A raw testament to strength and survival

LOCAL AUTHOR

- LUTHO PASIYA

IN THE Beauty and Battle of a Single Mom, author Wendy Figlan shares a clear eyed account of strength shaped by hardship.

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“STRONG on the outside, breaking on the inside,” is how Wendy Figlan described the reality that shaped The Beauty and Battle of a Single Mom, a deeply personal book that turns quiet survival into a shared voice.

From the opening pages, Figlan writes with honesty about motherhood lived in tension, holding strength and heartbreak at the same time.

Her book is not framed as a guide or a lesson but as lived truth, told plainly, for women who rarely see their inner lives reflected with care.

The book captures the weight of single motherhood without softening it. Figlan writes from years of carrying her story quietly, raising a child, working and managing emotional wounds that had little space to exist.

“For years I carried my story quietly, balancing strength with silent heartbreak, pretending I was fine while navigating motherhood, work, survival and emotional wounds that had no place to land,” she said.

What pushed her to write was not a sudden decision, but the slow realisation that her experience was shared by many.

“The turning point came when I realised how many single mothers were living the same dual life, strong on the outside, breaking on the inside”

As her story took shape, it became clear that it did not belong to her alone. Figlan recalled the moments that confirmed this.