Sue Brierley on her Inspirational New Memoir, Lioness

Sue Brierley on her Inspirational New Memoir, Lioness

What inspired you to tell your story?

I was asked to write my story by my son, Saroo, he felt the reasons behind his (and his bothers’) adoption was very compelling. So when Penguin approached me, and after more discussion I decided it could be a story worth telling.

What was it like reliving the joyful and difficult times in your life in the process of writing the book?

I found the writing very difficult at times, I was certainly getting the skeletons out of the closet and I feel I developed a level of post-traumatic stress during the telling (writing).

What was the most challenging part of writing this book?

The most difficult thing was knowing all my secrets were exposed. Certain things were only known by me and I knew some will be shocked to read about those very difficult issues.

How does it feel to hold the book in your hands?

It feels strange in many ways, but overall I am proud of how it has been put together finally.

What do you hope readers will take away from your memoir?

I trust it will be a message of love and enable my readers to leave their past behind and freely live life in the now, striving to make it special.

Reviews

Uplifting and Deeply Personal: Take a Sneak Peek at Sue Brierley’s Lioness

Review | Extract

2 November 2020

Uplifting and Deeply Personal: Take a Sneak Peek at Sue Brierley’s Lioness

    Powerful and Moving: Read our Review of Lioness by Sue Brierley

    Review | Our Review

    2 November 2020

    Powerful and Moving: Read our Review of Lioness by Sue Brierley

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        Publisher details

        Lioness: The extraordinary untold story of Sue Brierley
        Author
        Sue Brierley
        Publisher
        Penguin
        Genre
        Non Fiction
        Released
        03 November, 2020
        ISBN
        9780143796039

        Synopsis

        A powerful and moving account of adopting the boy who inspired the motion picture LION. Saroo Brierley’s journey home to a small village in India with the help of Google Earth became an internationally bestselling book and inspired the major motion picture LION. But the story of how his adoptive mother, Sue, came into his life half a world away in Tasmania is every bit as riveting. In this uplifting and deeply personal book, Sue reveals for the first time her own traumatic childhood. The daughter of a violent alcoholic whose business gambles left her family destitute, she grew up in geographic and emotional isolation. When Sue married and broke free of her father she was determined to also sever the cycle of despair and made the selfless decision not to have a biological child. Instead, inspired by a vision she’d had as a young girl, she chose to adopt two children in need – Saroo and Mantosh. Little did she imagine that twenty-five years later she would be portrayed on screen by another Australian mother who chose to adopt – Nicole Kidman. Moving and inspiring, Lioness explores the myth of motherhood, how families are formed in many ways, and how love and perseverance can bring us together.
         
        Sue Brierley
        About the author

        Sue Brierley

        Books by Sue Brierley

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