Customer Reviews

Sexual Assault: Will I Ever Feel Okay Again?

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I LIKED THIS BOOK BECAUSE AFTER READING IT I FELT THAT I WAS NOT ALONE AND WHAT I AM FEELING IS NORMAL. IT TOOK READING THIS BOOK TO UNDERSTAND THAT. IT MADE ME SEE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT HAS THOUGHT THE SAME THINGS I HAVE. I AM NOT ALONE.

I purchased this book looking for a book to help with recovery from sexual assault. There was no indicator on the product page that this book was focused on a religious recovery. Noticing the religious nature of the book, I decided to continue reading in the hopes that I could still get some sort of help from it. However, upon flipping through I found a chapter about abortion in the case of rape. This chapter seemed to be a thinly veiled political argument against abortion. That was offensive enough in a rape survivor's book, but it got worse. The author actually had the nerve to make several arguments talking about pro-choice people not having the best interests of rape victims at heart, accusing anyone who is pro-choice of actually victimizing women who had been raped. The author went on to make a "moral appeal" to pro-choice survivors, asking them to think about the phrase "I'm personally against abortion, but I support the right to choose" and equating it with "I'm personally against rape, but I support the right to choose." To put such language in a book for survivors in unconscionable. The last thing a victim needs in someone else calling her unworthy, morally bereft, or like a rapist for her personal beliefs about abortion. Especially if she has to make the horrifying choice about whether to terminate a pregnancy. I couldn't believe that a recovering victim like the author would attack other victims like that. I recommend that any woman who is pro-choice, not religious, or even questioning not read this book as the overall tone, themes, and especially that one chapter could put your recovery back and end up doing significantly more harm than good.

Easy reading. Raped while in christian ministry in rough neighborhood out with but temporarily separated from a co-worker. No mention or views on other types of abuse yet reflects integration over time, effects on her marriage. Thought useful for survivors who have gone through individual counsel.