EBOOK

About
Joanne Vannicola grew up in a violent home with a physically abusive father and a mother who had no sexual boundaries.
After being pressured to leave home at fourteen, and after fifteen years of estrangement, Joanne learns that her mother is dying. Compelled to reconnect, she visits with her, unearthing a trove of devastating secrets.
Joanne relates her journey from child performer to Emmy Award–winning actor, from hiding in the closet to embracing her own sexuality, from conflicted daughter and sibling to independent woman. All We Knew But Couldn't Say is a testament to survival, love, and the belief that it is possible to love the broken, and to love fully, even with a broken heart.
After being pressured to leave home at fourteen, and after fifteen years of estrangement, Joanne learns that her mother is dying. Compelled to reconnect, she visits with her, unearthing a trove of devastating secrets.
Joanne relates her journey from child performer to Emmy Award–winning actor, from hiding in the closet to embracing her own sexuality, from conflicted daughter and sibling to independent woman. All We Knew But Couldn't Say is a testament to survival, love, and the belief that it is possible to love the broken, and to love fully, even with a broken heart.
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Reviews
"Stark. Unflinchingly honest and filled with a type of determination that is seen in LGBTQ people who want more than just survival."
Roland Emmerich, Director, Producer
"A story fit for this time and the landscape of our culture. Incredibly raw, moving, and honest. Joanne has survived so much and come out triumphant. A book worth reading."
Denys Arcand, Oscar-winning filmmaker
"What you need to know about All We Knew But Couldn't Say is how brilliantly Joanne Vannicola says what couldn't be said. She writes about mayhem and emotional violence with such precision that it's like becoming mesmerized by a tornado moving directly towards you. Becoming an actor may have been Joanne Vannicola's first step in avoiding the path of destructive forces heading her way, but it's her
David Layton, author and Diaspora Dialogues mentor