Peg wants to build a future her daughters can believe in. But her husband teaches them all, daily, what happens to women who want too much. If she can’t rise above his cruelty, she and her daughters will be trapped in it forever.
In the 1960s and 70s Midwest, Peg Adelsberger is expected to trade her education for stability and her ambition for harmony. She tries. But the more she complies, the smaller her life becomes—and the more her refusal to shrink puts everything at risk.
When she earns a place in a prestigious doctoral program, Peg chooses growth over safety. The consequences are immediate and brutal: a vindictive husband, a bitter divorce, and years of poverty that threaten her daughters’ well-being. Even so, she pushes forward, determined not to be erased.
Peg discovers that becoming herself comes at a high price. But staying safe will cost her everything.
“Stop building walls around women. Give them boxing gloves.”
― Peg Timperly Adelsberger
Inspired by the real struggles and triumphs of my mother and family, SQUARE PEG explores how different people respond to hardship, some using it as a catalyst for growth and others collapsing under its weight.