Harder to Breathe book launch

About

On 3 November 2009, Sherry Lee’s life changed forever.

Her husband set fire to their family home while Sherry and their two young children were still inside.

As flames spread through the house, her seven-year-old son screamed beside her and her five-year-old daughter cried out from beyond the heat.

Her husband’s chilling words, “Till death do us part”, became etched into her memory.

Now, in her deeply personal memoir, Harder to Breathe, Sherry shares what happened that night and the years of fear, control and emotional devastation that led to it.

Her story is one shared by thousands of Australian women who carry the invisible wounds of domestic violence, the pressure to keep a family together and the difficult journey of finding themselves once they break free.

“I want people to understand that what happens behind closed doors is not always what it appears to be from the outside,” Sherry says.

“For a long time, I hid what was happening in my own life because I was embarrassed and worried about what people would think. I hope sharing my story helps other women realise they are not alone.”

Her husband was sentenced to eight years behind bars for three counts of attempted murder, arson and wilful damage, but was released after serving just four.

“A lot of people thought once he was in jail and the kids and I had a new place to stay, we could just carry on with life,” Sherry says.

“The reality is that domestic and family violence extends far beyond the physical injuries that may be…