Reviews

Lived Through This: Listening to the Stories of Sexual Violence Survivors by Anne K. Ream

liralen's review against another edition

4.0

Lived Through This is a collection of people's stories of sexual violence, wonderfully done in both curation and content. Ream didn't solicit individual essays but rather conducted interviews and wrote the content around those interviews, obviously aiming for a variety of experiences. It's still a little straight-white for my liking (not exclusively, but probably disproportionately), but the thing it did best, I think, was not dwell on the details. Ream generally steers clear of the what-happened-where-how-who: not that that's not important, but there are many accounts out there of people's experiences, and instead Ream contextualises them, giving us a sort of cross-section of sexual assault and its scope and impacts. It's not that she shies away from the difficult matter but more that she zeros in on the less salacious details that do not usually get enough press time. It's very thoughtfully done, obviously with an eye toward respecting the individuals whose stories lie within these pages.

sydneystein's review against another edition

3.0

The way Ream portrays survivors of sexual assault is lovely and empowering. The focus on the diverse backgrounds of her interviewees and how they coped with their trauma helps to showcase the idea that trauma is universal. Most of the profiles in this book are from educated people in powerful positions who lean toward the wealthy side of the scale, highlighting the prominence of gender-based violence in upper classes. The lack of stories from survivors of a lower socioeconomic status and the emphasis on positive outcomes post-trauma make me hesitant to revisit this book.

mckenzierichardson's review against another edition

5.0

I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.

A powerful and inspiring collection of stories from survivors of rape and sexual assault.

This is truly a remarkable work. Ream provides the stories of many survivors spanning over race, sex, age, and profession. Each story provides details into the survivor's experience, which is often difficult to read, but ends with the inspiring way each person changed due to the experience and how it influenced his or her fight against rape, sexual assault, and sexual violence.

This is an amazing work that takes each person's unique experiences and combines them to create an inspiring work of activism.

Statistic and resources are provided at the end of the book, which include sources for getting help as well as advocacy and services to fight against sexual violence.

mandi4886's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Police brutality

Moderate: Gore, Incest, Gaslighting, and Grief

Minor: Racism, Trafficking, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Stalking, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Abortion, Addiction, Cursing, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Self harm