How Could They Not See? A Memoir about Trauma, PTSD and Resilience

by Torres, Julia Angela

• ISBN13: 9798317802691
• ISBN10: 8317802698
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2025-07-22
• Publisher: BookBaby
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

At nine years old, Julia survives a harrowing abduction and sexual assault on the streets of New York City. Terrified and traumatized, she runs home, expecting safety—only to be met with indifference and a shocking realization: the adults she depends on are as dangerous as the stranger who attacked her. Trapped in a home where speaking the truth is perilous, Julia resorts to living in a constant state of hyper-vigilance — the only way she finds she can cope and survive.

Forced into an unwanted adoption by a narcissistic, pill-popping Jewish stepfather and a mother determined to eradicate her daughter's true Puerto Rican heritage, Julia struggles to make sense of her identity in a volatile household marked by religious, cultural, physical and emotional discord. By the age of fourteen, Julia is suffocating under the weight of her family's secrets, betrayal and the terror of her parents' alcoholism, as they become entangled in a child molestation case within the family.

Years later, Julia builds what she believes is a successful life. She graduates from college, begins a career, and tells herself she's moved beyond the wreckage of her past. But her trauma doesn't vanish—it lies in wait. After being trapped in New York City on 9/11, Julia's past comes roaring back, when her mind and body begin to implode under the weight of her undiagnosed PTSD. Debilitating panic attacks, disassociation, severe anxiety and a misfiring "fight or flight" response leave her certain she is at death's door.

Through years of intensive therapy, medication, and her fierce resilience, Julia begins to reclaim her life—not by erasing her trauma, but by confronting it. How Could They Not See? is a powerful, brutally honest, and ultimately hopeful memoir about surviving what should never be endured, and a resounding reminder to fellow survivors: your pain is real, resolving one's trauma is crucial, and living your best life with post-traumatic stress disorder is possible.

Author Biography

Julia Angela Torres is a severe childhood trauma and sexual assault survivor. She was also in New York City on September 11th 2001. Julia is an award-winning Journalist, TEDx Talk Speaker and former company Spokesperson for a major entertainment company. Currently, she is a dedicated and trained Advocate for Mental Health Awareness, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and equal voting for her fellow U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico. Julia is proudest of her accomplishments as a Mother and Grandmother. Please visit her website at juliatorresbarden.com for more information.