BRICK BY BRICK - Building Hope and Opportunity for Women Survivors Everywhere

This powerful memoir weaves the stories of valiant women who survived war and conflict with the struggle of author Karen Sherman, a long-standing international women’s rights advocate working to recover from her own history of abuse. The remarkable strength of these women helped Karen find her own way—through conflict zones, confrontations with corrupt officials, and painful questions about her marriage and career—to a renewed commitment to her family and a new path forward.

Praise for Brick by Brick

”Brick by Brick introduces us to the people whose lives form the pieces of the world’s most complex development puzzles. Karen Sherman draws upon her encounters with entrepreneurs and activists around the world and shows us the power of women to change their communities and their country. In sharing the stories of these indomitable women, Sherman illuminates their resilience under the most dire circumstances and shares the powerful political and personal lessons that resilience shares.”
— Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, author of Daughters of Kobani, Dressmaker of Khair Khana and Ashley’s War

”Karen Sherman tells her poignant story of being a mother, a successful leader, and an advocate for women worldwide in Brick by Brick. Her empathy for women who have been victims of violence, abuse, and disempowerment is inspirational, and her story truly has the unique power to connect the stories of women everywhere.”
— Joyce Banda, Former President of Malawi

”A deeply honest and moving read. Sherman weaves her own search for balance and acceptance with the courageous stories of the women survivors she works with in war-torn countries like Rwanda, South Sudan, and Afghanistan. Finding universal threads of womanhood in their shared experiences, she draws inspiration from their awe-inspiring strength and resilience.”
— Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women International, author of Freedom is an Inside Job

“As a survivor and advocate for those suffering in neglected parts of the world, I was touched on many levels by Karen's journey. Her grit and courage are a gift to the countless women and girls she's dedicated her life to lifting up. Her fierce personal honesty will inspire all who read this wonderful book.”
— Ashley Judd, actor, author, and humanitarian

“A moving, fascinating story filled with emotional highs and lows, adventures and setbacks—and a large dose of wisdom. Every woman will relate to aspects of Brick by Brick and be inspired.”
— Melanne Verveer, Former United States Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues

“A journey like no other! With unflinching honesty, bad-ass mom and lifelong women’s-rights activist Karen Sherman maps her journey—and the stories of those she’s met along the way—through the highest questions of modern womanhood: beauty, regret, connection, sacrifice, survivorship, and choice. From suburban dinner parties to rapid-fire war zones, long-since-abandoned adolescent memories to the tallest peak in Africa, this page-turner charts emotional landscapes that connect women everywhere. Sure to leave the reader with her own soul-quaking questions and a tidal wave of bravery to face them down.”
— Lisa J. Shannon, Author of A Thousand Sisters and Mama Koko and the Hundred Gunmen

”Karen Sherman’s personal and inspiring account of her family’s experience living in Rwanda for a year and the many life lessons that came from her work with women survivors is an easy and compelling read for anyone who strives to be a global citizen—and raise global citizens.”
— Lauren Bush Lauren, Founder and CEO of FEED

“Karen Sherman tells two powerful stories here, both of them straightforward yet affecting: one about her personal struggles in the first world overlaid on another about women pushed to the brink during the Rwandan genocide. Along the way, it becomes clear that the ability to triumph is rooted in empathy and shared support. In Brick by Brick’s overlapping worlds, life lessons are where you find them, and heartrending and heartwarming are never far apart.”
— Alan Huffman, Author of Mississippi in Africa and Here I Am

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Take a glimpse into the world of Brick by Brick

Sneak Peek

Most of us have spent our lives assuming that if we work hard, we will achieve our goals, that we will lead comfortable, meaningful lives. We start out with big dreams about what we want to accomplish in life, the kind of person we want to be, how we want to change the world. At least, that was how I started out. But despite my successes in life, I found myself in a place where both my career and my marriage were falling apart, where my three boys knew their dad better than me. On the brink of turning fifty, I had been presuming fulfillment, or at least incremental progress, but over time, I had let stress, disappointment, and the pressure of expectations blind me to the fact that I wasn’t making the changes—the choices—that would deliver those expectations. Everyday life has a way of clouding our thinking and calling into question the things we were once most sure of about ourselves.

Which was why my family and I—my husband, Bill, and our three sons Sam, Eli, and Kai—landed in Kigali, Rwanda, one night in August 2012. As the five of us descended from the plane, the warm air smelled of smoke and appeared hazy, as if hundreds of families living nearby had just cooked their evening meal over an open fire. Our exhaustion masked any nerves we were feeling about our arrival and what it meant. It had been a relatively smooth travel day, all things considered, as smooth as it can be traveling with your husband, a tween, and two teenage boys, and with the bulk of our personal belongings crammed into ten assorted duffels and suitcases.

The experience stood in stark contrast to how I normally traveled in the field: light and solo. It felt new and strange being there with my family, with the boys. The country office sent two drivers to help with all the luggage and deposit us at the hotel where we were staying for the first couple of days. The boys opened their car windows to the warm breeze and view, eager for their first glimpse of Kigali. Kai, who’d asked me about twenty-five times if we were “there yet” seemed especially curious. I pointed out the bullet-riddled parliament building and other landmarks as we drove through the city’s dim streets.

I’d been to Rwanda many times before but had never looked at it through the lens of a potential resident or through the lens of motherhood. This was Bill’s second time in the city. We had met in Kigali three months earlier to explore housing options, tour the boys’ new school, and more generally assess the lay of the land. There had been tension between us then—so much was not being said—but we were on the same page about Rwanda as a place to live.