Aside from the fact that the majority of them seem to be (sadly) going the way of the Dodo, alternative newsweeklies aren’t exactly known for being publishers of e-books. The independently-owned Philadelphia Weekly, however, has just published its very first official e-book; it was collaborated and edited by PW senior editor Nina Hoffmann, and her husband, Joel Hoffmann. (Disclosure: TeleRead editor Dan Eldridge previously worked as a part-time copy editor and a contributing freelance writer for PW.)

Titled The Survivors Project: Telling the Truth About Life After Sexual Abuse, the book is a collection of more than 50 personal essays written by sexual abuse survivors and the friends and family members of survivors. The collection also includes the personal accounts of Nina and Joel Hoffmann; both have experienced sexual abuse first-hand.

In an article in the November 14, 2012, edition of Philadelphia Weekly, Nina Hoffmann explains that when her husband admitted to being a victim of child sexual abuse seven months ago, the act of sharing his story helped their family begin a long and difficult healing process. The couple then decided to help other survivors tell their own stories—they invited PW readers to submit accounts of sexual abuse, and to explain their own individual healing journey in words. And while the collection is indeed written largely by non-professional writers, it nevertheless contains painful and saddening—yet occasionally hopeful—personal tales that will surely affect anyone who reads them.

The e-book is available now at Amazon for $3.99. It’ll be available soon through iBooks and other online retailers.

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