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

It gave me my voice.. (15 of 15 Found this Helpful)   December 19, 2000
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.

I saw myself in the pages... (13 of 13 Found this Helpful)   January 18, 2006
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.

All Too Rare: Women Breaking the Silence (9 of 9 Found this Helpful)   May 30, 2004
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.

an unflinchingly honest, painful book (8 of 8 Found this Helpful)   November 4, 1997
This is a book for those who have a deep awareness of the pain of sexual abuse as well as a strong belief in the value of creative therapies, including writing. Each woman's story is painfully honest and amazingly brave. This is a particularly good book for counselors to have on hand.

I wasn't alone (8 of 8 Found this Helpful)   January 9, 2004
I read this book several years ago when I first went into therapy to come to grips with my own molestation. What I learned from this book was valuable for me, because as the title says "I hadn't told anyone". I learned was that the range of emotions that I was experiencing was normal for a survivor. Once I realized what was going on, I felt like I could take the next step in my healing process. If you or someone you know is trying to make sense of their own feelings and has never talked with other survivors, I recommend this book.