Five Firsts: Julia Scheeres on reshaping trauma & exposing injustice through writing

Every month, I interview an author I admire on her literary firsts.

February’s featured author is Julia Scheeres, author of Jesus Land — a searing memoir that tells the story of Julia and her adopted black brother David, both of who were not only taunted by racist peers at school but abused and neglected by their religious, punitive parents at home.

As I mentioned before, the book takes a fascinating and disturbingly close look at key social issues that still plague us today: racism, sexual a...