Abigail Roberts has spent her life fleeing Attica.

​

As the granddaughter of the district attorney whose decisions helped shape the deadly end of the 1971 prison uprising, she has always carried the weight of a history that fractured her family. Decades later, Abigail returns to that legacy as a writing instructor inside a women's prison, where abuse, corruption, and institutional cruelty feel disturbingly familiar.

​

When prison officials censor her and revoke her clearance to teach, Abigail is forced to confront a painful truth: she cannot dismantle an institution unwilling to change, nor can she continue carrying a burden that was never hers to bear.

​

For the first time, she steps out of the shadow of her family’s legacy and begins searching for a future that belongs to her. From the prisons of America to the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and the serene temples of Japan, Abigail embarks on a journey to reclaim her voice, redefine her identity, and break free from the past.

​

Based on true events, What We Inherit is a powerful literary novel about shame, redemption, and the courage to choose who we become.