Sheila O’Connor

Sheila O’Connor is here to discuss her book Evidence of V: A Novel in Fragments, Facts, and Fictions and the journey of uncovering the story of her grandmother who was incarcerated at age 15 for so-called “immorality”. She also explores how breaking family secrets, embracing imaginative empathy, and uncovering historical truths can help us heal intergenerational trauma and honor the ancestral gifts carried within our bloodlines.  

About Sheila

Sheila O’Connor is the author of six award-winning novels for adults and young people. She’s won the Minnesota Book Award, the Michigan Prize for Literary Fiction, and the International Reading Award. Her books have also been included on several Best Books of the Year lists.

She has been the recipient of several winning grants and fellowships. She is a professor emeritus at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she also served as the fiction editor for Waterstone Review. Her book, Evidence of V: A Novel in Fragments: Facts and Fictions is based on the research she did on her unknown maternal grandmother and the little-known practice of incarcerating girls, sometimes as young as eight years old for “immorality” in Minnesota and across the United States.

Walking Through V’s Snow: Erasure, Family Secrets, and the Systemic Incarceration of Young Girls

On the latest episode of Just Like Nana, I had the profound honor of sitting down with Sheila O’Connor. Sheila is an extraordinary storyteller. Her ground-breaking book, Evidence of V: A Novel in Fragments, Facts, and Fictions, is based on deep archival research into her unknown maternal grandmother, V, and a dark, largely forgotten chapter of American history.

The Incarceration of V

For years, Sheila knew in her bones that something critical was missing from her family history. Even without the exact language or clinical facts, her body registered the emotional static of a hidden story. 

In 1935, Sheila’s biological maternal grandmother, V, was a gifted 15-year-old singer. After becoming pregnant, V was incarcerated in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, sentenced under the vague charge of “immorality.” 

While incarcerated, V gave birth to Sheila’s mother. The state then took the baby, who was adopted.

Tragically, this was not an isolated incident. Tens of thousands of young girls—some as young as eight years old—were locked away across America for “immorality” or “incorrigibility”. As Sheila’s research revealed, nearly all of these incarcerated girls were actually victims of childhood sexual abuse or assault, punished by the state for the crimes committed against them.

Imaginative Empathy and Ancestral Gifts

Where historical records end, Sheila used imaginative empathy to bridge the gap. By asking, “What did it feel like to be her?”, Sheila reconstructed V’s humanity, giving her grandmother the voice and dignity the state had stolen.

When the book was published, V’s surviving children and relatives read it. For the first time, a troubled, tragic life was understood through the lens of truth rather than shame.

Furthermore, unearthing V’s story unlocked an understanding of the family’s ancestral gifts. V was a magnificent singer and performer. Decades later, Sheila’s son arrived in the world as a natural actor and singer, and a brother placed for adoption turned out to be an accomplished blues musician. They had inherited V’s brilliant artistic fire across generations without ever knowing her name.

Truth doesn’t just clear trauma; it restores the sacred gifts that belong to your line.

When you quiet the unspoken rules of your family line today, what hidden story are you ready to bring into the light, and what ancestral gift is waiting to be reclaimed?

If Sheila O’Connor’s profound journey gave you courage today, please share this episode with a fellow cycle breaker who is ready to seek the truth. To make sure you keep gathering practical tools for lineage healing, subscribe to Just Like Nana.

To pick up a copy of Sheila’s extraordinary book, Evidence of V, visit your local indie bookstore or bookshop.org.

Resources

The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline Study: https://genderjusticeandopportunity.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/The-Sexual-Abuse-To-Prison-Pipeline-The-Girls%E2%80%99-Story.pdf

MN History Center: 

https://www.mnhs.org/historycenter

Connect with Sheila

Website: https://www.sheilaoconnor.com/books

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100027677934166#

Connect with the Show

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.