I Never Told Anyone

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.

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.

an excellent book. As a psychotherapist who specializes in working with sexual abusers, I have found this book to be very helpful in helping clients to realize the long term effects of abuse. It is moving, and one of the best books I have read in terms of the trauma of sexual abuse

i felt alone, and the women in this book shared their experiences. i could relate to them. it helped me to see alot about myself. HIGHLY RECOMMENED. only if you are already in therapy!!!

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.