“I wanted to write the book I wish I’d had when I was in the middle of it all… ”
A South African author’s message of hope is reaching readers around the world through a book that encourages women to confront the struggles they often carry in silence.
Quiet Battles: The Hidden Struggles Women Carry and the Courage to Rise Again by Phoebe Strachan explores themes of grief, depression, insecurity, identity and reproductive health, while reminding readers that no one has to face life’s challenges alone.
According to Strachan, the title was inspired by a reality she lived long before she put it into words. “So many of us are fighting battles that nobody around us can see,” she said. “We smile in meetings, we show up for up for our families, we say ‘I’m fine’ when we are really not.”
She explained that the word “quiet” represents the silence in which many people carry their struggles, often because of shame, fear or simply not knowing how to express what they are experiencing.
“Battles”, she said, reflects the very actual challenges people face, whether it is grief, depression, identity struggles or reproductive health challenges.
While the book addresses painful experiences, Strachan said she intentionally wanted it to leave readers with hope rather than heaviness.
“I never wanted this to simply relive pain,” she said. “I wanted it to be a companion that says: your battle is real, but it is not the end of your story.”
The inspiration for the book came from her own experience with loneliness, depression, insecurity and a difficult reproductive health journey. After years of believing that strength meant pretending everything was okay, she realized many women were carrying similar burdens behind closed doors.
“I wanted to write the book I wish I’d had when I was in the middle of it all,” she said. Strachan said there came a point when remaining silent no longer felt like an option. “I reached a point where staying silent felt more costly than speaking up.”
Writing Quiet Battles also became part of her own healing journey. Revisiting difficult seasons challenged her to embrace honesty instead of striving for perfection, a process she described as both emotional and transformative.
“My pain was never wasted,” she said. “It became purpose. It became a way to help other women recognize they aren’t alone.” Her journey also led to the creation of Rare Gems | Women Who Rise Again, a community that provides women with a safe space to find encouragement, share their experiences and remind one another that healing is possible.
Now available to readers worldwide through Amazon, with the Kindle edition available globally and the paperback available in selected countries, the book’s international reach is a milestone that holds special meaning for Strachan. “This book started as my private story, and now it’s reaching readers in different countries who have never met me but see themselves in these pages,” she said. “As a South African author, a girl from Eldorado Park, it means a great deal to know that a story rooted so deeply in our context, our culture and our faith can still resonate universally. Quiet battles don’t have borders. Neither should the hope that answers them.”
The response from readers has already reinforced that message one reader described the book as making her feel “seen, heard and understood”, saying it gave her renewed hope and reminded her that she was not alone in the battled she faced.
Looking ahead, Strachan hopes Quiet Battles will continue to inspire honest conversations and encourage women to seek support.
“My biggest hope is that this book becomes a bridge for women to find community,” she said. “If even one woman closes this book and finally says out loud what she’s been carrying in silence, then it has done exactly what I wrote it to do.”
Beyond the book, she plans to continue partnering with organisations and communities to create spaces where women can have open conversations, find support and discover the strength to rise again.
By Sinentlahla Mbokwe
