Linda Gregson-Rosen spent the first five years of her life in New Hampshire before her family moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, where she lived until age twenty-three. Those early years would eventually form the foundation for Breaking the Silence: A Survivor by Experience, though it would be decades before she chose to put the story into words.
Education has remained important throughout Linda’s life, not merely as a means of earning a degree but as a way to broaden her understanding of people and the world around her. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Salem University. Her education did not end there. She continued taking courses that interested and challenged her, including public speaking and art classes at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and earned several fitness teaching certifications. Linda has always believed that education need not have an immediate practical purpose. Learning can broaden our understanding of ourselves, others, and the world around us.
Linda built a busy and varied professional life. For years, she worked alongside her husband in his law practice, managing the office, bookkeeping, and administration, and overseeing the office building and its tenants. She also worked in real estate, with the law practice providing a natural connection to that part of her career. Her days often began early, teaching fitness classes before heading to the office.
Her interests extended beyond work. Linda ran for local office, helped manage local charitable contributions, and was involved with Make-A-Wish for many years. Alongside her professional and community responsibilities, she raised her children and shared the joys and responsibilities of a blended family. Today, her children and grandchildren remain an important part of her life.
Linda shares her life with her husband, Arnie, who has been an important part of the journey to complete Breaking the Silence. He worked alongside Linda throughout the process, helping with manuscript formatting and developing the book’s website. His support has extended far beyond the book. His love, encouragement, patience, and continual willingness to help have been a constant presence in Linda’s life.
Breaking the Silence: A Survivor by Experience is Linda’s first book. After carrying much of her story in silence for most of her life, she chose to give voice to the child she once was and, with the perspective of a lifetime, to examine not only what happened to her but also how she made sense of the life that followed.