage children to know the difference between surprise parties and harmful secrets. Help foster an open, honest environment where they are free to express themselves or seek support.
5. Is there anything else you want readers to know?
Telling my story has taken an act of courage. I am still facing disapproval from family members. I have learned to respect myself, flaws and all, and honor my promise to make sense out of the confusion and shame of my young life. It’s not easy or comfortable. There can be no far-reaching change without awareness first. We can no longer hide from the truth. As we repair ourselves, we are also repairing other dark corners of the world.
A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.
Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.
