The Perfect Mango

In 1994, at twenty-five, Erin Manning wrote 'The Perfect Mango' in nineteen days as a means of self-rescue from the profound brokenness of sexual assault and thoughts of suicide. This act of writing became a way for her to explore how life might be lived differently, refusing the label of 'victim' while acknowledging the inheritances of violence. Twenty-five years later, Manning shares these earlier writings, giving voice to messy survival and inviting readers to consider other ways of listening to the urgency of living.