Local Author's First Book is a "How-To" Manual for Families, and a Self-Healing Process
“Gabby is my baby,” author Shaberia Kirk says. “She let me know as a person that I still have plenty of options."
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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In the book Gabby Walks to School, a single working mother talks to her young daughter about how to safely walk to school in her urban neighborhood.
As Gabby follows her mom’s instructions, she experiences her neighborhood in a new light, and learns that she can do hard—even scary—things with the support of family and friends.
Author Shaberia Kirk, who lives with schizophrenia, wrote the book not only as a how-to manual for families, but to remind herself that she, like Gabby, can overcome challenges.
“I wanted to leave a legacy,” Kirk said. “I want people to know that mental illness doesn’t stop you from achieving something.”
Kirk recently moved to the Fredericksburg area from New Jersey, where she spent four years living in a transitional home for female military veterans experiencing homelessness. Before that, she was in a shelter for one year.
In addition to schizophrenia, she lives with post-traumatic stress disorder from a sexual assault she experienced while serving in the Army and is a 100% service-connected disabled veteran.
Kirk wrote Gabby Walks to School over a period between 2015 and 2017. Writing it was the way she was able to prove to herself that she had something to say and something to give despite her experiences.
“Gabby is my baby,” she said. “She let me know as a person that I still have plenty of options. She gave me confidence.”
Kirk is the mother of three daughters—all of whom are now in college—and Gabby is inspired by her oldest daughter. Kirk remembers sitting down with her to explain how to safely walk to school, just as Gabby’s mother does.
“The book is a ‘how-to.,’” she said. “I used to see little kids walking to school on their own, and I wanted them to know about safety, and the buddy system.”
Kirk drew inspiration from her daughter’s first walk to school, but she also tried to channel her own inner child while writing the book. She said she loved “the innocence” of being able to see the world as a child does.
She worked with Page Publishing to illustrate, edit, and publish the book, which was published in May of 2017. Now established in Virginia, Kirk has been working to introduce Gabby to the Fredericksburg area, signing copies at branches of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library.
She’s planning a series books under the umbrella “Growing up with Gabby,” and is working on the follow-up to Gabby Walks to School now. It focuses on Gabby’s mother, a single mother living with schizophrenia, just like she was, who sends her children to live with their father while she seeks treatment.
It’s a situation that could be terrifying, but instead, Gabby’s mom describes the illness as “her superpower” and tells her kids that she’ll be going to superhero school to learn how to control it.
Kirk said she’s always been inspired by Dr. Seuss books—the way they are both fantastical but about real topics, like racism and environmentalism. That’s her goal for the new Gabby book, and for the whole series.
“I want to help children believe in themselves and build up their confidence,” she said.
Catch Shaberia Kirk at her next book event at Salem Church library on Saturday, May 16, from 1 to 4 p.m.
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