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jenniferbbookdragon's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary committee about her sexual assault at the hands of Brett Kavanaugh, then a nominee to the US Supreme Court, was one public moment in Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's life. Her memoir shares her experiences before and after that day, from growing up in the suburban DC bubble, to the terrible attack at a high school party, and the years of education, work, and family life that followed. One Way Back reveals a woman who loves heavy metal music, surfing, and statistics, with no political ax to grind. Instead, she came forward as a citizen who wanted the Senate to have a fuller picture of the nominee for a lifetime appointment to the most powerful court in the US. The public and private backlash forced her and her family out of their home, to hire security guards, and to live in a series of hotels and temporary housing for their safety.
Ford's experience of trauma, first from the assault and then from going public, is painful and answers the frequent question "why don't more women come forward?" yet she affirms that it was the right choice, even though Kavanaugh was confirmed. I highly recommend this memoir to anyone who cares about women and girls, is interested in how our current political system protects the powerful and connected, or simply wants to know more about who she is and why she testified.
Ford's experience of trauma, first from the assault and then from going public, is painful and answers the frequent question "why don't more women come forward?" yet she affirms that it was the right choice, even though Kavanaugh was confirmed. I highly recommend this memoir to anyone who cares about women and girls, is interested in how our current political system protects the powerful and connected, or simply wants to know more about who she is and why she testified.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
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