The First Wave is now closed because preorders are open!
Scroll Down for the Details. I’m so excited to share this with you.
‘If I Had Known Then: A Memoir of Sexual Assault, Hope and My Battle to Re-Imagine Justice’ is now available for preorder.
It's the story of my sexual assault, the three years I spent fighting a criminal legal system that re-traumatized me at every turn, and how I became one of the first sexual assault survivors in North America to experience a Restorative Justice outcome through the courts. It's also a book about what justice, healing and humanity can look like if we are courageous enough to imagine it differently.
Preorders matter more than you might think. They tell bookstores and booksellers that people care about this conversation. They make it possible for books to hit the bestseller list on the very first day they come out. They help this book land in more hands, libraries, classrooms, and living rooms. AKA, they make a HUGE difference for the success of the book and the author.
So here’s my thank-you! Preorder the book and you’ll get an exclusive first look at the chapter “Catalyst”, before anyone else and before the official launch.
Thank you for being here and for preordering the book, which officially comes out on February 9th, 2027. This is a lifelong dream come true for me and your support means the world.
Please feel free to share these links with anyone you think may be interested and tag me in your story @marleeliss when you preorder so we can celebrate this together!
With gratitude,
Marlee Liss ✨
Back Cover Description:
“A survivor of sexual violence advocates for ending harm rather than merely transferring it in this unapologetically frank and astonishingly optimistic memoir.
In 2016, Marlee Liss was sexually assaulted. When she went to the police, she had no idea the three-year process would only serve to exacerbate her trauma. The painful experience brought into focus a potent irony: Victims have no right to consent or assert their own boundaries in the punitive judicial process, a system that is supposedly designed to protect those very rights. Defeated, she considered dropping the charges, as so many victims have before her. Instead, she pursued an alternate route—that of Restorative Justice. By fighting not only for herself but also for her assailant, all parties arrived at a place of healing: a groundbreaking, transformative circle.
Marlee’s case made history as one of the first in North America to conclude with Restorative Justice. The impact of the outcome proved to be immense. Immediately, her inbox was flooded with thousands of messages from survivors around the world. The same sentiment was echoed again and again: “I wish I knew there was another option.” If I Had Known Then provides a window into life after trauma and the harmful realities of criminal ‘justice,’ presenting an undeniably compelling case for why alternatives to the punitive approach are absolutely needed. A story full of hope and embodied resilience that offers a clear way forward, Marlee invites us all to believe in transformation and to courageously advocate for what we need—even when those needs oppose dominant systems.”
If We Haven’t Met Before, Hi!
I'm Marlee - an award-winning speaker, somatic educator, Registered Social Worker, advocate and lesbian sparkle-loving feminist based in Toronto.
I'm the founder of Survivors 4 Justice Reform, a global coalition of 900+ survivors advocating for humane pathways to justice. Over the past decade my work has reached 100,000+ people across trauma healing, violence prevention, restorative justice, and courageous self-advocacy.
My story has been featured in Forbes, HuffPost, CBC, and on the Mel Robbins Show. I've spoken at the National Sexual Assault Conference, Vanderbilt, Yale, and the University of Toronto. My case is included in law school curricula across the country, and I'm the subject of the documentary The Limits of Forgiveness, directed by Kelsey Darragh.
If I Had Known Then is my first memoir. It is published by Penguin Random House Canada, February 2027.