A review by notinjersey
The Girls: An All-American Town, a Predatory Doctor, and the Untold Story of the Gymnasts Who Brought Him Down by Abigail Pesta

4.0

It was honestly terrifying how these girls were groomed, lead to trust, and then abused by Larry Nassar. The author interviewed 25 of Nassar’s victims and every one of them said they didn’t know that they were being abused when it happened. Nassar was a trusted doctor who convinced the girls and their parents that what he was doing to them was a legitimate medical treatment. Because of the environment of the gym they trained in, they were taught to train through their injuries and then were turned over to Nassar for his “treatment.” When the girls talked to each other, they reassured each other that they were each getting the same treatment, so they rationalized that it had to be legit. When the girls were finally listened to, they had a chance to stand up in Nassar’s trial and give their impact statements. The judge who heard the case was truly a hero. I listened to this book on audio and my one complaint was the way the narrator read the voices of men, which annoyed me.