Esther Ghey has written an emotional memoir about the life and death of her daughter Brianna.
Called Under a Pink Sky, the book will detail the 16-year-old’s murder by two teenagers on February 11, 2023. Publisher Ione Walder said: “Esther is a remarkable woman who has shown immense dignity in the face of unthinkable tragedy. I have felt so humbled to work with her and proud of how courageous she has been in telling her and Brianna’s story.
“As a parent of a pre-teen, I feel the lure of smartphones and social media coming strongly down the track, and I have been shocked and galvanised by what I’ve learned from Esther’s work. This is a book that I believe every parent should read to empower themselves to make informed decisions for their children.”
Brianna was brutally murdered by teenagers Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe. The duo, who were aged 15 at the time, planned the killing online and lured Brianna to a park in Warrington, Cheshire, where they stabbed her 28 times with a hunting knife.
Since that fateful day, Esther, 37, has been determined to protect children online. She is leading a campaign calling for an age limit for smartphone usage and stricter controls on access to social media apps. And she heads up Peace and Mind UK, a community interest company dedicated to improving mental health for young people through the promotion of mindfulness in schools and other activities.
A spokesperson for Penguin Michael Joseph said: “Under a Pink Sky is the moving story of Brianna’s life and death as told by her mother, as well as a clarion call for improved mental health support and better online safety for young people. As the devastating circumstances around Brianna’s murder emerged and with it an international outpouring of anguish and outrage, Esther felt moved to redirect her personal grief into campaigning to help others and to create a lasting legacy for her child.
“This is a book about finding threads of hope in the darkest of times, about transforming unimaginable tragedy into change, and about uniting to protect our young people from the threats they face in an increasingly unchecked digital world.”
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