Teen and Young Adult Nonfiction / Memoir
Date Published: June 23, 2023
Shattered but not broken, Shaneé Morgan, shares the raw and uncut story of her journey through childhood trauma, tragedy, resilience, and healing. This shocking yet powerful memoir recalls the author’s childhood growing-up in 5th Ward Houston, Texas also known as “The Nickel,” in the midst of the crack epidemic. From the crack house to the school house, Shaneé recounts the tragic events that could’ve claimed her life, or the lives of her family if not for the grace and mercy of God. Later, realizing there was a greater purpose for her life, she set out to change the trajectory of the family cycle, by breaking generational curses and strongholds, in an effort to provide herself and her family a better life. Having to confront her past through extensive therapy allowed the author to share her tragic story to inspire and motivate other survivors to believe in their ability to succeed through healing, growth, hard work, dedication, and a desire to be their best selves, despite the tragedies and adversity they may have faced.
Interview with Shanee Dennis-Morgan
Introduce yourself and tell me about what you do.
Founder of Dennis-Morgan Coaching & Consulting, Dr. Morgan has a background in Human Development, Public Administration & Social Change Psychology, Behavioral Health Leadership Psychology, Motivational Speaking, and Career Development. She is recognized by the National Society of Leadership and Success, and the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology. Dr. Morgan’ has over 20 years of experience in administration, teaching, and facilitation in various capacities. She has taught and worked at the grade school level in the public and private sectors. She has also worked as a Facilitator, Consultant and Professional Development Trainer, providing consultation to individuals and families, and extensive training for educators and social and behavioral services professionals. In addition to training, she has also provided mentorship and motivational speaking to individuals and groups in various settings. Dr. Morgan specializes in assisting employees, managers, and executives who are struggling with employee engagement and are in need of professional development training. She also seeks to help individuals who desire assistance identifying their personal, professional, and academic goals, as well as those needing support in the areas of personal growth and behavior modification. Additionally, she provides motivational speaking on topics such as resilience, overcoming adversity, goal setting, and more.
(Note: My ultimate goal is to obtain motivational speaking gigs. The memoir is my tangible item.)
Tell me more about your journey as an author, including the writing processes?
I’ve shared my story of overcoming childhood trauma with many individuals and groups, and the impact that drug addiction can have on families; detailing my journey being raised in a home with a single-parent, addicted to crack cocaine, and how resilience, hard-work, dedication, and a desire to break generational curses led me to become a successful adult. In response, I’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback by many people, and was often asked if I planned to write a book, or told that I should write a book. After undergoing therapy to address suppressed trauma, in preparation to prepare me to share my story with the world, I finally decided to write the book.
I set a goal of one year, to complete the written portion of the book. I began writing in early February 2022, and completed the book in late March 2023. It took about two months for editing, as I read over the book several times to make needed corrections. I then sent the book to an editor; making it very clear that I wanted to maintain my voice in the book. I explained that my book was written from the prospective of the teenager who was experiencing the trauma at that time, so the book does contain some profanity and slang. However, the book was to be a well-written, quality book. After receiving the book back from the editor, I read over it a few more times; still finding and correcting errors. I then submitted the book to another professional, who specializes in book design and formatting. We went back and forth until the book was as perfect as we could get it.
Writing the book was not an easy task, and gave me a whole new respect for authors and the process they go through to perfect a book. I discovered that it can be nearly impossible to compose a 100% error free book, because each time I read the book, I’d find something that needed to be corrected. Eventually, I had to move past my obsession with perfection and move forward with finalizing the project. During the process, I conducted research on the best publishing method, and determined that self-publishing was best for me. Though that was a process in itself, it was actually the easiest part, since I had a very good book designer, who is knowledgeable about the formatting guidelines.
Tell me about your Book (that you want to talk about)
The book provides detailed information about events that occurred from my childhood to early adulthood. It begins with background information on my grandparents, parents, and then myself and siblings and how we came to be. It goes on to explain the events that led to my mother packing her children up and relocating from San Bernardino California to Houston Texas. The book describes how my mother went from being an amazing, responsible, nurturing mother, to her falling victim to drug addiction, and how that severely impacted her life and the lives of her children. I provide detailed accounts of observing domestic violence, drug and alcohol use, as well as other traumatic things I witnessed and experienced at such a young, vulnerable age. I talk about my experience living from home to home, in an effort to escape the turmoil, and how my greatest desire was to obtain an education, and place myself in a position to give myself and my future children a better life than the life I was given as a child. I also talk about the importance of therapy, as one method to overcoming past adversity and trauma.
The purpose of the book is to inspire and motivate others, who have been or may currently be dealing with similar situations. I want to be the example that if one understands their inner strength, and realizes, despite what they are going through or what they have been through, they can still overcome and pursue their dreams and goals, thus becoming a result of their decisions, versus a product of their past environment.
“People raised on love see things differently
than those raised on survival.”
Shattered but not broken, Dr. Shaneé Morgan, shares the raw and uncut story of her journey through childhood trauma, tragedy, resilience, and healing. This shocking yet powerful memoir recalls the author’s childhood growing-up in 5th Ward Houston, Texas also known as “The Nickel,” in the midst of the crack epidemic. From the crack house to the school house, Shaneé recounts the tragic events that could’ve claimed her life, or the lives of her family if not for the grace and mercy of God. Later, realizing there was a greater purpose for her life, she set out to change the trajectory of the family cycle, by breaking generational curses and strongholds, in an effort to provide herself and her family a better life. Having to confront her past through extensive therapy allowed the author to share her tragic story to inspire and motivate other survivors to believe in their ability to succeed through healing, growth, hard work, dedication, and a desire to be their best selves, despite the tragedies and adversity they may have faced.
“Beautiful souls are shaped by ugly experiences”
Book Genre
Memoir/Non-Fiction
Motivational/Inspiring
Appropriate age for readers
Approximately ages 13+
Any message for our readers
The following is from the book:
Author’s Note
I attempted to recreate events, locales, and conversations from my memories of them. In order to maintain their anonymity in some instances, some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. In some portions, names were not used, and individuals are referred to by their relationship to the author (i.e., aunt, uncle, friend, neighbor, etc.). Additionally, this book was not written from the perspective of a professional. The language and attitude expressed in the content of this book are derived from the real-life experiences and feelings of the author at the time that events occurred. This memoir is written from a personal perspective and is for anyone who has been a victim of adverse childhood experiences as a result of the devastating effects of the crack epidemic.
The book details some events that may be triggering for the reader, such as death, domestic violence and stories about drug-overdose, attempted suicide, etc. However, there is no sexually explicit material in the book.
Any hashtags you would want me to use while promoting your Book and Interview
#childhoodtrauma #resilience #survival #dedication #nonfiction #reallife #doctorswrite and any other hashtags that will grab the reader’s attention and promote sells of the book
ALL I REMEMBER THINKING WAS, “Finally, we are safe!”
WITH EVERYTHING THAT HAD BEEN going on at the house, all I wanted to do was get away from there for as long as I could.
“I just wanna go to school!”
“I’m exactly who God called me to be—an example for others who may have experienced, or who are currently experiencing similar situations and circumstances. I’m a walking testimony that you can overcome anything you want if you are willing.”
A WISE PERSON ONCE SAID, “Once a person shows you who they are, believe them”
“GOD GIVES his toughest battles to his strongest people.”
“I am not a product of my past environment. I am the result of my decisions.”
“A little therapy never hurt nobody!”
About the Author
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