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Book Review of "After Silence: Rape & My Journey Back"
Review of "After Silence: Rape & My Journey Back"
"After Silence: Rape and My Journey Back" by Nancy Venable Raine is a memoir that is well-written and emotionally charged. In the introduction, the author says that the police told her that she "was lucky not to have been murdered." That is how horrible it is to be raped: it is a crime so heinous as to be associated with murder. However, the author did not feel lucky. She felt alone, especially since rape is shrouded in silence, shame, and stigma.It's the victim that carries those negative feelings, and Raine explains the emotional capacity of a rape victim in heart wrenching detail. Fear is the most obvious, superseding other feelings no matter the occasion. Fear and the fear of fear rises, taking up a permanent place in the psyche that did not exist before the rape. Raine develops a "before" identity and an "after" identity, and can never get back to the woman who had not been raped.Raine digs deep into her psyche and the culture to explore both the individual and the society in the context of sexual violence. Throughout this thought-provoking book, Raine weaves commentary by using a variety of references, such as fiction and its treatment of rape scenes as well as literature from psychology. She writes about PTSD, quoting Judith Herman's Trauma and Recovery extensively. Raine explains, "For traumatic experience, 'forgetting' is impossible, yet 'remembering' s the last thing you want to do." Her exploration into her self is painful, yet anyone who reads this will benefit from her insight and intelligence.Review completed by Lynn C. Tolson, Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor's Story
Article by Lynn Tolson
For nearly twenty years, I engaged in careers in retail, real estate and property management. Every working day left me feeling unfulfilled, as if I was living a false life. My real life began not by changing jobs, but by putting pen to paper in journal writing sessions. Themes emerged regarding the impact of my sexual abuse, drug addiction, and suicide attempts. By using the journal to write about the problems and solutions discussed in my counseling sessions, a story of transformation evolved. My desire to share a message of healing from trauma became too strong to ignore; the book (Beyond the Tears: A True Survivor's Story) became a mission. I left the corporate environment to write my story about personal yet universal emotional issues. Although journal writing was a cathartic experience, the book was written with the courage to face my fears, with compassion for myself and others, and a conviction to tell the truth.
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Friday, August 26, 2011
Book Review of “After Silence: Rape & My Journey Back”
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