Book Launch with Dr. Pat Browne: Seed Corn Must Not Be Ground

Join us on Wednesday, June 10, at 6:30 PM to celebrate the official launch of Seed Corn Must Not Be Ground: A Memoir of Survival and Resistance, the remarkable new book authored by our own Dr. Pat Browne.

While Pat was waiting to be born, her mother descended into madness. Living under non-negotiable requirements of perfection and cleanliness, Pat and her four younger siblings faced rules and expectations that opposed all notions “of the perfect Catholic family,”– the desired outward illusion. Sleeping perfectly still “like pieces of paper slipped into an envelope” so as not to rumple the bed sheets, eating the same small meals every single day, and requiring permission to use the bathroom was both Pat’s normal and her best guarded secret. In a harrowing yet quietly hopeful memoir, Pat explores the internal contours of a life shaped by trauma. Extending beyond the bounds of an individual’s story to reflect holistically about what it means to be human, Seed Corn Must Not Be Ground‘s overarching preoccupation is the problem and meaning of suffering. Structured by a unique braiding of memory and spirituality, the book ponders profound human questions about pain and loss, grief and sorrow, resilience and healing. In language simultaneously wrenching and beautiful, Browne reveals depths of wisdom for understanding and responding to the question of, “Where was God in all of that?”

This event will be on campus and accessible through Zoom. In-person attendees can enjoy light refreshments.

Registration