Writer's Digest 33rd Annual Self-Published Book Awards - WINNER in Life Stories/Memoir Thirty-three-year-old Megan has the life she’s always wanted: a loving husband, two beautiful children, a meaningful career as a church music director, and most recently, her dream home. Then, she’s confronted with the news that her former high school band director has been arrested for child sexual abuse. The police are asking for anyone with information about the teacher to come forward, and Megan has plenty. But choosing to help the police means facing her own past, and that won’t be easy since she doesn’t believe she was a victim of abuse. Torn between two realities, Megan must find a way to resolve the dissonance within her before it’s too late. She must expose the truth before it destroys her. Dissonance is a suspenseful and gripping account of unresolved trauma. With alternating timelines, the past becomes a breadcrumb trail, inviting readers to uncover clues that underscore the chaos unfolding in Megan’s present-day life. Dissonance is a glaring reminder that our childhood traumas weave themselves into the fabric of our adulthood—and if we don’t seek to understand their hold on our lives, they just might unravel us. "Dissonance is a courageous and riveting exploration of childhood sexual trauma, and how it reverberates into adulthood with devastating aftershocks... This unforgettable book is a must-read for those who cannot imagine the web of bewilderment, guilt, and helplessness that ensnares victims — and it will inspire survivors who long to reclaim their lives." (Stephen Mills, author of Chosen: A Memoir of Stolen Boyhood) “Bridging the divide between past and present, consent and exploitation, Megan Farison invites the reader into a powerful story of redemption and healing.” (Dr. Ingrid Clayton, PhD, author of Fawning:Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves—And How to Find Our Way Back() "...a knothole into an Escher-like depiction of how grooming erodes our foundational understanding of trustworthy connection. Megan reveals the disorienting impact of child sexual abuse and the enduring confusion while simultaneously illustrating a love of family and self-compassion too often absent in a survivor’s narrative. Through her authentic writing, Megan emphasizes that, while abuse is a piece of her history, love is the heart of this book.” (Anna Sonoda, author of Duck Duck Groom: How a Child Becomes a Target )