In TELLING: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery (Cliff Street
Books/HarperCollins Publishers; February 8, 1999, $23),
Patricia Weaver Francisco tells of her fifteen-year journey
to recognize and overcome the effects of a violent rape.
In so doing, Francisco explores key aspects of a
woman's life in the aftermath of rape -- passion,
marriage, solitude, childbirth, motherhood.
Inviting the reader into her life, Francisco draws
them into the questions raised by a crime with
no obvious solutions or easy answers. We see
the dimensions of a human struggle often kept
hidden from view. While there are an
estimated twelve million rape survivors
in the United States, rape is still
unspeakable, left out of our personal
and cultural conversation. In TELLING,
Francisco has found a language for the
secret grief carried by men and women
who have survived rape.
TELLING opens us to an experience
both common and mysterious,
wrenching and full of triumph. Describing
her fear during and after the rape in a
visceral, unforgettable style, Francisco details
the transformation of trauma into strength. This
transformation begins with learning to talk about rape, to
understand the resistance she encounters in herself and in others.
She chronicles a complex journey, both surprising and recognizable.
Aspects of her life deepen; others don't survive. She wrestles
with
spiritual despair, outrage, and a longing for justice. But with
awareness
comes the return of pleasure, hunger, and desire. She reminds
us "how
beautiful the dignity of the truth can be," and inspires
in us a desire to listen,
to know the truths that can transform our own lives. She also
gives us a clear
portrait of the tragic consequences for the survivor--and our
culture--
when we neglect this human story.
Told with grace and a soul-stirring eloquence, TELLING is, in
the end, a form of power. It will leave you with a sense of hope
and a renewed appreciation for life's possibilities. A compelling
and important book, TELLING will start the conversations
that can bring healing to the women who need it, and to their
loved ones trying to help them.
