A book written by a Brantford woman aimed to help girls ages 9 to 15 identify signs of coercive control and domestic violence has been published posthumously after her death in March 2024.

Red Flags and Butterflies is the first published fiction book for Sheryl Azzam, a trained medical writer who penned research articles and grants for the University Health Network in Toronto.

“Sheryl was involved in the push towards educating family court judges about coercive control and the more subtle types of domestic violence that can develop,” said her husband, Joe Azzam. “She thought, ‘here is a really unique area that not a lot of people know about, and here’s a good way to let young girls know.’”

A close friend’s involvement in such a situation led Sheryl to make a connection with the mother o

See Full Page