I Never Told Anyone: Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse [Paperback]

Ellen Bass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 1991

A reissue of the now-classic anthology (with more than 60,000 copies sold) of deeply moving testimonies by survivors of child sexual abuse--with a new afterword by Ellen Bass, co-author of The Courage to Heal.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A pioneer in the field of healing from child sexual abuse, Ellen Bass currently teaches in the MFA program at Pacific University in Oregon. Her poetry books include Mules of Love and The Human Line.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1st Edition, 6th Printing edition (April 10, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060965738
• ISBN-13: 978-0060965730
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #363,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A pioneer in the field of healing from child sexual abuse, Ellen Bass currently teaches in the MFA program at Pacific University in Oregon. Her poetry books include Mules of Love and The Human Line.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It gave me my voice.., December 18, 2000

By 

"poetmnw" (South Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Never Told Anyone: Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (Paperback)

For me as a trauma survivor of childhood sexual abuse.. it helped me to realize the power of my words to give the pain inside an outlet. And it also made me realize how much my writing,in much of the ways of the people in the book, it can give insight to help on this long and hard journey of healing. I do only recommend this book if you are in therapy or if you have a strong support team. It may contain many triggers for some one in healing so be aware of that for yourself or if you get it for a friend. A book to have a box of tissues by your side as it uncovers their pain and or yours.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I saw myself in the pages..., January 17, 2006

By 

C. Lawton - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Never Told Anyone: Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (Paperback)

This book provides insight into the inner workings of child sexual abuse and why victims don't tell. The stories range from a quick one-time exposure to unthinkable brutality. Some perpetrators were strangers; others were family members. All caused lasting emotional damage. The accounts are so honest and true that they allowed me to recognize for the first time that I had been molested, and it completely changed my life.

I read "I Never Told Anyone" about twenty years ago, when I was still living with my parents, not long after I graduated from college. My mom had checked it out from the library, and the title haunted me because I, too, had a secret I had never told another living soul. I read the back cover and then kept moving the book away from wherever I was in the house, terrified of what was inside. Finally, I couldn't resist. I stayed up all night and read it from cover to cover. I saw my own story in the things that were said, the feelings that were expressed... For the first time I realized that maybe I wasn't evil; that maybe I didn't deserve to die; that instead, as an innocent child, I had been manipulated and molested.

It was the most difficult thing I have ever done, but because of this book, I did tell, and I got help. Child sexual abuse is extremely devastating, but there can be happy endings, and I am living one. Thank you so much, Ellen Bass and your courageous contributors, for your part in that.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All Too Rare: Women Breaking the Silence, May 30, 2004

By 

a reader (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Never Told Anyone: Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (Paperback)

This collection of short true stories from women sexually abused in childhood is still all too rare (despite the media nonsense about "getting on the popular bandwagon of sexual abuse/incest"). I have yet to see one survivor speak out in public about this experience without difficulty because of all the social taboos that still exist about speaking these truths. These stories are especially useful to anyone wanting to understand the "variations on a theme" of sexual molestation. The stories are all unique in specifics of the abuse itself as well as some of the physical and psychological ramifications of abuse, but they also eerily make clear the universality of the experiences; the familial and social patterns of thinking that allow and even encourage sexual predators and the silencing of survivors. In a local survivors group, we're using this book as well as Heather Harrison's "Yesterday's Warrior"--another great survivor story--to explore abuse issues beyond just the theoretical frameworks. Some areas theory just can't reach. I would have liked to see more contemporary stories, but the fact that they show a "historical lineage" of sorts is also a powerful thing.