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The Silenced Path
by
Maria Moore
Based on the true story of Getruda Peters, this poignant, unflinching novel exposes the abuse and neglect she suffered as a resident of a government-run institution in Ontario in the 1980s. After witnessing the brutal murder of her father, followed by her mother abandoning her, young Gerda and her siblings are forced to leave the insular world of their Old Colony Mennonite community. Separated from her brothers and sister, she is shuffled from foster home to foster home and endures bullying and cruelty. She is sent to an institution for intellectually disabled adults, which is meant to nurture her, provide community, and give her life skills. But when a supervisor sexually abuses her and the staff doesn’t believe her, she becomes trapped in the patterns of survival she has endured her whole life. Left traumatized and stripped of belonging, Gerda finds fragile peace in a nearby forest, beneath a canopy of whispering leaves and amidst the quiet company of birds and wild creatures. Nature becomes her unlikely teacher, offering gentle lessons in kindness and resilience. This story offers a haunting and lyrical portrait of a young woman’s journey through loss and isolation toward self-discovery and strength. Through the darkness, Gerda forges a future shaped not by her past, but by the courage and compassion she learns to claim as her own.
Maria Moore is a Canadian writer, advocate, and former registered nurse whose work explores themes of resilience, identity, generational trauma, and the search for personal empowerment. Raised in an Old Colony Mennonite community in Mexico, she later immigrated to Canada and spent over forty years working in healthcare, including mental health support. Her debut memoir, Not My Kind of Mennonite (FriesenPress, 2023), traces her family’s journey across borders and generations, shedding light on the silent struggles faced by many women and men in closed communities. Now living in southwestern Ontario with her husband and their dog, Maria continues to give back through volunteer work, board service, and public speaking that champions the voices of those too often overlooked.
Contributors
- Author
- Maria Moore