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Dziewczynka. Życie w cieniu Romana Polańskiego
W swoich zaskakujących wspomnieniach Samantha Geimer – "dziewczynka" ze słynnej sprawy Romana Polańskiego o gwałt – przerywa prawie trzydziestopięcioletnie milczenie, by opowiedzieć swoją historię i podzielić się przemyśleniami na temat jednego dnia i jego konsekwencji, które towarzyszą jej przez całe życie.
Marzec 1977, południowa Kalifornia. Roman Polański jedzie wypożyczonym mercedesem przez Mulholland Drive do domu Jacka Nicholsona. Obok niego siedzi trzynastoletnia Samantha, która niedawno przeprowadziła się z Yorku w Pensylwanii i marzy o karierze modelki. Niezaprzeczalne fakty na temat tego, co stało się w ciągu następnych kilku godzin, zapisane są w aktach sądowych: Polański przez długi czas robił Samancie zdjęcia – na tarasie z widokiem na Hollywood Hills, na blacie kuchennym, topless w jacuzzi. Szampan i narkotyki, utracona równowaga i niewinność oraz na zawsze odmienione życie dziewczynki, która we własnej historii została osadzona jako postać drugoplanowa.
Sprawa Polańskiego przez długie miesiące królowała w mediach całego świata, jednak pomimo licznych artykułów wiele detali na temat wydarzeń tamtego dnia – i dziewczynki, która była w ich centrum – pozostaje tajemnicą. Kto był drapieżcą? A kto ofiarą? Czy Samantha była niewinną dziewczynką czy sprytną lolitką, której działaniami kierowała marząca o karierze matka? Jakim cudem system sądowy zawiódł wszystkie strony zaangażowane w sprawę? A gdy Polański uciekł ze Stanów, co stało się z Samanthą, dziewczynką na zawsze już powiązaną z jednym z najbardziej niesławnych epizodów w historii Hollywood? Podobnie jak Polański, Samantha także od ponad trzydziestu lat była zbiegiem.
Dziewczynka prowadzi nas daleko poza nagłówki prasowe i ukazuje trzynastolatkę, która była jednocześnie nad wiek mądra i niezwykle wrażliwa. Opowiadając po raz pierwszy swoją historię, Samantha Geimer odzyskuje własną tożsamość i dowodzi niepodważalnie, że ofiara może odnieść zwycięstwo nad niepewnością i wstydem.
Marzec 1977, południowa Kalifornia. Roman Polański jedzie wypożyczonym mercedesem przez Mulholland Drive do domu Jacka Nicholsona. Obok niego siedzi trzynastoletnia Samantha, która niedawno przeprowadziła się z Yorku w Pensylwanii i marzy o karierze modelki. Niezaprzeczalne fakty na temat tego, co stało się w ciągu następnych kilku godzin, zapisane są w aktach sądowych: Polański przez długi czas robił Samancie zdjęcia – na tarasie z widokiem na Hollywood Hills, na blacie kuchennym, topless w jacuzzi. Szampan i narkotyki, utracona równowaga i niewinność oraz na zawsze odmienione życie dziewczynki, która we własnej historii została osadzona jako postać drugoplanowa.
Sprawa Polańskiego przez długie miesiące królowała w mediach całego świata, jednak pomimo licznych artykułów wiele detali na temat wydarzeń tamtego dnia – i dziewczynki, która była w ich centrum – pozostaje tajemnicą. Kto był drapieżcą? A kto ofiarą? Czy Samantha była niewinną dziewczynką czy sprytną lolitką, której działaniami kierowała marząca o karierze matka? Jakim cudem system sądowy zawiódł wszystkie strony zaangażowane w sprawę? A gdy Polański uciekł ze Stanów, co stało się z Samanthą, dziewczynką na zawsze już powiązaną z jednym z najbardziej niesławnych epizodów w historii Hollywood? Podobnie jak Polański, Samantha także od ponad trzydziestu lat była zbiegiem.
Dziewczynka prowadzi nas daleko poza nagłówki prasowe i ukazuje trzynastolatkę, która była jednocześnie nad wiek mądra i niezwykle wrażliwa. Opowiadając po raz pierwszy swoją historię, Samantha Geimer odzyskuje własną tożsamość i dowodzi niepodważalnie, że ofiara może odnieść zwycięstwo nad niepewnością i wstydem.
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 17, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
November 12, 2013
Samantha Geimer is incredibly brave, and I admire her so much for telling her story and reclaiming her voice after having it so repeatedly taken from her over the years.
However, I was disturbed to read the moments in which she slips into victim-blaming, judging the veracity of other survivors and employing some of the same arguments (it was a different, more lenient time; sometimes things are just misunderstandings; maybe they're coming forward for the publicity, etc) that were used against her. Internalized victim blaming is a very real thing, and I have so much sympathy for that, but I cannot accept her judgments on other survivors.
She also becomes very prescriptive towards the end - I would never, ever judge the way she chooses to think about or cope with her own situation, and if has forgiven her perpetrator or let the experiences go (whatever that means to her; there are a lot of different things that could mean) then there is nothing at all wrong with that and I am glad that those are meaningful choices which allow her to feel at peace with what happened. But she doesn't get to say that this is what everyone should do, that people who are still angry at their assaulters or feel that their trauma has fundamentally altered their perception of their selves and their lives are somehow behaving wrongly. No one, not even a fellow survivor, can decide what healing means.
However, I was disturbed to read the moments in which she slips into victim-blaming, judging the veracity of other survivors and employing some of the same arguments (it was a different, more lenient time; sometimes things are just misunderstandings; maybe they're coming forward for the publicity, etc) that were used against her. Internalized victim blaming is a very real thing, and I have so much sympathy for that, but I cannot accept her judgments on other survivors.
She also becomes very prescriptive towards the end - I would never, ever judge the way she chooses to think about or cope with her own situation, and if has forgiven her perpetrator or let the experiences go (whatever that means to her; there are a lot of different things that could mean) then there is nothing at all wrong with that and I am glad that those are meaningful choices which allow her to feel at peace with what happened. But she doesn't get to say that this is what everyone should do, that people who are still angry at their assaulters or feel that their trauma has fundamentally altered their perception of their selves and their lives are somehow behaving wrongly. No one, not even a fellow survivor, can decide what healing means.
August 9, 2016
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Since 1977 people have speculated about what really happened to “The Girl” Roman Polanski took to Jack Nicholson’s house. Was she a willing participant? Did her mother hand to over in order to advance her own/her husband’s/her daughter’s career? Was Polanski a predator who focused on young girls? Thirty-five years after that fateful trip up Mulholland Drive, Samantha Geimer (“The Girl”) finally tells the story in her own words.
That voyeuristic part that resides inside me has always been fascinated by this story. I mean, a man who has spent my entire life in exile has to be guilty, right? On the other hand, a girl who has never spoken out about her experience might have been a pawn in the situation and set up to be Polanski’s “Lolita”. Geimer does an excellent job breaking her silence. In her own words: “We’ve all done something in our lives we regret, something that is stupid; or something awful and stupid is done to us. For 90 percent of these situations, there comes a time when you need to let it go – unless you don’t want to. And then, in a sense, it’s your problem.” With the years so far removed, the happiness she has found in her adult life and the punishment Polanski has endured from the court of public opinion, Geimer has been left with the ability to tell her story in a very matter-of-fact way. And what a story it is – still completely horrifying/fascinating. I couldn’t put it down.
And what a remarkable woman Geimer has become. Although very much an innocent party to this entire ordeal (say what you want about the mother/others involved, at 13 Geimer was a CHILD and Polanski a 43 year old man who should have known better), she never plays a “woe is me” card in this novel. She sticks to the facts, maintaining her belief that Polanski’s punishment at the time of the rape was sufficient, is candid about the rough road she took through her remaining childhood, and finally tells of how she was able to heal and move on. As she says “The word victim comes from the Latin word meaning the person or animal sacrificed for some religious purpose. Over time it’s developed to mean a person who suffers from an accident or incident that leaves them injured and compromised in some way. I imagine it must be terrible to be a victim.”
Since 1977 people have speculated about what really happened to “The Girl” Roman Polanski took to Jack Nicholson’s house. Was she a willing participant? Did her mother hand to over in order to advance her own/her husband’s/her daughter’s career? Was Polanski a predator who focused on young girls? Thirty-five years after that fateful trip up Mulholland Drive, Samantha Geimer (“The Girl”) finally tells the story in her own words.
That voyeuristic part that resides inside me has always been fascinated by this story. I mean, a man who has spent my entire life in exile has to be guilty, right? On the other hand, a girl who has never spoken out about her experience might have been a pawn in the situation and set up to be Polanski’s “Lolita”. Geimer does an excellent job breaking her silence. In her own words: “We’ve all done something in our lives we regret, something that is stupid; or something awful and stupid is done to us. For 90 percent of these situations, there comes a time when you need to let it go – unless you don’t want to. And then, in a sense, it’s your problem.” With the years so far removed, the happiness she has found in her adult life and the punishment Polanski has endured from the court of public opinion, Geimer has been left with the ability to tell her story in a very matter-of-fact way. And what a story it is – still completely horrifying/fascinating. I couldn’t put it down.
And what a remarkable woman Geimer has become. Although very much an innocent party to this entire ordeal (say what you want about the mother/others involved, at 13 Geimer was a CHILD and Polanski a 43 year old man who should have known better), she never plays a “woe is me” card in this novel. She sticks to the facts, maintaining her belief that Polanski’s punishment at the time of the rape was sufficient, is candid about the rough road she took through her remaining childhood, and finally tells of how she was able to heal and move on. As she says “The word victim comes from the Latin word meaning the person or animal sacrificed for some religious purpose. Over time it’s developed to mean a person who suffers from an accident or incident that leaves them injured and compromised in some way. I imagine it must be terrible to be a victim.”
March 17, 2020
I loved many of Roman Polanski's early movies - Chinatown is still my all-time favorite movie. I was 22 in 1977, and remember all of the horrible things about Roman Polanski's raping a 13-year-old girl, fleeing the country, and all of the many years this continued on in the news. And I always wondered about "The Girl". It seemed to me that Roman got off easy, living a high lifestyle in his various mansions around Europe and still able to make all the movies he wanted. I wondered about all of this for a very long time, and over the years forgot about it. When I saw this book had been released, I got a copy as soon as I could and read it in one day. Was Samantha's life forever affected by this one awful event? Yes, but not in the way you'd think. The rape itself was nowhere near as traumatic a thing compared to what she has gone through for the last 35 years with the media's non-stop hounding of her and her family. This is a sad and awful story, but ultimately, forgiving and redeeming. Thank you, Samantha, for finally sharing your story. I hope you now have peace in your life.
September 30, 2015
Wow, just wow. What did I just read? Several hundred pages in which the author blames everyone but her rapist for the messy stuff that happens as a result of her rape? Why is she so quick to forgive Polanski but holds grudges against the media and the justice system? I understand her desire to put it all past her and live a normal life, but it was Polanski who robbed her of her normalcy, and it is Polanski who still evades justice. Infuriating. Heartbreaking. And fascinating. I'm glad I read it, but boy did it hit a nerve.
September 21, 2013
I could not wait to read this book, due to my long, complicated, imaginary relationship with Roman Polanski. I can't remember which came first, in a chicken or egg way: did I read Helter Skelter first (I think I was in tenth grade), or see a picture of Polanski in US Weekly or Newsweek (the two magazines my parents subscribed to in the early 80s, both of which were a formative part of my growing up), and seeing how cute he was (no kidding; his tiny, elfin foreignness was like catnip to my teenage self) go backward and read his memoir, then HS? I know I read his memoir in high school, too. Back then, I was probably even jealous of Samantha Geimer, as horrible as it sounds; I thought she was lucky to get attention from him, and the way he explained it in his book sounded way more consensual than the facts. I even took a quarter of Polish in college because of Roman Polanski.
As many years have passed, and I've grown up and gotten some sense, my thoughts have on this have changed. But I was also one of those people who blamed Geimer's mother as much as, if not more than, Polanski. What kind of idiot lets her teenage daughter have a photo session ALONE with a middle-aged man? Of course this European man, whose mother died in a concentration camp and whose pregnant wife was killed by the Manson Family, is dead inside and decadent, and again, European, where the cliche says it's okay to fuck little girls. The Aesop's Fable of the scorpion and the frog comes to mind.
This book (and the 2008 documentary "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired") has changed my opinion again. When Samantha Geimer details her rape by Polanski, it is clear that it is not consensual at all; she is no Lolita. She is a naive teen, using lies and bravado to seem more mature than her years, and finding herself in a situation where her "no's" aren't heard and she has no choice but to disassociate from her body and hope it's over quickly. Her mother is not some scheming pimp/stage mother, but is also trusting (How could a famous, respected director be a bad person?) and is full of anger, regret, and guilt once she realizes what has happened to her daughter. In the aftermath of the rape and prosecution, Geimer's life is reminiscent of the Jodie Foster/Cherie Currie movie "Foxes"--a whirl of sex, drinking and drugs. It's the classic seventies teenage nightmare, and it's also a more innocent (and more decadent) time than we live in today.
Geimer clearly doesn't want to see herself as a victim, at least not of Polanski. After many dark years, she has made a happy life for herself in Hawaii. A lot of readers may even be angry with her for not excoriating her rapist, but she refuses, while saying what he did was wrong. She does, however, paint herself as a victim of the press and the justice system. The case was bungled by a media-obsessed judge, whose rumored change of mind led Polanski to flee rather than be sentenced to up to 50 years in jail, after a plea deal had been worked out by the prosecution and the defense. Since then, every time he has been in the news, for winning an Academy Award, or being arrested in Switzerland in 2009 after a zealous Los Angeles district attorney tried to stir things up again, Geimer's house has been stalked and surrounded by reporters who clamor for a sound bite or opinion. Nancy Grace and Phil McGraw, those vultures of crime, have both tried to lure her to their horrible shows. The back third of the book bogs down in Geimer's railing against "justice" and the media, and is only enlivened with the inclusion of a note written to her by Polanski in 2009, in which he apologizes and takes full responsibility for his actions.
I wish Geimer well, and I hope people remember that she is allowed to feel about this any way she wants. It is HER story.
A follow up documentary, detailing the Switzerland arrest, is soon to debut on Showtime. I can't wait.
As many years have passed, and I've grown up and gotten some sense, my thoughts have on this have changed. But I was also one of those people who blamed Geimer's mother as much as, if not more than, Polanski. What kind of idiot lets her teenage daughter have a photo session ALONE with a middle-aged man? Of course this European man, whose mother died in a concentration camp and whose pregnant wife was killed by the Manson Family, is dead inside and decadent, and again, European, where the cliche says it's okay to fuck little girls. The Aesop's Fable of the scorpion and the frog comes to mind.
This book (and the 2008 documentary "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired") has changed my opinion again. When Samantha Geimer details her rape by Polanski, it is clear that it is not consensual at all; she is no Lolita. She is a naive teen, using lies and bravado to seem more mature than her years, and finding herself in a situation where her "no's" aren't heard and she has no choice but to disassociate from her body and hope it's over quickly. Her mother is not some scheming pimp/stage mother, but is also trusting (How could a famous, respected director be a bad person?) and is full of anger, regret, and guilt once she realizes what has happened to her daughter. In the aftermath of the rape and prosecution, Geimer's life is reminiscent of the Jodie Foster/Cherie Currie movie "Foxes"--a whirl of sex, drinking and drugs. It's the classic seventies teenage nightmare, and it's also a more innocent (and more decadent) time than we live in today.
Geimer clearly doesn't want to see herself as a victim, at least not of Polanski. After many dark years, she has made a happy life for herself in Hawaii. A lot of readers may even be angry with her for not excoriating her rapist, but she refuses, while saying what he did was wrong. She does, however, paint herself as a victim of the press and the justice system. The case was bungled by a media-obsessed judge, whose rumored change of mind led Polanski to flee rather than be sentenced to up to 50 years in jail, after a plea deal had been worked out by the prosecution and the defense. Since then, every time he has been in the news, for winning an Academy Award, or being arrested in Switzerland in 2009 after a zealous Los Angeles district attorney tried to stir things up again, Geimer's house has been stalked and surrounded by reporters who clamor for a sound bite or opinion. Nancy Grace and Phil McGraw, those vultures of crime, have both tried to lure her to their horrible shows. The back third of the book bogs down in Geimer's railing against "justice" and the media, and is only enlivened with the inclusion of a note written to her by Polanski in 2009, in which he apologizes and takes full responsibility for his actions.
I wish Geimer well, and I hope people remember that she is allowed to feel about this any way she wants. It is HER story.
A follow up documentary, detailing the Switzerland arrest, is soon to debut on Showtime. I can't wait.
September 1, 2013
2.5 stars. I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. It was sent by Atria Books.
This book is, on one hand, completely fascinating. As someone who was not terribly familiar with the Polanski case other than in the broadest of terms (and someone who somewhat sheepishly loves US Weekly), I found the events themselves riveting, and I could not put it down for the entire first half (I read the entire book in one day). The first half reads somewhat like a long US Weekly interview.
On the other hand, the further into the book I read, the less I was able to like the author's voice-- the theme is overwhelmingly that she sees herself as a survivor, not a victim; however the bulk of the second half of the book is about how she and her family have been repeatedly victimized by the media and the justice system. Her anger, not toward Polanski, but toward the press and the legal system, is so palpable. Because of that tone of anger, the end of the book feels like it lacks any closure. I wonder if Geimer's lifelong desire for privacy has made her memoir less sympathetic, as she writes very little about any happiness in her life, and I hope that is because she doesn't want to share that part of her life with the world, and not because she continues to be as angry and unhappy as the tone of this memoir makes her out to be.
This book is, on one hand, completely fascinating. As someone who was not terribly familiar with the Polanski case other than in the broadest of terms (and someone who somewhat sheepishly loves US Weekly), I found the events themselves riveting, and I could not put it down for the entire first half (I read the entire book in one day). The first half reads somewhat like a long US Weekly interview.
On the other hand, the further into the book I read, the less I was able to like the author's voice-- the theme is overwhelmingly that she sees herself as a survivor, not a victim; however the bulk of the second half of the book is about how she and her family have been repeatedly victimized by the media and the justice system. Her anger, not toward Polanski, but toward the press and the legal system, is so palpable. Because of that tone of anger, the end of the book feels like it lacks any closure. I wonder if Geimer's lifelong desire for privacy has made her memoir less sympathetic, as she writes very little about any happiness in her life, and I hope that is because she doesn't want to share that part of her life with the world, and not because she continues to be as angry and unhappy as the tone of this memoir makes her out to be.
May 7, 2022
This is a hard one to rate and review.
On the one hand, it was a super quick read and I commend Samantha for finally telling her story. On the other hand, it was weirdly apologetic towards Roman, and she was really quick to dismiss other rape survivors. She even belittled some of them for not coming forward sooner, which really rubbed me the wrong way.
On the one hand, it was a super quick read and I commend Samantha for finally telling her story. On the other hand, it was weirdly apologetic towards Roman, and she was really quick to dismiss other rape survivors. She even belittled some of them for not coming forward sooner, which really rubbed me the wrong way.
December 8, 2013
"The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski" is powerful. Samantha Geimer has a "tell it like it is" voice and comes right to the point. Her story is compelling and strongly told. After so many years she says it her way. This book stayed with me for a long time.
August 23, 2019
If you wonder why we need MeToo and the ability of victims to be allowed to tell their stories without being shouted down, just look at how Geimer, a child, was treated in court during the hearing of the Polanski rape case.
July 28, 2023
stima e rispetto infiniti per una donna che si riprende la sua storia, il suo nome, il suo diritto di parola, rivelando sotterfugi e dettagli dietro le quinte probabilmente mai emersi di una delle storie più chiacchierate di sempre (non lo so, prima di leggere questo sapevo la storia a grossissime linee, ma pure se fosse stato già tutto noto poco cambia, kudos per Geimer).
però gli scivoloni della seconda parte, in cui l'autrice con una nonchalance agghiacciante ribalta le stesse accuse e gli stessi "epperò" di cui era terrorizzata lei da ragazza sulle altre donne che si sono fatte avanti denunciando le molestie di Polanski, quella roba no, per favore. se l'hai perdonato cazzi tuoi, buon per il tuo karma se ci credi, ciao, ma metter bocca sui traumi degli altri? dire ad altre vittime cosa dovrebbero o non dovrebbero fare? eddai. meno. molto meno.
vorrei un'appendice in cui mi spiega perché Polanski lo stupratore si merita tutto il perdono del mondo ma il sistema giudiziario e i media no. per carità, hanno fatto schifo alla grande pure loro, ma onesta, non capisco. so che non è una cosa logica ma. boh. meglio che mi taccio.
però gli scivoloni della seconda parte, in cui l'autrice con una nonchalance agghiacciante ribalta le stesse accuse e gli stessi "epperò" di cui era terrorizzata lei da ragazza sulle altre donne che si sono fatte avanti denunciando le molestie di Polanski, quella roba no, per favore. se l'hai perdonato cazzi tuoi, buon per il tuo karma se ci credi, ciao, ma metter bocca sui traumi degli altri? dire ad altre vittime cosa dovrebbero o non dovrebbero fare? eddai. meno. molto meno.
vorrei un'appendice in cui mi spiega perché Polanski lo stupratore si merita tutto il perdono del mondo ma il sistema giudiziario e i media no. per carità, hanno fatto schifo alla grande pure loro, ma onesta, non capisco. so che non è una cosa logica ma. boh. meglio che mi taccio.
September 6, 2016
This book falls into a category that seems to be one I like to dip into a lot. It's a well-written story of a horrible crime. Samantha Gailey is two weeks younger than I am. When she was 13 she was raped by director Roman Polanski in the home of Jack Nicholson.
Samantha desperately wanted to keep her anonymity and continue on with her life. Her family and lawyer were in favor of Polanski receiving a light sentence in a plea bargain. No one wanted young Samantha to be forced to testify and face the news media in a salacious trial. Unfortunately, the judge went back on his word, Polanski scared of a harsh prison sentence skipped the country. Because of these events Samantha's case has been in the public eye for almost 40 years. What a nightmare for her!
Now, I'm going to veer into the personal, since I keep this goodreads to tell what I think about when I read these books. I tried to put this as a private note, but it was too long so I guess I have to publicly post it if I want to keep what I wrote, and I do. So, If you read this part, please don't try to guess what I'm talking about, because I'm not going to be specific. I'm not going to say if I'm talking about rape, beatings, neglect, dog whippings or unfun birthday parties. Maybe I'm not writing about anything personal at all and I'm just extrapolating. So don't ask what this is about, because I'm not going to answer you. Better yet, don't read it because it's really only for me and you're snooping! So, here's the hidden part of my review that goodreads wouldn't let me hide:
I respect that Samantha never lets Polanski off the hook. Being the same age as she is, I know that society was more accepting of pedophilia and rapists in that era. I understand that she just wants to move ahead with her life and forget what happened. I do wonder from my own personal experience if at some point in the future she'll experience more anger. I know that when I was young it was important for me to move ahead and not dwell on the unpleasantness of my childhood. I wanted to be perceived as a "nice girl", so I moved ahead and never told anyone what happened to me. I thought it was best to just move forward. I figured good girls smile and don't discuss nasty things. I prided myself as being tougher than others. Then one day I realized that I couldn't just nostalgically talk about my childhood like most people. I would just become angry. I found out that I hadn't really moved on. I had repressed all my feelings and was absolutely furious. I still haven't resolved my issues. I probably never will. Samantha seems well-adjusted and had a supportive family and lawyer. I hope she has come to terms with everything that has happened to her. I also think Roman Polanski is a creep who should not have run away from justice.
Samantha desperately wanted to keep her anonymity and continue on with her life. Her family and lawyer were in favor of Polanski receiving a light sentence in a plea bargain. No one wanted young Samantha to be forced to testify and face the news media in a salacious trial. Unfortunately, the judge went back on his word, Polanski scared of a harsh prison sentence skipped the country. Because of these events Samantha's case has been in the public eye for almost 40 years. What a nightmare for her!
Now, I'm going to veer into the personal, since I keep this goodreads to tell what I think about when I read these books. I tried to put this as a private note, but it was too long so I guess I have to publicly post it if I want to keep what I wrote, and I do. So, If you read this part, please don't try to guess what I'm talking about, because I'm not going to be specific. I'm not going to say if I'm talking about rape, beatings, neglect, dog whippings or unfun birthday parties. Maybe I'm not writing about anything personal at all and I'm just extrapolating. So don't ask what this is about, because I'm not going to answer you. Better yet, don't read it because it's really only for me and you're snooping! So, here's the hidden part of my review that goodreads wouldn't let me hide:
I respect that Samantha never lets Polanski off the hook. Being the same age as she is, I know that society was more accepting of pedophilia and rapists in that era. I understand that she just wants to move ahead with her life and forget what happened. I do wonder from my own personal experience if at some point in the future she'll experience more anger. I know that when I was young it was important for me to move ahead and not dwell on the unpleasantness of my childhood. I wanted to be perceived as a "nice girl", so I moved ahead and never told anyone what happened to me. I thought it was best to just move forward. I figured good girls smile and don't discuss nasty things. I prided myself as being tougher than others. Then one day I realized that I couldn't just nostalgically talk about my childhood like most people. I would just become angry. I found out that I hadn't really moved on. I had repressed all my feelings and was absolutely furious. I still haven't resolved my issues. I probably never will. Samantha seems well-adjusted and had a supportive family and lawyer. I hope she has come to terms with everything that has happened to her. I also think Roman Polanski is a creep who should not have run away from justice.
October 15, 2013
Somewhat interesting; not the best writing.
September 18, 2013
From the time I began studying creative nonfiction as a Master of Arts candidate at Goucher College, I was convinced that the ancient genre, discovered anew in the last few decades, was going to give voice to the voiceless.
Unrepresented and under-represented populations, whose lives traditionally were subject to the interpretation and translation of writers and journalists, would now have the tools and skills to speak their own truth, without intermediaries.
Some people jumped on the opportunities quickly. Roman Polanski was one. He belonged to two under-represented populations: famous Hollywood directors ("Rosemary's Bsby," "Chinatown," and "The Pianist," among others) and men whose wives were killed by the Manson crime 'family." I don't suppose he had much trouble deciding to sell his story.
Samantha Geimer is from a different population. She was the girl who, at age thirteen in March, 1977, was fed Champagne and Quaaludes by Roman Polanski before he raped and sodomized her. How young a thirteen-year-old was she? Young enough that she wasn't wearing a bra because she didn't need one.
For more than thirty years, Geimer, her family, and her attorneys fought for her privacy. They went so far as to agree to a plea deal that would save her from having to testify and save Polanski from a long prison term. A publicity-hungry judge altered everyone's plans, and the director fled the country to avoid prosecution. When he was finally arrested and jailed for his crimes in September, 2009, in September, the story blazed up again. Everybody had an opinion. Finally, Geimer decided it was time to share hers.
If you want sensationalized, over-hyped Hollywood blather, you won't find it in Geimer's book. She's not grinding axes. For instance, she thought Polanski's Academy Award nomination for "The Pianist" should be decided based on the quality of the film rather than the quality of his character. Further, she thought his arrest in 2009 served no purpose.
Geimer writes calmly, capturing well the air-headed stupidity a thirteen-year-old can achieve in a situation outside her scope of understanding, the not-unexpected volatility of her relationships as a teenager and young adult; and the gradual maturation that gave her the stability and the power to choose to tell her own story her own way. It's a good and right thing to learn the story from the person most injured by the events.
It's also a good and right thing to be reminded that people of celebrity and power will sometimes throw children and their protective parents under the bus to keep themselves or their friends out of jail. Regular people do that, too; but they're easier to ignore.
P. S. I'm required to tell you that Atria Books sent me a free Advanced Uncorrected Proof of this book after I indicated on GoodReads that I'd like to read it. Perhaps my opinion is influenced as a result, but given that I can check books out of the public library for free every day of my life, I doubt it.
Unrepresented and under-represented populations, whose lives traditionally were subject to the interpretation and translation of writers and journalists, would now have the tools and skills to speak their own truth, without intermediaries.
Some people jumped on the opportunities quickly. Roman Polanski was one. He belonged to two under-represented populations: famous Hollywood directors ("Rosemary's Bsby," "Chinatown," and "The Pianist," among others) and men whose wives were killed by the Manson crime 'family." I don't suppose he had much trouble deciding to sell his story.
Samantha Geimer is from a different population. She was the girl who, at age thirteen in March, 1977, was fed Champagne and Quaaludes by Roman Polanski before he raped and sodomized her. How young a thirteen-year-old was she? Young enough that she wasn't wearing a bra because she didn't need one.
For more than thirty years, Geimer, her family, and her attorneys fought for her privacy. They went so far as to agree to a plea deal that would save her from having to testify and save Polanski from a long prison term. A publicity-hungry judge altered everyone's plans, and the director fled the country to avoid prosecution. When he was finally arrested and jailed for his crimes in September, 2009, in September, the story blazed up again. Everybody had an opinion. Finally, Geimer decided it was time to share hers.
If you want sensationalized, over-hyped Hollywood blather, you won't find it in Geimer's book. She's not grinding axes. For instance, she thought Polanski's Academy Award nomination for "The Pianist" should be decided based on the quality of the film rather than the quality of his character. Further, she thought his arrest in 2009 served no purpose.
Geimer writes calmly, capturing well the air-headed stupidity a thirteen-year-old can achieve in a situation outside her scope of understanding, the not-unexpected volatility of her relationships as a teenager and young adult; and the gradual maturation that gave her the stability and the power to choose to tell her own story her own way. It's a good and right thing to learn the story from the person most injured by the events.
It's also a good and right thing to be reminded that people of celebrity and power will sometimes throw children and their protective parents under the bus to keep themselves or their friends out of jail. Regular people do that, too; but they're easier to ignore.
P. S. I'm required to tell you that Atria Books sent me a free Advanced Uncorrected Proof of this book after I indicated on GoodReads that I'd like to read it. Perhaps my opinion is influenced as a result, but given that I can check books out of the public library for free every day of my life, I doubt it.
October 13, 2013
I received a free copy of this book from the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway program. In fact, the copy I received was an "advanced uncorrected proof", so it did not have an image on the cover or any photos inside.
I have yet to see a Roman Polanski film, but I know quite a bit about him. After learning about the Manson family's murder of Sharon Tate, I became interested in her famous widowed husband, trying to imagine what it would be like to have your wife and unborn child ruthlessly slain in your own home. I knew Polanski had committed a rape and fled the country, but as all of it happened before I was born, I didn't know the details.
The first half of this book recounts Geimer's childhood and the rape itself. The story is well-told, although I would have appreciated even more insight into Geimer's psyche and the effects of the rape. The first half is structured and flows logically, and Geimer tells the story well. However, it is in the second half that the book starts to fall apart.
The second half of the book includes excerpts from articles and even from Polanski's autobiography, focusing on the failure of the justice system and the abuse by the media. Geimer does not like to be referred to as a victim, but reading her story one can't help but feel she has been victimized. Being raped is undoubtedly a horrible thing, but being raped by someone famous and being in the limelight for thirty-five years, and being blamed for being raped, is disgusting. Geimer is clearly frustrated, and she should be, but that frustration comes out in the second half as a long rant.
I would have appreciated a better structure in the second half. I agree with Geimer that the American justice system needs to change, that there is something wrong with how many victims are treated in this country (especially rape victims), and that celebrities should never be above the law. I think Geimer makes some important arguments, but it is difficult to understand Geimer's point when her contentions jump around without much structure.
Overall, I would give this book 2.5 stars.
I have yet to see a Roman Polanski film, but I know quite a bit about him. After learning about the Manson family's murder of Sharon Tate, I became interested in her famous widowed husband, trying to imagine what it would be like to have your wife and unborn child ruthlessly slain in your own home. I knew Polanski had committed a rape and fled the country, but as all of it happened before I was born, I didn't know the details.
The first half of this book recounts Geimer's childhood and the rape itself. The story is well-told, although I would have appreciated even more insight into Geimer's psyche and the effects of the rape. The first half is structured and flows logically, and Geimer tells the story well. However, it is in the second half that the book starts to fall apart.
The second half of the book includes excerpts from articles and even from Polanski's autobiography, focusing on the failure of the justice system and the abuse by the media. Geimer does not like to be referred to as a victim, but reading her story one can't help but feel she has been victimized. Being raped is undoubtedly a horrible thing, but being raped by someone famous and being in the limelight for thirty-five years, and being blamed for being raped, is disgusting. Geimer is clearly frustrated, and she should be, but that frustration comes out in the second half as a long rant.
I would have appreciated a better structure in the second half. I agree with Geimer that the American justice system needs to change, that there is something wrong with how many victims are treated in this country (especially rape victims), and that celebrities should never be above the law. I think Geimer makes some important arguments, but it is difficult to understand Geimer's point when her contentions jump around without much structure.
Overall, I would give this book 2.5 stars.
June 22, 2019
Naturally, a very disturbing read. I cannot imagine what her life has been like since the incident, but she works hard to paint a picture of what she has gone through.
However, she begins to lose me when she starts denigrating other women who came forward against Polanski. After spending the first half of the book explaining the horror she went through thanks to the courts and the media, she mocks these women and asks why they didn’t come forward sooner. She, in fact, calls them liars and sluts and everything else that she was so upset that people called her & her mother at the time (& still do, now). How exactly does that work?
& then, later, talks about feeling sorry for other young victims in the news, for the harassment they will endure. She picks her victims with which to sympathize, I guess.
It’s obvious she has very pointed ideas about forgiveness and justice and fairness, honed through her experience, for which I cannot really fault her. It is also obvious that this book was written in part to help her talk about victims’ right (& make no mistake—I believe her story one hundred percent). All that being said, she begins to conflate her forgiveness of Polanski (which is ENTIRELY within her own domain & is her right) with his forgiveness by the criminal justice system. Truthfully, I am not certain how I feel about that. While I understand why she wants him forgiven so that she never has to hear about it again, what message does that send to other rapists of thirteen-year-olds (especially famous people such as Polanski)?
In any case, I would recommend it for sure. I know I will be thinking about everything she said for a while.
However, she begins to lose me when she starts denigrating other women who came forward against Polanski. After spending the first half of the book explaining the horror she went through thanks to the courts and the media, she mocks these women and asks why they didn’t come forward sooner. She, in fact, calls them liars and sluts and everything else that she was so upset that people called her & her mother at the time (& still do, now). How exactly does that work?
& then, later, talks about feeling sorry for other young victims in the news, for the harassment they will endure. She picks her victims with which to sympathize, I guess.
It’s obvious she has very pointed ideas about forgiveness and justice and fairness, honed through her experience, for which I cannot really fault her. It is also obvious that this book was written in part to help her talk about victims’ right (& make no mistake—I believe her story one hundred percent). All that being said, she begins to conflate her forgiveness of Polanski (which is ENTIRELY within her own domain & is her right) with his forgiveness by the criminal justice system. Truthfully, I am not certain how I feel about that. While I understand why she wants him forgiven so that she never has to hear about it again, what message does that send to other rapists of thirteen-year-olds (especially famous people such as Polanski)?
In any case, I would recommend it for sure. I know I will be thinking about everything she said for a while.
August 27, 2019
The more Geimer wrote, the less I liked her. Her opinions on rape victims are unpleasant. Those who cope differently or ‘less well’ with their experience are dismissed as some kind of professional cry babies, victimising themselves for attention and to satisfy the misery machine around them. I’d have liked to see some compassion for her fellow women, rather than largely suggesting they should move on and forget about it.
The letter she wrote to a teenage sexual assault victim was distasteful. Jane Doe has probably never heard of Roman Polanski and at such a horrendous time, I doubt she’s comforted by having her and her family’s pain minimised by a woman she doesn’t even know. It was all about me, me, me.
There was much hypocrisy too in those last chapters. Pleading repeatedly and loudly for privacy because she wants the media to go away, yet popping up in op-eds and TV appearances and agreeing to be paid $80,000 for a newspaper interview, before cancelling as she didn’t like its caveat. She’s there when a documentary about the case has its premiere and then she writes a book. That’s not begging to be left alone. Her lawyer claims Polanski sought to profit from the case by writing his memoirs. If she and her legal and publishing team can’t see the irony there, they need to look it up.
Despite his proven crime, I came away with more sympathy for Polanski than for Geimer (at least his letter of apology was sincere). That’s surely an indication of how annoyed she made me.
The letter she wrote to a teenage sexual assault victim was distasteful. Jane Doe has probably never heard of Roman Polanski and at such a horrendous time, I doubt she’s comforted by having her and her family’s pain minimised by a woman she doesn’t even know. It was all about me, me, me.
There was much hypocrisy too in those last chapters. Pleading repeatedly and loudly for privacy because she wants the media to go away, yet popping up in op-eds and TV appearances and agreeing to be paid $80,000 for a newspaper interview, before cancelling as she didn’t like its caveat. She’s there when a documentary about the case has its premiere and then she writes a book. That’s not begging to be left alone. Her lawyer claims Polanski sought to profit from the case by writing his memoirs. If she and her legal and publishing team can’t see the irony there, they need to look it up.
Despite his proven crime, I came away with more sympathy for Polanski than for Geimer (at least his letter of apology was sincere). That’s surely an indication of how annoyed she made me.
January 28, 2024
Memoirs like these are tough to review. Geimer was the victim of a traumatic crime, and criminal justice irregularities and a media circus have followed her for 40 years since. Her feelings are valid and she's entitled to her opinions. But much of the perspective she shares is toxic. She is a product of both her time and her trauma, and I was sorry to read her direct her wrath towards literally everyone but the man who raped her. In one breath she expresses outrage towards those people who doubted her accusations and assumed she was lying for fame and money, and in the next she suggests that other girls and women who accused Polanski of rape were lying themselves. She is understandably sensitive about being seen as a "victim," but it leads her to suggest to survivors who reach out to her that their struggles are their own fault. Geimer has lived experience, but I'm skeptical about her familiarity with research in the science of trauma and healing outcomes. The most valuable part of the book for me was the insight into attitudes toward children's sexuality in Hollywood in the 70's. And having worked in the court system for many years, I found the unethical and ego-driven conduct of the original judge on the case outrageous and abhorrent. Rounded up.
November 28, 2013
http://xoxoxoe.blogspot.com/2013/11/t...
"The Girl is a fast and compelling read, but it doesn't provide any easy answers. The case, even after all these years, is far from closed. Geimer points out that Polanski the artist, the director of such classic films as Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, and The Pianist, should be viewed separately from the horny man with a taste for young girls. Many people are able and willing to do that, but there are just as many who aren't."
"The Girl is a fast and compelling read, but it doesn't provide any easy answers. The case, even after all these years, is far from closed. Geimer points out that Polanski the artist, the director of such classic films as Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, and The Pianist, should be viewed separately from the horny man with a taste for young girls. Many people are able and willing to do that, but there are just as many who aren't."
June 9, 2025
z jednej strony uwazam, ze autorka jest niesamowicie odważna opowiadając cala swoja historie światu, z drugiej strony… ciekawi mnie dlaczego tak szybo wybaczyła Polańskiemu za wszystko co jej zrobil? zreszta wiele wątków mi sie strasznie dłużyło, co męczyło mnie w czytaniu i nie wiem co na celu mialo opowiadanie o kazdym chlopaku jakiego poznala. bylas edgy, zrozumialam. nie sięgnęłabym po te ksiazke kolejny raz, ale czytanie jej bylo na pewno fantastycznym doświadczeniem czytelniczym
February 22, 2014
A most provocative, disturbing book that points out most of us are asking the wrong question when debating this famous, high-profile case. It is not whether the punishment was sufficient or whether Roman Polanski "got away" with it by receiving less than he deserved. It is whether or not justice was meted out. (As the writer points out, it is supposed to be the Department of Justice, not the Department of Punishment.)
The case made in the book is that justice was served, but then it was abused. The result was a broad-based punishment that hurt many people, not only the perpetrator. It was not unlike an interactive book that requires the agreement of all readers before the ending will be provided, so it goes on and on and on.
I recall seeing this case from a fresh perspective after viewing the documentary, ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED. This book fills in some of the blanks left by the documentary. It is a disturbing book because the dedicated reader will likely come to the conclusion that there are no obvious answers to the events detailed. Not unlike those quoting passages from The Bible, it is important to remember the time in which the events occurred.
At the end of the book, the quoted Victim's Rights statement does bring everything that went before into perspective. And even though the story does have closure of a sort, there is still an uncomfortable feeling that "something vital" has been overlooked, although I couldn't tell you what that might be.
I did find a minor point of contradiction. Late in the book, the writer states that she doesn't care for any of Polanski's movies, when early in the book she states that one of her favorites had been THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS...although she mentions that she hadn't known that Polanski directed it.
There is also mention made of the photograph session, when Polanski keeps saying, "No, that's not right." The assumption is that he is dissatisfied with her pose. That may be. However, in a couple of shots, I was struck by how much her features resembled Sharon Tate when seen at a certain angle. No mention of this is made in the book, so I could have been imagining it...but, it did cause me to wonder if Roman Polanski saw it, too, and was trying to capture it.
A very thought-provoking, yet brisk, read.
The case made in the book is that justice was served, but then it was abused. The result was a broad-based punishment that hurt many people, not only the perpetrator. It was not unlike an interactive book that requires the agreement of all readers before the ending will be provided, so it goes on and on and on.
I recall seeing this case from a fresh perspective after viewing the documentary, ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED. This book fills in some of the blanks left by the documentary. It is a disturbing book because the dedicated reader will likely come to the conclusion that there are no obvious answers to the events detailed. Not unlike those quoting passages from The Bible, it is important to remember the time in which the events occurred.
At the end of the book, the quoted Victim's Rights statement does bring everything that went before into perspective. And even though the story does have closure of a sort, there is still an uncomfortable feeling that "something vital" has been overlooked, although I couldn't tell you what that might be.
I did find a minor point of contradiction. Late in the book, the writer states that she doesn't care for any of Polanski's movies, when early in the book she states that one of her favorites had been THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS...although she mentions that she hadn't known that Polanski directed it.
There is also mention made of the photograph session, when Polanski keeps saying, "No, that's not right." The assumption is that he is dissatisfied with her pose. That may be. However, in a couple of shots, I was struck by how much her features resembled Sharon Tate when seen at a certain angle. No mention of this is made in the book, so I could have been imagining it...but, it did cause me to wonder if Roman Polanski saw it, too, and was trying to capture it.
A very thought-provoking, yet brisk, read.
May 2, 2014
She is the girl that was raped by the famous director, Roman Polanski in 1977 when she was 13 years old. In her memoir, Samantha Geimer tells her side of the story. What most people know is that Roman Polanski left the United States prior to his sentencing in the case and has never returned. What most people do not know is the media circus that was the criminal proceedings in this matter. Roman Polanski did plead guilty to a lesser charge. Samantha characterizes the presiding Judge in the matter as "egomaniacal" and someone who was obsessed with how the media perceived him. I found it interesting that the Judge held a news conference in his chambers PRIOR to sentencing to explain the sentencing of Roman Polanski to journalists. (This Judge had also assigned himself to high profile cases such as Cary Grant's paternity case and Marlon Brando's child custody case.) The attorneys involved in this matter indicated that the Judge initially agreed to the sentencing agreement. However, he allegedly reneged on the sentencing agreement last minute. It appears that the uncertainty in sentencing is what led Roman Polanski to flee the U.S. Overall, it was an interesting read from the point of view of Samantha. It did not occur to me that every time Roman Polanski is back in the media spotlight, Samantha is also brought back in the spotlight because of his criminal case. I would think it would be hard to move on when your victimization is brought up every couple of years in the media. For anyone that is interested, HBO had a really good documentary about Roman Polanski's case called Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. It gives great insight into the case from those directly involved.
February 10, 2022
I was reluctant to read this book, because I thought I'd hear a whole of victim talk in this book. Instead, I thought Geimer was surprisingly mature about what happened to her. She was a naive young girl when she was raped, but she survived it and lived a happy, albeit not trouble-free life. I can see why people think her mother arranged this date to get her and her daughter gigs, but Geimer explains what happened. They were from the east and naive about celebrities. I can see how we fall for this thinking, that because someone is in a position of power we can trust that person. After the Weinstein and Crosby scandals, we're slowly getting over this. Instead, this is what I admired about her--she could complain and be bitter, but instead her spirit of just being who she is and live and let live (in my opinion) sustains her. She doesn't play victim nor does she try to hide her weaknesses. She was raped, but it didn't ruin her.
As for Polanski...we have to face that he's a predator. I could see from her account of what happened that he was an amateur photographer, using his celebrity and lying to people about taking pictures for a magazine. He was able to find underage girls, get them to remove their clothes under the guise of picture taking, then ply them with alcohol and relaxants, and assure them that everything will be all right, all the while checking to see if they are fertile or not. He even brought her to his friend's house to photograph and seduce. Just sick.
As for Samanatha, life has been interesting for you. Thank you for sharing your story, for being real, for being honest. You shared things in this book about yourself that made you seem very vulnerable and real.
As for Polanski...we have to face that he's a predator. I could see from her account of what happened that he was an amateur photographer, using his celebrity and lying to people about taking pictures for a magazine. He was able to find underage girls, get them to remove their clothes under the guise of picture taking, then ply them with alcohol and relaxants, and assure them that everything will be all right, all the while checking to see if they are fertile or not. He even brought her to his friend's house to photograph and seduce. Just sick.
As for Samanatha, life has been interesting for you. Thank you for sharing your story, for being real, for being honest. You shared things in this book about yourself that made you seem very vulnerable and real.
March 13, 2014
This was strong and affecting for the first half or so... kind of fell apart in the end, maybe because the author has less distance, or because more of it involved things she wasn't around for (the legal battles and so on). I was really interested to learn more about Geimer's attitude toward Polanski now, his asylum, subsequent arrest (summary of how I understand it: let it go, especially because I want people to leave me alone), and so on. If the letter he wrote her recently that she quotes really did bring her and her mother some peace, I'm glad of that, though I know some people wouldn't find it appropriate that he sent it or wouldn't like his tone. I liked that she was open about a couple of times when she's tried to collect some money out of the situation as an adult. (There was no civil suit at the time.) I did think her wistfulness about a possible acting career that was thwarted was, maybe, a bit of fantasy, but who knows. Overall, I'm glad I read it and have this other perspective on Polanski. As with Amanda Knox's memoir (clearly I'm some kind of junky), this one makes it clear how easy it is to let our thoughts and opinions be manipulated by media coverage. They--media reports, that is--make it all sound so logical, so easy to swallow, but in both cases, the personal accounts have a greater ring of truth to me.
Definitely, I could have done without the pictures, either the one on the cover (I wonder if Geimer had any input into that?) or the ones inside. Some family snapshots of that period or something like that would have been preferable to me; but maybe Geimer wanted to reclaim them, or something.
Definitely, I could have done without the pictures, either the one on the cover (I wonder if Geimer had any input into that?) or the ones inside. Some family snapshots of that period or something like that would have been preferable to me; but maybe Geimer wanted to reclaim them, or something.
June 23, 2015
I am glad I read this book, in part because it left me with no doubt that RP targeted, drugged, and raped the author when she was thirteen years old. Regardless of what his supporters say, there is no question in my mind about that.
The aftermath of the event, however, has been another sort of violation for the author. I do not use that analogy lightly. The trial was co-opted by a publicity-seeking judge, which prevented the case from being adjudicated fairly -- i.e., with a focus on the crime rather than on the perpetrator. Instead, it has been revived by the justice system and the media on a regular basis as the legal issues continue to play out. As a result, the author has been alternately slut-shamed or portrayed as the victim in the media for almost 40 years. (If you don't believe me, check out some of the reviews for this book.)
The author's voice is a strong one, but she's not highly likeable. She has spent most of her life dealing with this issue, and she wants the criminal action surrounding Polanski to end -- it hasn't had anything to do with justice almost since the outset. She is tired of being used as a weapon or being asked to be an advocate. Her understandable desire to be seen as a happy, healed person with a full life has, unfortunately, caused her to publicly question some of the other young women who came forward with stories that Polanski had abused them. It's unfortunate that she has learned so little from her own experience that she would presume to think she knew what really happened to those women.
The aftermath of the event, however, has been another sort of violation for the author. I do not use that analogy lightly. The trial was co-opted by a publicity-seeking judge, which prevented the case from being adjudicated fairly -- i.e., with a focus on the crime rather than on the perpetrator. Instead, it has been revived by the justice system and the media on a regular basis as the legal issues continue to play out. As a result, the author has been alternately slut-shamed or portrayed as the victim in the media for almost 40 years. (If you don't believe me, check out some of the reviews for this book.)
The author's voice is a strong one, but she's not highly likeable. She has spent most of her life dealing with this issue, and she wants the criminal action surrounding Polanski to end -- it hasn't had anything to do with justice almost since the outset. She is tired of being used as a weapon or being asked to be an advocate. Her understandable desire to be seen as a happy, healed person with a full life has, unfortunately, caused her to publicly question some of the other young women who came forward with stories that Polanski had abused them. It's unfortunate that she has learned so little from her own experience that she would presume to think she knew what really happened to those women.
October 6, 2013
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2179897.html[return][return]It's a lucid and short book, where Samantha Geimer recounts the story of how Roman Polanski drugged and raped her at Jack Nicholson's house one evening in 1977, and her life before and after, particularly the subsequent legal battle (which she blames largely on the media-driven mentality of the judge in the case; Polanski was willing to settle on the terms agreed by her and her family). Judith Newman, her ghost-writer, has done a fantastic job of conveying Geimer's voice, and gets a deserved namecheck at the end.[return][return]I should say that I have not seen a single minute of any of Polanski's films, so I read it very much as a generic account of what happens when a famous man does a monstrous thing, rather than with any particular views on his gifts or otherwise as an artist. (On his artistic credentials, the point that struck me from the narrative was this: when he brought Samantha home after his assault, the point at which her mother and step-father smelt a rat was when he showed them the photographs he had been taking of her - they simply weren't very good.) One cannot help but be struck by the similarity of the arguments used on Polanski's behalf at the time to those used last year by apologists for Julian Assange, or by Dominique Strauss-Kahn's lawyers the year before. Nothing much has changed since 1977.
March 5, 2014
So this is an interesting read for me as someone who works in the "victim advocacy industry" (industry. My office doesn't even have paper towels in the bathroom, yeah we're *raking* it in). I understand the complaints people have of her as a Polanski apologist, but at the same time I also get what she's trying to do in forcing people to see her as a person and not just a prop in someone's agenda. I also was really fascinated by the argument of what her assault meant in context of the seventies era of permissive sexual and erotic experimentation. Where she loses me is her argument that "I wasn't traumatized, I merely dropped out of school, developed a drug habit, did some nude modeling, was married three times before age 24 including once to a prisoner, had a baby at 18, had a few dv relationships but hey I always swing first" but then she argues that most of her trauma in fact came from the publicity aftermath and the way the legal system botched the plea deal. And from my own experience it does seem that even now the legal aftermath of sexual assault often compounds trauma. I guess I'm still turning it over in my head. I would definitely recommend it to people in my field for a perspective that maybe doesn't get heard enough?
January 29, 2016
I thought this book was interesting, but I think Farrah would like it even more than me. (And BTW Brooke, I saw it on your library shelves today in audio if you care). This was written by the girl Polanski drugged and raped when she was 13. She is now 50 and lives on Kauai. She spent her life trying to stay out of the spotlight, but finally decided she wanted to tell her side of the story. She is the reader. I like how pragmatic and down to earth she is, and how she refuses to think of herself as a victim. The reason I think Farrah would like it is because there is a lot of court talk. Seems like you're interested in legal cases Farrah?
November 13, 2014
Great book about "the girl" who was raped at 13 by Roman Polanski at Jack Nicholsons house. I had never even heard of this (since I was i think one years old when it happened) I really like how she tells her story and how she refuses to be a victim.
To quote the last paragraph of the book
"If you go through life carrying hate in your heart, you really only hurt yourself. I didn't forgive him for him. I did it for me. Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness. Its a sign of strength."
To quote the last paragraph of the book
"If you go through life carrying hate in your heart, you really only hurt yourself. I didn't forgive him for him. I did it for me. Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness. Its a sign of strength."
November 14, 2013
The entire story is cringe-worthy, but this look into Geimer's point of view about the situation is genuinely insightful. I didn't always agree with her on the bigger picture ideas, but it was nice to hear her point of view in her own voice.
July 26, 2016
I've never understood how anyone could defend Polanski or take his "side". This book confirms what I've always believed. He's kind of a scumbag.
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