Raising Hel, by Cynthia J. Bogard

“Raw, harrowing, and powerful…This gripping story of survival, self-discovery, and the strength to start over makes for a stunner.” – The Prairies Book Review

“Bogard’s latest is a raw, unflinching exploration of a young woman’s battle with abuse, self-discovery, and the harsh realities of 1970s America…A thought-provoking and emotional story that will linger long after the final page.” – 5 Star Review, Bookview

How can you find your path if no one, including you, believes you’re going anywhere?

A dropout at 18, Hel longs for something more than what’s offered to her in small-town Wisconsin. She runs from her childhood home — straight into the tumultuous 60s, and into the arms of a troubled vet turned anti-war activist. By the time Hel realizes she’s traded one constraining future for another, she’s trapped in a marriage steeped in violence and secrets. Hel’s sinking fast but can’t summon the will to change her life.

Two women throw Hel a lifeline. Thorpe, who knows where she’s headed, shows Hel a way out of her marriage. Charismatic but fickle Iris invites her to help start The Rag, a magazine that will be published by a feminist collective — if they can ever agree on how to proceed. With Iris, Thorpe and the 1970s women’s movement as her tutors, Hel begins to shape an independent life, with a start on a career and a new love until the patriarchy rises up to slap down all her dreams. How can Hel keep moving forward after everything she’s worked for is destroyed?

Anchored by vivid descriptions of Madison, Wisconsin, a major site of anti-war and feminist politics, and memorable characters who evoke those revolutionary times, Raising Hel demonstrates how individual acts can alter the course of history and how taking action together can change a heart, a life, a future.