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

HarperPerennial Publishers, 1991. Trade paperback. Good/No DJ Issued. Good. No dust jacket as issued. lightly browning pg. edges, glossy pictorial softcopy 8vo 7 3/4" to 9 3/4" tall. only minor edge/coverwear. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 288 p. Audience: General/trade. This is a compilation of short stories by women who were sexually abused as children. The book is divided into sections: abuse by fathers, relatives, friends/acquaintances, and strangers. As a survivor of abuse by multiple offenders I was interested in this book, since it covers the various types of relationships I was abused within during my childhood. However, the stories can be extremely triggering, and you should only read the book if you feel ready to read graphic accounts of sexual abuse. My heart reached out to these women. It was amazing to read about all these different women and the experiences they have had. This is a very important and empowering book on child sexual abuse. I highly recommend this book if you choose to work in the field of child abuse/domestic violence/sexual assault. This book will help prepare you for some of the abuse you may be helping people to heal from. This book also shows the ways in which children keep sexual abuse a secret. As I was reading I felt so sad that children are not able to tell about sexual abuse. I never told either. I was abused by a succession of men, beginning in my early childhood, until the age of ten. I also continued to be sexually assaulted repeatedly by different people from age eleven to age twenty, until I finally realized that I could get help, and that sexual assault was not supposed to be a continual aspect of life. Education is very important, and it must continue until people are able to face the past, to tell, to heal, and to join in providing help and education about sexual abuse if they feel inclined to do so. This book is a beginning step in the education of sexual abuse.