Collateral: They Never Asked About Us

When someone you love enters the justice system, you enter it too - just without a sentence, without a number, and without anyone asking how you are. Collateral: They Never Asked About Us is the memoir of a mother who has lived this twice. It is not about guilt or innocence. It is not about who deserves to be in the system. It is about the ones left standing in the parking lot after the courtroom empties - the mothers, fathers, partners, children, and friends who serve an unseen sentence of their own. With unflinching honesty, author Shay Laurel traces the ripple effects of incarceration through her family, her relationships, her identity, and her daily life - and in doing so, gives voice to a community that has long suffered in silence. This book is for every unofficial victim who has ever said "he moved" when they didn't know what else to say. You are not alone. You never were.

Pages: 79, Paperback, Independently published