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Maggie Hasbrouck

Goodreads Author

Born

in Pitman Nj, The United States

Website

https://www.facebook.com/MurielAvenueSluts/

Twitter

maggiehasbrouck

Genre

Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit

Member Since

July 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/maggiehasbrouck

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Maggie Hasbrouck, artist and author of the decidedly feminist novel, Muriel Avenue Sluts.

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Without asking you to elaborate, was there a more personal inspiration behind Muriel Avenue Sluts? For myself, it touched my core and left a permanent mark.

Maggie Hasbrouck Yes, Like many women and girls, rape and its after effects have impacted my life in heart breaking and profound ways. Inspired by the #metoo, I wrote …moreYes, Like many women and girls, rape and its after effects have impacted my life in heart breaking and profound ways. Inspired by the #metoo, I wrote a blog piece about one of those times—I've copied it below.

For my Grandmother, who was raped at age 79.

I was eleven years old when we got the news. It was my first life lesson about rape, and power, and what it means to be female. My grandmother had been living independently in the house she’d owned for decades, when in the middle of the night a man broke in through her basement window, entered her bedroom, and raped her. She never went back to live in her home. She moved in with my family for a short time, fell ill, and then transferred to a nursing home where she died at age 82.

So, what was my lesson? I learned that as a female, I will never be safe. Even when I am an old woman—when people ignore me, discount me because I am not pretty, or fertile, or sexually appealing—I will still be at risk of sexual assault. I will always be a potential victim.* Rape and the threat of it shapes the lives of every woman on earth, every single day. It informs where we go, and with whom, what we do, what we wear, who we trust, and even how we think of ourselves. The threat of rape is the perpetual backdrop of our social interactions, the heavy-handed warning to stay inline, the unwanted guest at every party, the noise in the night, and the prerogative of our president. One out of every three women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. The odds are not in our favor.

My grandmother did not have the buoying support of women all over the world posting #metoo. She was afraid, repulsed, traumatized, and alone. She carried the weight of her abuse inside her body until the day she died. It is for her, and the thousands of others, that I wrote my book, Muriel Avenue Sluts. It is for her that my protagonist goes to such an extreme in the face of her best friend’s sexual assault. It is for her that my character Greta is an angry, vengeful, and powerful force to be reckoned with. It is for my grandmother that I weave the mind-boggling, gut-wrenching statistics about rape into my book. One out of three women will be sexually assaulted, that’s our reality, and it’s unacceptable. **

Thanks to the brave women who have named Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and countless other abusers, the world is paying attention. But we have dangerously short attention spans.

So, in the face of unrelenting sexual harassment, assault and rape, what should we do? What can we do? The young women in my novel choose an extreme “solution,” and while I don’t condone vigilante justice—I get it. Because, what is the correct response to one out of every three women being sexually assaulted in her lifetime? What should you do if your best friend, your daughter, your mother, or grandmother is raped? What is the sane response?

I don’t have the answers, but this much I know—we can start by looking at the way we talk about rape, how the words we use put it all on women. Where are the rapists in our statistics? Who are these invisible—and thus blameless—perpetrators? They are our doctors, teachers, politicians, bosses, coaches, film stars, neighbors, soldiers, shopkeepers, fathers, and sons. Why is it that we don’t name them? Why don’t we say, men will rape one out of every three women? Let’s put the unbearable weight of rape culture squarely where it belongs.

***

For a more thorough look at sexual assault statistics and helpful resources go to Rainn.org (rape, abuse, and incest national network) or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673)

*In talking with my two sisters about my grandmother’s rape, we remembered that there was shame attached, that we didn’t talk about it. We told people that my grandmother moved in with us because she’d been robbed. Life lesson number two, rape is the collective shame of all women.
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I only received the first part of your novel to review for review group 169. Would you like to send me the entire e-book? Karen

Maggie Hasbrouck Sorry about that, I sent you a PM

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Maggie Hasbrouck’s books

Average rating: 4.18 · 116 ratings · 82 reviews · 3 distinct works

	Muriel Avenue Sluts 4.18 avg rating — 102 ratings — published 2016 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Love Like a Hurricane 3.88 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2011 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Treasure: Twenty One Paintings and a Key 4.67 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 2010	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Maggie Hasbrouck's Blog

New Adult Book Club Giveaway

For the month of September, my book Muriel Avenue Sluts is The New Adult Book Club's read it and review it giveaway!
Sign up for a free E-Copy of MURIEL AVENUE SLUTS in exchange for a honest review. Post your review on or before September 30th 2017 and be entered into a prize draw. 1 lucky winner will win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. This Giveaway is OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!
click here for more info- https: Read more of this blog post »

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Published on September 24, 2017 13:06 • Tags: giveaway

Maggie is Currently Reading

Maggie Hasbrouck is currently reading

Kiss Her Goodbye: A Psychological Thriller with a Shocking Twist

by Kirsten Mitchell (Goodreads Author)

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Maggie Hasbrouck said: " Overall: This is a fun, at times absurd, dark comedy. Despite the uneven tone, a fair amount of grammatical errors, and some clunky sentences, I was fully engaged and entertained all the way through.

Writing: The writing was a mixed bag. The story is ...more "

Jun 17, 2018 12:06PM · see review

Maggie Hasbrouck is currently reading

Here We Are

by Kelly Jensen (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 27, 2017 01:40PM

Maggie Hasbrouck is currently reading

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

by Emily M. Danforth (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 08, 2016 12:00PM

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Making Connections: 4657. - MURIEL AVENUE SLUTS by Maggie Hasbrouck	1	6	Oct 31, 2016 06:11PM
Book Review Club: BOOK REVIEW POOL #42 - CLOSED	122	84	Nov 13, 2016 01:46PM
Book Review Club: BOOK REVIEW POOL #43 - CLOSED	166	85	Nov 30, 2016 06:52AM
Book Review Club: BOOK REVIEW POOL #44 - CLOSED	65	90	Dec 03, 2016 01:24PM
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Book Review Club: Book Review Pool #50 CLOSED	53	57	Mar 12, 2017 09:19AM
Book Review Club: Book Review Pool #51 - CLOSED	134	83	Mar 26, 2017 06:53AM
Review Group: * Group 149. 18+ Mod Neil	111	93	Sep 19, 2017 07:26AM
Review Group: * Group 140 General. Mod Emma	99	115	Sep 19, 2017 07:32AM
New Adult Book Club: Maggie Hasbrouck RI&RI with Giveaway ~ CLOSED	29	63	Oct 07, 2017 02:30AM

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