Customer Reviews

Telling: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery

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As difficult as it was for me to read this book, due to it's similarity to my experience, I found it to be so extremely compelling--I couldn't put it down! Ms.Francisco has an incredible command of the English language and was able to communicate in painful detail, her inner-most thoughts and feelings, before, during and after the rape. As I read this book, I went through and highlighted many many many passages that I felt pertained directly to me.....so that my husband could read it and gain better insight into what I was and still am thinking. This is a wonderful, amazing book, that both rape survivors and non-rape survivors can benefit from.

This is an intelligent, poetic account of rape and its aftermath by an intensely thoughtful and observant woman, who happens also to be a writer. If you are a survivor, this book will help put into words, some of the intricate and complex feelings of fear, terror, ineffable shame etc. that many, many survivors experience alone. It is also a VERY GOOD book and a beautifully written one, about a woman's quest to make sense of her experience and to regain a foothold in a new world - one of supreme vulnerability and insecurity - one where a woman can be raped in her own home, in her own bed, by an intruder who breaks in and robs her of a world she had been taught to believe in.

I must admit, I was a little scared to read this book. I know Patricia Francisco, and I wasn't sure whether I could handle the pain and sadness of reading this account of her rape and recovery. But the more I read, the more my heart continued to open -- for while I shed a few tears, reading about her son, for instance, and about the end of her marriage, there was also a generous light and a sense of sweetness and hope that consistently came through in her words. Do not be afraid to read this. This book makes you feel good.

This was the 1st book I read on my road to recovery 35 years after having been a victim. It helped give me the courage, strength and hope to move forward toward on my own journey towards healing.

As someone who was raped by someone I knew well, I thought I understood how rape changes the survivor's life. However, as I read Telling I learned that being raped by a stranger who invades your home in the middle of the night creates trauma which isn't more or less severe than the trauma I experienced, only different. Those differences are important. Because of Telling I am more compassionate toward those who have anxiety in situations which have never bothered me.

Telling also shows clearly how Francisco's rape impacted her husband who was out of town at the time of the crime. When people talk about the aftermath, family members of survivors are often overlooked when they shouldn't be.

I recommend Telling to survivors but it is a must read for anyone who has ever wanted to tell a survivor to, "Get over it."

This is an absolutely unforgettable book because of Francisco's honesty and openess, as well as the clarity and beauty of her writing. I read this book a year ago, and have read many books since then, but the author's story of perserverance has stayed with me.

Patricia Weaver Francisco is a survivor of a violent crime. But that's not all she is...she's an eloquent writer, loving human being, and a woman who continues to thrive on her healing journey. I know Patricia well, but not before reading "Telling". This book transformed my life. I had survived a brutal rape a few years before finding this book. I cried while reading it, feeling the pain behind her words at the loss of the woman she once was and the loss of her marriage. As a survivor myself, I looked to this woman for advice in healing. Her book gave me that and more...it even gave me a friend. I recommend this book to everyone who has survived rape, anyone close to someone who has survived rape, and those who desire to witness one of the most compelling works of literature there is out there. I give "Telling" my highest recommendation.

This was truly a great book. I could identify so well with all that was said. I had all the members of my family read it and have recommended it to many because it is of such high quality.

Telling by Patricia Weaver-Francisco is one of the most poingnent books about the effects and healing of rape that I have ever read, it is honest and full of insightfullness, a journey of healing and the power of the human spirit. I reccommend this book be read by everyone, you will walk away inspired.

I first read Telling in 2001, when I thought, "How could anyone write about that?" A decade later, with a memoir of my own, I read Telling again to see what I missed the first time. I can see how courageous and generous the author was in sharing her story. It is difficult to revisit the horrible crime of rape and its devastating ramifications. However, as Francisco says, the crime frequently revisits the victim: "...triggered and triggered in exhausting rounds of shutting out thoughts only to have them arise again."

Not only does Francisco write about her experience of rape, she also explains society's myths, the consequences of these myths, and the changes that must be made. Ours is a culture that blames the victim, protects the perpetrator, and lacks in justice. But what makes this book compelling is the excellent writing that moves the reader through this personal story with a powerful reach toward hope. Francisco loses so much to this crime, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, yet gains in different measures in future time. She candidly shows the reader the losses and gains, and writes with eloquence.

While she attempts to embark on a journey of recovery, Francisco explores sexism and feminism. She writes about anger, action, love, loss, and labor. There are no cliches. She says that her "return to health was because of rather than in spite of other human beings." If you or someone you know has experienced rape, this is a "must read" for understanding, compassion, and strength.Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror