The No-Show Book Reading That Went Viral

Sometimes, the obstacle is the way.

When author

Karen DeBonis

arrived at her library book reading and found zero attendees, she didn’t crumble.

She didn’t cry or leave.

She took a photo.

Just a simple shot of a few empty chairs and posted it online.

That photo went viral on Twitter, garnering over a million views and striking a nerve with people around the world.

Why did that happen?

Because we’ve all been there, we’ve all shown up and felt invisible. We’ve all asked ourselves:

Is this even worth it?

The story behind the story

Behind that one viral moment lies a story that’s even more powerful—and more personal.

Karen spent seven years writing her memoir, Growth: A Mother, Her Son, and the Brain Tumor They Survived.

It’s a deeply personal account of her son’s medical journey—and her parallel battle with people-pleasing tendencies that delayed critical medical care.

As Karen explains:

“It’s really not a story about the brain tumor as much as it’s a story about my shattered expectations of motherhood.”

The book explores uncomfortable but necessary territory—how medical gaslighting and self-silencing collided to keep her son undiagnosed for three years.

But Karen's resilience doesn’t stop on the page or social media.

She queried 85 agents before landing a university press.

And when it came time to create an audiobook, she didn’t outsource it. She built a DIY studio using egg-crate foam and free software in her closet.

This is what persistence looks like.

This is what authenticity sounds like.

You can listen to the full interview here:

Karen’s story isn’t just about motherhood, or writing, or resilience.

It’s about showing up, even when no one else does.

And sometimes, that’s where the real story begins.