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Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope
"Amanda’s story—innovatively told by versions of herself at different ages—underscores the lasting power of speaking your truth, building a movement, and never losing sight of your dreams.” —Melinda French Gates
"In Saving Five, Amanda Nguyen shows us how to reclaim the full spectrum of our lives, replete with pain, fury, creativity, and recovered dreams.” —Chanel Miller, author of Know My Name
A brave and imaginative memoir by the Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen, detailing her healing journey and groundbreaking activism in the aftermath of her rape at Harvard.
In 2013, the trajectory of Amanda Nguyen’s life was changed forever when she was raped at Harvard.
Determined to not let her assault derail her goal of joining NASA after graduation, Nguyen opted for her rape kit to be filed under “Jane Doe.” But she was shocked to learn her choice to stay anonymous gave her only six months to take action before the state destroyed her kit, rendering any future legal action impossible. Nguyen knew then that she had two options: surrender to a law that effectively denied her justice, or fight for a change—not only for herself but for survivors everywhere.
A heart-wrenching memoir of survival and hope, Saving Five boldly braids the story of Nguyen’s activism—which resulted in Congress’s unanimous passage of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act in 2016—with a second, beautifully imagined adventure, of Nguyen's younger selves as they—at ages five, fifteen, twenty-two, and thirty—navigate through dramatic incarnations of the emotional stages of her path toward healing, not only from her rape but from the violent turmoil of her childhood. The result is a groundbreaking work that seamlessly blends memoir with a moving journey toward acceptance and hope, forging a path ahead that is as inspiring as it is instructive.
From one of the most influential activists (and now astronauts) of her time, Saving Five is at once a tribute to resilience, a celebration of healing through action, and a resounding cry to change the world.
"In Saving Five, Amanda Nguyen shows us how to reclaim the full spectrum of our lives, replete with pain, fury, creativity, and recovered dreams.” —Chanel Miller, author of Know My Name
A brave and imaginative memoir by the Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen, detailing her healing journey and groundbreaking activism in the aftermath of her rape at Harvard.
In 2013, the trajectory of Amanda Nguyen’s life was changed forever when she was raped at Harvard.
Determined to not let her assault derail her goal of joining NASA after graduation, Nguyen opted for her rape kit to be filed under “Jane Doe.” But she was shocked to learn her choice to stay anonymous gave her only six months to take action before the state destroyed her kit, rendering any future legal action impossible. Nguyen knew then that she had two options: surrender to a law that effectively denied her justice, or fight for a change—not only for herself but for survivors everywhere.
A heart-wrenching memoir of survival and hope, Saving Five boldly braids the story of Nguyen’s activism—which resulted in Congress’s unanimous passage of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act in 2016—with a second, beautifully imagined adventure, of Nguyen's younger selves as they—at ages five, fifteen, twenty-two, and thirty—navigate through dramatic incarnations of the emotional stages of her path toward healing, not only from her rape but from the violent turmoil of her childhood. The result is a groundbreaking work that seamlessly blends memoir with a moving journey toward acceptance and hope, forging a path ahead that is as inspiring as it is instructive.
From one of the most influential activists (and now astronauts) of her time, Saving Five is at once a tribute to resilience, a celebration of healing through action, and a resounding cry to change the world.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 4, 2025
243 people are currently reading
17309 people want to read
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February 27, 2025
Time Magazine touted Saving Five as one of the 39 Most Anticipated Books of 2025, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Saving Five is a memoir by Amanda Nguyen who survived a sexual assault while a student at Harvard. Because she was in the middle of applying to work at NASA and the CIA, her application could be denied if she has pending legal matters. Will Nguyen be able to seek justice or pursue her dream career?
Saving Five is a riveting story with brilliant framing. Nguyen’s story unfolds as she talks to herself at 5, 15, 22, and 30 years old. In this way, she is able to reveal the most interesting stories from her past. Readers aren’t subjected to a drawn-out David Copperfield-style retelling of, “On X, I was born in Y. I was born to A and B and attended school at C.” The framing technique utilized is much more engaging.
My only critique of the book primarily relates to the ending which felt a bit abrupt. Nguyen explains why her career is so important—how she can’t return back home. Then, she seems to be able to quit her job. There seems to be a missing puzzle piece when bringing everything together, but overall, this was a captivating and uplifting story.
*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion.
The Green Light at the End of the Dock (How much I spent):
Electronic Text – Free/Nada/Zilch through publisher
Hardcover Text - $28 purchased at Flyleaf (to be delievered upon final publication date)
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Saving Five is a memoir by Amanda Nguyen who survived a sexual assault while a student at Harvard. Because she was in the middle of applying to work at NASA and the CIA, her application could be denied if she has pending legal matters. Will Nguyen be able to seek justice or pursue her dream career?
Saving Five is a riveting story with brilliant framing. Nguyen’s story unfolds as she talks to herself at 5, 15, 22, and 30 years old. In this way, she is able to reveal the most interesting stories from her past. Readers aren’t subjected to a drawn-out David Copperfield-style retelling of, “On X, I was born in Y. I was born to A and B and attended school at C.” The framing technique utilized is much more engaging.
My only critique of the book primarily relates to the ending which felt a bit abrupt. Nguyen explains why her career is so important—how she can’t return back home. Then, she seems to be able to quit her job. There seems to be a missing puzzle piece when bringing everything together, but overall, this was a captivating and uplifting story.
*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion.
The Green Light at the End of the Dock (How much I spent):
Electronic Text – Free/Nada/Zilch through publisher
Hardcover Text - $28 purchased at Flyleaf (to be delievered upon final publication date)
Connect With Me!
Blog Threads BookTube Facebook Insta My Bookstore at Pango
June 30, 2025
i love memoirs!!!
first of all (or i guess second of all), i want to say this author is an amazingly strong person. the things she has accomplished for the world in 30 years rival entire national outputs, and what she went through on the way there is more than anyone should have to face in a lifetime.
the next thing i want to say is that she's really good at making instagram reels.
when i finished this book, i felt like i wanted something more. i channeled that into looking the author up on social media, where i found countless short-form vertical videos outlining how she overcame the worst moment of her life, put her dreams on hold, channeled her passions into global justice, and then STILL fulfilled her dreams.
that is roughly what we're told in this book, which is divided between her real journey toward justice and a fantastical trek through the stages of grief alongside her inner children, too.
i have to imagine things are a bit more complicated than that, and they are. the politicians that made amanda nguyen's rape justice legislation into law are unnamed in this book, because those she depicts as "good guys" and those she writes as "bad guys" are not who we'd imagine. the billionaire's pet project that is sending her to fulfill her space dreams is not mentioned in her social posts. when she chooses to put her CIA / NASA dreams to the side in order to get her law passed, we are not told what she does instead.
in short, this author is amazing. she's a hero. her name should and will go down in history. but this book is very simplified, and i wanted to know more. i think the rough moments are even more inspiring, because nguyen is not superhuman. she is a complicated person, and her accomplishments are all the more amazing because of it.
i wish we got to see that.
bottom line: an incredible story i want to dive deeper into.
(3.5 / thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
first of all (or i guess second of all), i want to say this author is an amazingly strong person. the things she has accomplished for the world in 30 years rival entire national outputs, and what she went through on the way there is more than anyone should have to face in a lifetime.
the next thing i want to say is that she's really good at making instagram reels.
when i finished this book, i felt like i wanted something more. i channeled that into looking the author up on social media, where i found countless short-form vertical videos outlining how she overcame the worst moment of her life, put her dreams on hold, channeled her passions into global justice, and then STILL fulfilled her dreams.
that is roughly what we're told in this book, which is divided between her real journey toward justice and a fantastical trek through the stages of grief alongside her inner children, too.
i have to imagine things are a bit more complicated than that, and they are. the politicians that made amanda nguyen's rape justice legislation into law are unnamed in this book, because those she depicts as "good guys" and those she writes as "bad guys" are not who we'd imagine. the billionaire's pet project that is sending her to fulfill her space dreams is not mentioned in her social posts. when she chooses to put her CIA / NASA dreams to the side in order to get her law passed, we are not told what she does instead.
in short, this author is amazing. she's a hero. her name should and will go down in history. but this book is very simplified, and i wanted to know more. i think the rough moments are even more inspiring, because nguyen is not superhuman. she is a complicated person, and her accomplishments are all the more amazing because of it.
i wish we got to see that.
bottom line: an incredible story i want to dive deeper into.
(3.5 / thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
Want to read
March 13, 2025Just wanna say, all I read was “At a Harvard fraternity party” and already knew what was coming next. That says a lot.
March 11, 2025
This is truly a story of hope. The author’s relentless quest to change laws was inspiring, even if it sometimes felt impossible. I also loved how she illustrated her healing process by tying together her life story from age five to 30.
March 6, 2025
This is such an excellent book. Amanda you flew to the moon, saw the stars, and came back to Earth because you are Extraordinary.
Amanda Nguyen was about to graduate Harvard when she was raped. She did everything right, went to the ER, had a Rape Test done, and was in contact with her local Rape Crisis Center. She does not want this excoriating rape to define her life. She wants to be an Astronaut and has applied to become part of NASA. She knows her dream will be crushed if she is pursuing a legal case. This will be known and looked at as a weakness. Legally, she has 15 years to decide about pressing charges, but soon finds out that in Massachusetts, rape kits can be destroyed after 6 months with no notification to the victim. She is shocked and horrified. So, her life begins to revolve around making sure every 6 months that her rape kit will be kept.
She realizes how much the Justice System is broken and feels she has been Raped all over again. She is forced to keep reliving the event and must speak about it. Finally, with help from Harvard Legal Experts, she just decides this is so unjust, she must commit Full Time to getting a Bill Passed to help all Sexual Assault Victims. Against all odds and due to her using every last resource she has, she will not give up. She gets other sexual assault survivors involved and knows this is unfair to each and every one.
Amanda is a Vietnamese American. In Vietnam, the Moon symbolizes Love. She most certainly found her power and her love. Remarkable Story.
Thank you NetGalley, Amanda Nguyen, and Farrah, Straus, and Giroux for a copy of this book. I always leave reviews for books I read.
Amanda Nguyen was about to graduate Harvard when she was raped. She did everything right, went to the ER, had a Rape Test done, and was in contact with her local Rape Crisis Center. She does not want this excoriating rape to define her life. She wants to be an Astronaut and has applied to become part of NASA. She knows her dream will be crushed if she is pursuing a legal case. This will be known and looked at as a weakness. Legally, she has 15 years to decide about pressing charges, but soon finds out that in Massachusetts, rape kits can be destroyed after 6 months with no notification to the victim. She is shocked and horrified. So, her life begins to revolve around making sure every 6 months that her rape kit will be kept.
She realizes how much the Justice System is broken and feels she has been Raped all over again. She is forced to keep reliving the event and must speak about it. Finally, with help from Harvard Legal Experts, she just decides this is so unjust, she must commit Full Time to getting a Bill Passed to help all Sexual Assault Victims. Against all odds and due to her using every last resource she has, she will not give up. She gets other sexual assault survivors involved and knows this is unfair to each and every one.
Amanda is a Vietnamese American. In Vietnam, the Moon symbolizes Love. She most certainly found her power and her love. Remarkable Story.
Thank you NetGalley, Amanda Nguyen, and Farrah, Straus, and Giroux for a copy of this book. I always leave reviews for books I read.
May 6, 2025
I knew Nguyen’s name as an astronaut, but I hadn’t known anything else about her before picking up this book. My measure of respect and gratitude that I have for her are now 100 fold what they were before reading her book.
I almost DNFd this book because I didn’t realize it was going to be about rape (should’ve read the jacket cover!!). I had finished a book earlier this week, another memoir, which involved a gang rape on a teenage girl. I wasn’t ready for another book on rape. But I’m so glad I stuck with it.
It is shocking to me that until she led this bill being passed, Massachusetts, a very liberal blue state, as well as I have no idea how many other states, would destroy anonymous rape kits every six months on schedule when the statute of limitations is 15 years!!! I’m completely confounded by this. Rather than solving why there are so many rape kits to begin with, states were simply tossing them into the trash, which is another way to silence victims and let rapists keep getting away with their sexual depravity, thereby continuously perpetuating misogyny, rape culture, and violent physical and psychological control of women.
Nguyen did something amazing, but what makes it even more incredible is that she’s a pretty, young, Asian woman. Asian women have to fight a stereotype of being sexually submissive and images of being sex kittens every day. This is extra true for pretty and young Asian women. Compounded is that we are called the invisible minority for a reason. We are taught from our parents from the first day we land at a US airport to stay quiet, not to make trouble, to assimilate, study hard, get a good job, and consider the American dream achieved. Most of us come from deeply patriarchal cultures too. So to have to carry the battles of bias, filial and societal expectations, and patriarchy, some days, waking up is exhausting. Yet she did all that, still graduated from Harvard, pursued a career in the CIA as well as her dream of space travel, and outwitted elected officials to represent and advocate for 25 million women and their rape kits. And, on top of all that, she was also dealing with the violence of childhood trauma too. It’s no wonder she was also a Nobel finalist. Her bravery and fortitude are deeply admirable.
So although I started out wanting to DNF this book, in the end, I’m feeling grateful and inspired. Considering the dystopia we currently seem to be living in the US, I needed heavy doses of both today.
By the way, you know how we tell children never to trust someone who wants them to keep secrets from those they already trust (because it’s usually a pedophile asking)? Same thing as adults - never trust anyone who tells you to keep a secret from your closest inner circle because it's always going to be against your best interests. Listen to the little voice that nags and senses something is wrong, especially when it’s a politician demanding it!
Update: really wish she hadn't been on that Blue Origin flight. Would've preferred to see her on a NASA flight. But I'm still happy for her for having achieved her dream and am still d of her for all she did in this fight for women.
I almost DNFd this book because I didn’t realize it was going to be about rape (should’ve read the jacket cover!!). I had finished a book earlier this week, another memoir, which involved a gang rape on a teenage girl. I wasn’t ready for another book on rape. But I’m so glad I stuck with it.
It is shocking to me that until she led this bill being passed, Massachusetts, a very liberal blue state, as well as I have no idea how many other states, would destroy anonymous rape kits every six months on schedule when the statute of limitations is 15 years!!! I’m completely confounded by this. Rather than solving why there are so many rape kits to begin with, states were simply tossing them into the trash, which is another way to silence victims and let rapists keep getting away with their sexual depravity, thereby continuously perpetuating misogyny, rape culture, and violent physical and psychological control of women.
Nguyen did something amazing, but what makes it even more incredible is that she’s a pretty, young, Asian woman. Asian women have to fight a stereotype of being sexually submissive and images of being sex kittens every day. This is extra true for pretty and young Asian women. Compounded is that we are called the invisible minority for a reason. We are taught from our parents from the first day we land at a US airport to stay quiet, not to make trouble, to assimilate, study hard, get a good job, and consider the American dream achieved. Most of us come from deeply patriarchal cultures too. So to have to carry the battles of bias, filial and societal expectations, and patriarchy, some days, waking up is exhausting. Yet she did all that, still graduated from Harvard, pursued a career in the CIA as well as her dream of space travel, and outwitted elected officials to represent and advocate for 25 million women and their rape kits. And, on top of all that, she was also dealing with the violence of childhood trauma too. It’s no wonder she was also a Nobel finalist. Her bravery and fortitude are deeply admirable.
So although I started out wanting to DNF this book, in the end, I’m feeling grateful and inspired. Considering the dystopia we currently seem to be living in the US, I needed heavy doses of both today.
By the way, you know how we tell children never to trust someone who wants them to keep secrets from those they already trust (because it’s usually a pedophile asking)? Same thing as adults - never trust anyone who tells you to keep a secret from your closest inner circle because it's always going to be against your best interests. Listen to the little voice that nags and senses something is wrong, especially when it’s a politician demanding it!
Update: really wish she hadn't been on that Blue Origin flight. Would've preferred to see her on a NASA flight. But I'm still happy for her for having achieved her dream and am still d of her for all she did in this fight for women.
March 31, 2025
"It dawns on me, of course, that rape victims are never meant to win. We're not meant to survive this at all. If we make it through the rape without drowning in our own blood, law enforcement, the justice system, and America itself are there to finish the job. To quiet our voices and sever our tongues. To betray us a second time. That's what it means to be raped."
4.5 stars.
Wow! What an insightful memoir! Thank you, Amanda Nguyen, for your activism and all of your hard work on the Survivors' Bill of Rights Act of 2016. Your perseverance is beyond admirable.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I first requested this. I've read a couple of well-written, informative, and very moving memoirs by SA survivors. (What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics and Know My Name are excellent reads.) I'm glad that Saving Five turned out to be a great addition to that list.
The author focuses heavily on her experiences with Massachusetts law on storing anonymous rape kits and pursuing justice at the state and national level. She goes going back and forth on whether pursuing justice will affect her future career in national security, imagined dialogue and situations with younger versions of herself as a form of therapy to heal her inner child, and a detailed look into what it's really like to get Congress to pass a bill and become law.
This was an interesting approach to her memoir that I found to be very candid and insightful. I really liked that she was very open about her thoughts and feelings, and especially her relationships with her family members such as her father. It was like listening to your best friend tell you about their childhood, their college experience, and life after. It was very raw and intimate.
The one thing that really drove it all home for me was her fear and anxiety over the six-month time limit on her rape kit (anonymous rape kits in Massachusetts were destroyed after six months), and how she had to keep begging for six month extensions over and over again while getting bounced back and forth from lawyers to various police departments to the rape crisis center when no one had solid answers for her. Talk about resilience.
"Every six months, I'll have to relive this nightmare and retrace the steps of this second betrayal, pleading once again for another reprieve. With no standard procedure for extending my kit, I've entered into yet another loop, a Sisyphean purgatory created just for survivors. A six-month cycle of requests and extensions, of needless flights and holding my breath, of organizing my life in an orbit around the day that I was raped. The justice system has sentenced me to live like this until I decide, forever cognizant of the day of my rape, marking heinous anniversaries again and again. The system will not let me ignore it; if I ever slip and forget to observe even one of my rape kit's god-awful birthdays or half-birthdays, I'll lose my chance at justice forever."
Side note, the author references Harry Potter several times and I thought we've moved on from that. This is my one petty reason for not giving this a full five stars.
Anyway, despite my one specific complaint, this was still a worthwhile read, and I'd recommend it if you're looking for a memoir on advocacy and justice.
Thank you to AUWA, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this arc.
March 23, 2025
I really hate the idea of not giving this memoir 5 stars because I’m such an admirer of Amanda’s activist work, but the writing was at many times very disjointed and clunky. The most obvious comp to this is likely Chanel Miller’s Know Your Name - but the writing in that memoir was miles ahead. What I can say is that Nguyen’s accounts of fighting to change laws for rape survivors, the descriptions of navigating Congress, dealing with bureaucratic roadblocks, and advocating for justice were powerful and eye-opening. I appreciated how she illustrated the frustrating reality of legal reform and the obstacles survivors face. As a creative choice - half the book features an allegorical narrative featuring conversations with her past selves at different ages - Five, Fifteen, Twenty-Two, and Thirty- I found these sections often took me out of the story and did not work with the tone of the main story. 3/5 stars . I still struggle with reviewing memoirs, and I wondered if I should post this. Here we are.
January 23, 2025
Amanda Nguyen has done incredible things for survivors across the country as one of the activists who helped pass the Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights. This is a memoir of her journey in getting involved in this activism through the Bill's passage. It begins almost immediately after her assault, and ends with the bill's passage.
It is hard to rate a memoir of someone with such a unique and powerful story. Many instinctually give memoirs like these five stars because of the work the author has done outside of the book itself. It is hard not to compare this memoir with the most notable memoir of a sexual assault survivor, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and I am sorry to say that this does not hold a candle to that one. The writing is fine, and the story is well told, but it feels a bit surface level. Things happen quickly, as to be expected in only 224 pages, and the reader does not have the chance to get to know Amanda deeply. I appreciate that the topic is very personal, and she does not need to go into detail about her assault itself. I think the story of her path from survivor to activist could have gone a bit deeper, however.
The book's title comes from a beautiful analogy sprinkled throughout the book of the author's self at different ages interacting with one another. This is, in my opinion, where the book shines. We are around the same age, and I loved the idea of her current self helping her past selves, because you do learn in your thirties that you were such a different person at 22 than you are now. Amanda went through more trauma than just her assault, and this story within the memoir is her way to tell her traumas without explaining them, if that makes sense. I really appreciated this, and I feel it was her best work.
This memoir will sell numerous copies because of Nguyen's activist work and because she became an astronaut afterward. These are both highly commendable, but I sadly don't think this memoir will have as much sticking power as expected.
The book is not narrated by the author, but the epilogue is. The epilogue is truly beautiful, and it did make me tear up. The audiobook is very well done and I appreciated the narrator, but that touch really added a lot for me.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It is hard to rate a memoir of someone with such a unique and powerful story. Many instinctually give memoirs like these five stars because of the work the author has done outside of the book itself. It is hard not to compare this memoir with the most notable memoir of a sexual assault survivor, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and I am sorry to say that this does not hold a candle to that one. The writing is fine, and the story is well told, but it feels a bit surface level. Things happen quickly, as to be expected in only 224 pages, and the reader does not have the chance to get to know Amanda deeply. I appreciate that the topic is very personal, and she does not need to go into detail about her assault itself. I think the story of her path from survivor to activist could have gone a bit deeper, however.
The book's title comes from a beautiful analogy sprinkled throughout the book of the author's self at different ages interacting with one another. This is, in my opinion, where the book shines. We are around the same age, and I loved the idea of her current self helping her past selves, because you do learn in your thirties that you were such a different person at 22 than you are now. Amanda went through more trauma than just her assault, and this story within the memoir is her way to tell her traumas without explaining them, if that makes sense. I really appreciated this, and I feel it was her best work.
This memoir will sell numerous copies because of Nguyen's activist work and because she became an astronaut afterward. These are both highly commendable, but I sadly don't think this memoir will have as much sticking power as expected.
The book is not narrated by the author, but the epilogue is. The epilogue is truly beautiful, and it did make me tear up. The audiobook is very well done and I appreciated the narrator, but that touch really added a lot for me.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 1, 2024
Saving Five is a brutally honest memoir that highlights the lack of care and protection that rape victims and their evidence are treated with in the U.S. and one woman’s journey (alongside many other survivors and advocates) to change the system.
What is truly unique about this book is the way that Amanda Nguyen structured the story. Her story is told through alternating chapters. Some chapters are laid out like a classic memoir; they follow a chronological timeline of the rape, the painstaking process to save her rape kit from destruction every six months, and the uphill battle with the Capitol to pass a bill that would provide guaranteed protection of survivors’ rights.
The other chapters veer away from the standard memoir; they are a journey through grief, told in a fantasy format. Present day Amanda (30) meets younger versions of herself from different key points in her life. But the youngest version, 5, becomes dangerously ill, and the different versions of Amanda must travel through the realms of grief together in order to save 5.
This book is heartbreaking and often enraging. But it is also filled with hope. It sheds light on the ways that our government has failed to protect survivors and it challenges the idea that if a survivor does everything “right”, they will have justice. This book will not only resonate with thousands of survivors, but hopefully it will inspire them and fellow advocates to continue speaking up for survivors’ rights.
I am very honored to have been able to read and review an advanced e-copy of Saving Five. I strongly encourage everyone to add this to your reading list. Please check trigger warnings beforehand as this book covers topics including, but not limited to, rape and childhood abuse.
*Thank you to Amanda Nguyen, AUWA, and NetGalley for providing me with a free digital ARC in exchange for honest review.*
What is truly unique about this book is the way that Amanda Nguyen structured the story. Her story is told through alternating chapters. Some chapters are laid out like a classic memoir; they follow a chronological timeline of the rape, the painstaking process to save her rape kit from destruction every six months, and the uphill battle with the Capitol to pass a bill that would provide guaranteed protection of survivors’ rights.
The other chapters veer away from the standard memoir; they are a journey through grief, told in a fantasy format. Present day Amanda (30) meets younger versions of herself from different key points in her life. But the youngest version, 5, becomes dangerously ill, and the different versions of Amanda must travel through the realms of grief together in order to save 5.
This book is heartbreaking and often enraging. But it is also filled with hope. It sheds light on the ways that our government has failed to protect survivors and it challenges the idea that if a survivor does everything “right”, they will have justice. This book will not only resonate with thousands of survivors, but hopefully it will inspire them and fellow advocates to continue speaking up for survivors’ rights.
I am very honored to have been able to read and review an advanced e-copy of Saving Five. I strongly encourage everyone to add this to your reading list. Please check trigger warnings beforehand as this book covers topics including, but not limited to, rape and childhood abuse.
*Thank you to Amanda Nguyen, AUWA, and NetGalley for providing me with a free digital ARC in exchange for honest review.*
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March 24, 2025Powerful, inspiring, and uniquely written as we come face to face with Amanda’s younger versions of herself, we follow her as she heals from her trauma and makes a change, not only for herself but for millions who have been in similar situations. What a fantastic memoir.
March 4, 2025
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, AUWA, and NetGalley for the free ALC in exchange for an honest review
Look, the rating is for the writing and not for the message, okay? There is no denying that Amanda Nguyen has been far braver and more resilient than 99.9% of us. Her achievements as an activist and her budding career as an astronaut elevate her into role model status.
SAVING FIVE (the meaning of which I still don’t entirely get) essentially consists of two story threads. The first follows Amanda’s journey from a few hours before the rape to several years after the rape. (Fortunately there are no details of the actual rape itself, for those of you who were waiting for CWs before deciding whether or not to read this.) I felt that this memoir was most powerful towards the end, when Nguyen shows how infuriating the process of getting justice for rape survivors is, with scheming Congressmen conspiring to tank or ransom the bill until it can be used for their own political gain, and different levels of police enforcement refusing to take responsibility for keeping track of her rape kit’s whereabouts and communicating empathetically.
The second thread has a more fable-like feel, with 30-year-old Amanda (her age at the time of writing, I’m guessing) meeting up with versions of her younger selves (Five, Fifteen, and Twenty-Two) and embarking on a journey through a hostile, many-terrained realm to find the gatekeepers of the five stages of grief. While this was a creative way of writing about the process of healing, it didn’t quite work for me. The allegorical tale had a very twee tone, leaned quite heavily into dramatic elements, and I’m not sure what lesson I was supposed to have taken away when I reached the end of it.
Indeed, the writing is this memoir’s greatest weakness, and the reason why I can’t give it more than three stars. Much of the dialogue (the ones that are not transcribed from actual records) was very obviously made up, and it felt very clunky and artificial. The pacing was also uneven: Nguyen has a tendency to linger in moments that do not really need lingering (see: many of the places where the dialogue was made up), while suddenly jumping forward months and years at a time. The timeline of SAVING FIVE is more or less structured around the deadline of the destruction of her rape kit, which was postponed in six-month increments, and only after a lot of stress and hard work on her part to request a postponement of destruction. This made for a dramatic narrative device, but I would have liked to have heard more from Nguyen in the in-between months as well.
Audiobook narrator Sura Siu did the best with the material she was given, and I can’t fault her for that. She even managed the impressive task of giving each version of Amanda a slightly different voice so that they could be differentiated in the listening.
Overall, SAVING FIVE is no Know My Name, but it is a serviceable memoir more along the lines of Qian Julie Wang’s Beautiful Country and Eddie Ndopu’s Sipping Dom Pérignon Through a Straw: Reimagining Success as a Disabled Achiever. It is certainly an inspirational read if you look up to Nguyen as a role model.
Look, the rating is for the writing and not for the message, okay? There is no denying that Amanda Nguyen has been far braver and more resilient than 99.9% of us. Her achievements as an activist and her budding career as an astronaut elevate her into role model status.
SAVING FIVE (the meaning of which I still don’t entirely get) essentially consists of two story threads. The first follows Amanda’s journey from a few hours before the rape to several years after the rape. (Fortunately there are no details of the actual rape itself, for those of you who were waiting for CWs before deciding whether or not to read this.) I felt that this memoir was most powerful towards the end, when Nguyen shows how infuriating the process of getting justice for rape survivors is, with scheming Congressmen conspiring to tank or ransom the bill until it can be used for their own political gain, and different levels of police enforcement refusing to take responsibility for keeping track of her rape kit’s whereabouts and communicating empathetically.
The second thread has a more fable-like feel, with 30-year-old Amanda (her age at the time of writing, I’m guessing) meeting up with versions of her younger selves (Five, Fifteen, and Twenty-Two) and embarking on a journey through a hostile, many-terrained realm to find the gatekeepers of the five stages of grief. While this was a creative way of writing about the process of healing, it didn’t quite work for me. The allegorical tale had a very twee tone, leaned quite heavily into dramatic elements, and I’m not sure what lesson I was supposed to have taken away when I reached the end of it.
Indeed, the writing is this memoir’s greatest weakness, and the reason why I can’t give it more than three stars. Much of the dialogue (the ones that are not transcribed from actual records) was very obviously made up, and it felt very clunky and artificial. The pacing was also uneven: Nguyen has a tendency to linger in moments that do not really need lingering (see: many of the places where the dialogue was made up), while suddenly jumping forward months and years at a time. The timeline of SAVING FIVE is more or less structured around the deadline of the destruction of her rape kit, which was postponed in six-month increments, and only after a lot of stress and hard work on her part to request a postponement of destruction. This made for a dramatic narrative device, but I would have liked to have heard more from Nguyen in the in-between months as well.
Audiobook narrator Sura Siu did the best with the material she was given, and I can’t fault her for that. She even managed the impressive task of giving each version of Amanda a slightly different voice so that they could be differentiated in the listening.
Overall, SAVING FIVE is no Know My Name, but it is a serviceable memoir more along the lines of Qian Julie Wang’s Beautiful Country and Eddie Ndopu’s Sipping Dom Pérignon Through a Straw: Reimagining Success as a Disabled Achiever. It is certainly an inspirational read if you look up to Nguyen as a role model.
March 17, 2025
| 2/5 Stars | ★★☆☆☆
Trigger Warnings for Saving Five:
Saving Five is a memoir by Amanda Nguyen recounting her goals in life, particularly those before and after her rape. Nguyen follows two distinct storylines. In one, Nguyen is going through her life in a sporadic timeline. In the other, Nguyen travels through the stages of grief with her 5, 15, 22, and 30-year-old selves in order to save 5, thus, the name of the book.
This is such an odd book and my rating of it follows that feeling. I really loved the truth that Nguyen shows through her fight to put into law the literal law named after her: Amanda's law. The bravery and fight to not only live her truth, but put it on blast to protect the truths of others is awe inspiring. That being said, I struggled with the ethereal grief realm of her other selves. I understand what she was getting at, but it just did not hit the same way. I found myself skipping these chapters all together nearing the end of the book.
Overall, Saving Five is two books crammed into one. Nguyen should have spent so much more time on her personal journey, rather than jumping forward in sporadic bursts. I appreciate Nguyen's journey and what she did for survivors (like me) and nothing will ever take away from that. My review is simply on the book itself, not on Nguyen's life experience.
Follow all of my reviews and content with LinkTree
Trigger Warnings for Saving Five:
Saving Five is a memoir by Amanda Nguyen recounting her goals in life, particularly those before and after her rape. Nguyen follows two distinct storylines. In one, Nguyen is going through her life in a sporadic timeline. In the other, Nguyen travels through the stages of grief with her 5, 15, 22, and 30-year-old selves in order to save 5, thus, the name of the book.
This is such an odd book and my rating of it follows that feeling. I really loved the truth that Nguyen shows through her fight to put into law the literal law named after her: Amanda's law. The bravery and fight to not only live her truth, but put it on blast to protect the truths of others is awe inspiring. That being said, I struggled with the ethereal grief realm of her other selves. I understand what she was getting at, but it just did not hit the same way. I found myself skipping these chapters all together nearing the end of the book.
Overall, Saving Five is two books crammed into one. Nguyen should have spent so much more time on her personal journey, rather than jumping forward in sporadic bursts. I appreciate Nguyen's journey and what she did for survivors (like me) and nothing will ever take away from that. My review is simply on the book itself, not on Nguyen's life experience.
Follow all of my reviews and content with LinkTree
2025
October 2, 2025Memoir March TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and AUWA
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and AUWA
March 6, 2025
“There’s only 2 people you need to make proud in your life, 5 year old you and 80 year old you.” …wow
November 2, 2024
"Grief is worth going through. Each stage is painful but has a lesson to teach us. Denial provides us hope. Anger gives us fuel. Bargaining teaches us value. Sadness grants us our humanity. And Acceptance … acceptance of grief reveals to us that we are made of love. At the end of all this, at the end of the tunnel, is healing.” ......
...."There is more than one way to die. Kill spirits. Kill hope. Kill time. I’ve just died. The type of death where you’re left behind to endure being alive on the outside— no matter how dead you now feel inside. That’s what rape can do."
"For every six women, one is raped. One in four college women are sexually assaulted. Most rapists are serial rapists. Every sixty-eight seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Fifty-five percent of rapes happen at or near the victim’s home. Fewer than 20 percent of rapes are reported. For every one hundred women, ninety-nine will never see justice. Thirty-three percent of women who are raped contemplate suicide. Thirteen percent of women who are raped attempt suicide. Seventy percent of rape or sexual assault victims experience moderate to severe distress, a larger percentage than for any other violent crime. It dawns on me.
I am one of these statistics now."
...."There is more than one way to die. Kill spirits. Kill hope. Kill time. I’ve just died. The type of death where you’re left behind to endure being alive on the outside— no matter how dead you now feel inside. That’s what rape can do."
"For every six women, one is raped. One in four college women are sexually assaulted. Most rapists are serial rapists. Every sixty-eight seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Fifty-five percent of rapes happen at or near the victim’s home. Fewer than 20 percent of rapes are reported. For every one hundred women, ninety-nine will never see justice. Thirty-three percent of women who are raped contemplate suicide. Thirteen percent of women who are raped attempt suicide. Seventy percent of rape or sexual assault victims experience moderate to severe distress, a larger percentage than for any other violent crime. It dawns on me.
I am one of these statistics now."
April 5, 2025
Disjointed and lacking. Her story is really powerful but felt almost like paraphrasing. I wish she would have done a more in-depth telling of her journey. The weird chapters of her different selves navigating her trauma in some other realm should have been omitted. Do editors not edit anymore???
Want to read
September 13, 2024I have not read this yet, but any story as brave as this is a 5 star read. Also uplifting because I just saw this on a reel on Instagram, where it was censored and it took me awhile to even find it on Goodreads. I encourage others to 5 start this book to help others find it!
April 23, 2025
Based on the subject matter alone, this should have been a 5. The writing is off. Harry Potter and Sponge Bob references, inner voices of past ages (5, 15, 22 & 30) constantly bickering, and other oddities. It just didn’t flow. Skip the book, read her Wikipedia page instead. Now you’re all caught up.
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March 18, 2025Saving Five is a brief but empowering & inspiring memoir - with speculative elements!
The topics covered are quite dark, but as the subtitle suggests, the tone is more optimistic. Amanda shares her story of surviving sexual assault, fighting for better legal rights for survivors (she passed the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act in 2016), pivoting from her career hopes and dreams, and also reflecting on her childhood and healing some past trauma there.
There are speculative elements. Between the bits of her college-aged journey are pieces of a metaphorical journey through 5 different realms that represent the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Amanda has to travel with several younger versions of herself and successfully pass through each doorway. She revisits sad memories from her past and has to learn to acknowledge and grieve the trauma that she once buried.
I found the writing engaging and easy to follow. However, I didn’t quite feel like I got to know Amanda, which is really why I pick up memoirs! This is a pretty short book, and a lot of it is spent just catching us up to speed and explaining how the legal system works and the different barriers that Amanda had to face.
Amanda’s story is so inspiring, but I wanted more of her. The moments of the book that really moved me were the moments she allowed herself to be a bit more vulnerable, sharing her emotional process or quieter thoughts or just letting us exist in her current state instead of telling things to readers.
There are also a lot of Harry Potter mentions, which were honestly quite tough and jarring and felt so very unnecessary. And I wasn’t quite sure where her personal story ended - is her evidence still being held or did she decide for or against pursuing her personal court case? She’s obviously sharing her story publicly at this point, so I was curious about that and understanding the more individual legal journeys that survivors go through.
I definitely walked away with a lot more knowledge about the legal side of sexual assault - and the inner workings of passing laws - and I’m very excited for Amanda to have the opportunity to go to space and lean into whatever is next now that she’s won this massive battle. She’s remarkable.
CW: rape, child/domestic abuse, grief, medical trauma, mental health, Harry Potter references
Follow me on social media for book recommendations!
(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
The topics covered are quite dark, but as the subtitle suggests, the tone is more optimistic. Amanda shares her story of surviving sexual assault, fighting for better legal rights for survivors (she passed the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act in 2016), pivoting from her career hopes and dreams, and also reflecting on her childhood and healing some past trauma there.
There are speculative elements. Between the bits of her college-aged journey are pieces of a metaphorical journey through 5 different realms that represent the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Amanda has to travel with several younger versions of herself and successfully pass through each doorway. She revisits sad memories from her past and has to learn to acknowledge and grieve the trauma that she once buried.
I found the writing engaging and easy to follow. However, I didn’t quite feel like I got to know Amanda, which is really why I pick up memoirs! This is a pretty short book, and a lot of it is spent just catching us up to speed and explaining how the legal system works and the different barriers that Amanda had to face.
Amanda’s story is so inspiring, but I wanted more of her. The moments of the book that really moved me were the moments she allowed herself to be a bit more vulnerable, sharing her emotional process or quieter thoughts or just letting us exist in her current state instead of telling things to readers.
There are also a lot of Harry Potter mentions, which were honestly quite tough and jarring and felt so very unnecessary. And I wasn’t quite sure where her personal story ended - is her evidence still being held or did she decide for or against pursuing her personal court case? She’s obviously sharing her story publicly at this point, so I was curious about that and understanding the more individual legal journeys that survivors go through.
I definitely walked away with a lot more knowledge about the legal side of sexual assault - and the inner workings of passing laws - and I’m very excited for Amanda to have the opportunity to go to space and lean into whatever is next now that she’s won this massive battle. She’s remarkable.
CW: rape, child/domestic abuse, grief, medical trauma, mental health, Harry Potter references
Follow me on social media for book recommendations!
(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
January 22, 2025
Amanda Nguyen, you are a hero.
This is one of the most incredible books I’ve ever read. Amanda’s story, told in alternating chapters of memoir and a rescue mission with her younger selves, is truly an example of tenacious HOPE and the importance of recognizing all the parts of ourselves that make us who we are.
I cannot wait for this to come out so I can buy a physical copy!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
This is one of the most incredible books I’ve ever read. Amanda’s story, told in alternating chapters of memoir and a rescue mission with her younger selves, is truly an example of tenacious HOPE and the importance of recognizing all the parts of ourselves that make us who we are.
I cannot wait for this to come out so I can buy a physical copy!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
May 29, 2025
✨ 5 stars ✨
First and foremost: 🖕the US government
And just as important: who’s the astronaut all the US peeps need to recognise⁉️
🗣️ AMANDA NGUYEN 🗣️
First and foremost: 🖕the US government
And just as important: who’s the astronaut all the US peeps need to recognise⁉️
🗣️ AMANDA NGUYEN 🗣️
December 11, 2025
4.5 stars
Unfortunately, books about surviving and overcoming rape are becoming all too common. And while this story is certainly about that, it’s about so much more.
The assault itself is never described in great detail, but the aftermath is. I have heard of a rape kit, but had no idea what it entails. I didn’t know that victims were put on various medications to prevent pregnancy and diseases. I didn’t know how hard it is to preserve your rape kit should you decide to press charges later. After her experience, Nguyen fought endlessly (even giving up her career dreams) to change national laws surrounding the preservation of rape kits. All of that information was informative and insightful.
But the part I loved and will never forget about this book was the side story of 30, 22, 15, and 5. Through the use of allegory, Nguyen creates these 4 characters that are her at key ages of her life. They go on a dreamlike journey, through 5 realms: denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and acceptance. This journey helped Nguyen accept her tough childhood and shifted her perspective so that she could move forward in a positive direction with her life.
The lessons are applicable to all of us…and it was masterfully crafted! In fact, I went back and read just those chapters in succession. These chapters are profound and I kind of wish I could buy them as a novella for my shelf!
I wish these kinds of books weren’t even necessary to write, but because they are, I appreciate the ones that add to the conversation and give hope to the survivors. This one certainly does that.
Unfortunately, books about surviving and overcoming rape are becoming all too common. And while this story is certainly about that, it’s about so much more.
The assault itself is never described in great detail, but the aftermath is. I have heard of a rape kit, but had no idea what it entails. I didn’t know that victims were put on various medications to prevent pregnancy and diseases. I didn’t know how hard it is to preserve your rape kit should you decide to press charges later. After her experience, Nguyen fought endlessly (even giving up her career dreams) to change national laws surrounding the preservation of rape kits. All of that information was informative and insightful.
But the part I loved and will never forget about this book was the side story of 30, 22, 15, and 5. Through the use of allegory, Nguyen creates these 4 characters that are her at key ages of her life. They go on a dreamlike journey, through 5 realms: denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and acceptance. This journey helped Nguyen accept her tough childhood and shifted her perspective so that she could move forward in a positive direction with her life.
The lessons are applicable to all of us…and it was masterfully crafted! In fact, I went back and read just those chapters in succession. These chapters are profound and I kind of wish I could buy them as a novella for my shelf!
I wish these kinds of books weren’t even necessary to write, but because they are, I appreciate the ones that add to the conversation and give hope to the survivors. This one certainly does that.
March 29, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and AUWA for the ARC!
Amanda Nguyen’s Saving Five is a thoughtful memoir that reflects the chaos of its subject matter in its struggle to find a center.
It’s clear that Amanda Nguyen is an incredible person. Seriously, google her.
Her advocacy and intelligence are inspiring, particularly in the face of a government that seemed disinterested in her rights.
Nguyen shares so many incisive observations with such clarity, as seen in statements like the following: “The battleground for violence against women’s bodies can’t even pass the Bechdel test.” Furthermore, she perfectly captures the gut punch of realizing how disinterested the justice system is in helping survivors—it isn’t just a failure; it’s often actively in opposition. At one point, Nguyen notes that a representative dismissed her proposed legislation because it wouldn’t help them get re-elected. Disgusting.
Unfortunately, these objects of critique also prevent Saving Five from fully coalescing into a coherent book.
This is a story of how reality-shifting horror is muted by bureaucratic minutiae. It’s reflective of the patriarchal institutions that define justice—if this can be an email thread, maybe it’s not such a big deal. By necessity, those same mundanities are the bulk of the memoir, and Nguyen’s interiority is deferred in favor of pages on pages about sending emails and waiting for replies. In a way, the approach depicts her ongoing fever pitch of anxiety, but it starts to feel like a TED Talk could accomplish the same thing more effectively because it simply cannot fill a whole book.
Perhaps in recognition of the actual story’s brevity, Nguyen makes the odd decision to use an allegorical framing device where different versions of herself travel across various “realms” to learn lessons. It feels at war with the weight of Nguyen’s story, and it might be a case where the distance afforded by fantasy benefits the author at the expense of the audience. I felt almost voyeuristic, as if I was reading Nguyen’s private response to a therapeutic writing exercise. If the author’s pain can only be addressed through this medium, I question whether it should be shared with readers.
Ultimately, I think maybe Saving Five was just published a few years too early. It dedicates about a page to the passage of the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act and quickly ends, which prevents readers from having a sense of its impact. Moreover, it feels almost like a reduction of Nguyen’s achievements. She is now an astronaut! I would have loved to read a version of this book that pieces all of the different aspects of her life together. As it stands, would-be readers may find a fuller picture of Amanda Nguyen and her work in her excellent social media presence and recent interviews.
Amanda Nguyen’s Saving Five is a thoughtful memoir that reflects the chaos of its subject matter in its struggle to find a center.
It’s clear that Amanda Nguyen is an incredible person. Seriously, google her.
Her advocacy and intelligence are inspiring, particularly in the face of a government that seemed disinterested in her rights.
Nguyen shares so many incisive observations with such clarity, as seen in statements like the following: “The battleground for violence against women’s bodies can’t even pass the Bechdel test.” Furthermore, she perfectly captures the gut punch of realizing how disinterested the justice system is in helping survivors—it isn’t just a failure; it’s often actively in opposition. At one point, Nguyen notes that a representative dismissed her proposed legislation because it wouldn’t help them get re-elected. Disgusting.
Unfortunately, these objects of critique also prevent Saving Five from fully coalescing into a coherent book.
This is a story of how reality-shifting horror is muted by bureaucratic minutiae. It’s reflective of the patriarchal institutions that define justice—if this can be an email thread, maybe it’s not such a big deal. By necessity, those same mundanities are the bulk of the memoir, and Nguyen’s interiority is deferred in favor of pages on pages about sending emails and waiting for replies. In a way, the approach depicts her ongoing fever pitch of anxiety, but it starts to feel like a TED Talk could accomplish the same thing more effectively because it simply cannot fill a whole book.
Perhaps in recognition of the actual story’s brevity, Nguyen makes the odd decision to use an allegorical framing device where different versions of herself travel across various “realms” to learn lessons. It feels at war with the weight of Nguyen’s story, and it might be a case where the distance afforded by fantasy benefits the author at the expense of the audience. I felt almost voyeuristic, as if I was reading Nguyen’s private response to a therapeutic writing exercise. If the author’s pain can only be addressed through this medium, I question whether it should be shared with readers.
Ultimately, I think maybe Saving Five was just published a few years too early. It dedicates about a page to the passage of the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act and quickly ends, which prevents readers from having a sense of its impact. Moreover, it feels almost like a reduction of Nguyen’s achievements. She is now an astronaut! I would have loved to read a version of this book that pieces all of the different aspects of her life together. As it stands, would-be readers may find a fuller picture of Amanda Nguyen and her work in her excellent social media presence and recent interviews.
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June 22, 2025Great read. My heart goes to this strong brilliant woman and for all victims and survivors of sexual abuse. Thank you for sharing your stories. 🤍
October 9, 2024
“Someone … once gave me
a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift”
- Mary Oliver
In Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope, Amanda Nguyen transforms her box full of darkness into a gift of justice for millions of women.
“The first time I walked into the rape crisis center, there weren’t enough seats in the waiting room”
After finding out that her rape evidence kit would be destroyed after six months, Amanda fought to extend her evidence kit’s longevity for another six months. Realizing that this battle would be never-ending, she embarks on a transformation of herself and the law, turning her trauma into a foundation for national change.
Amanda invites the reader with her on two concurrent paths: The first, her odyssey through the stages of grief to heal her present self and her inner selves at pivotal ages in her life. These personified aspects travel together to make sense of the horror they’ve faced, from denial towards acceptance.
The second path, a rigorous uphill trek through legislative hell to pass the Survivors’ Bill of Rights, would be Amanda’s battle cry. This bill would protect the civil rights of an estimated 25 million women and would establish the right to preserve evidence kits through the term of a case’s statute of limitations, to be notified of a kit’s destruction, and to be informed regarding forensic exam results.
Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope, is a deeply moving, painfully raw testimony of a survivor and a warrior. It is an important and powerful book; one I think everyone should read.
My sincerest thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux | AUWA, and Amanda Nguyen for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope will be published on March 4, 2025.
a box full of darkness.
It took me years to understand
that this, too, was a gift”
- Mary Oliver
In Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope, Amanda Nguyen transforms her box full of darkness into a gift of justice for millions of women.
“The first time I walked into the rape crisis center, there weren’t enough seats in the waiting room”
After finding out that her rape evidence kit would be destroyed after six months, Amanda fought to extend her evidence kit’s longevity for another six months. Realizing that this battle would be never-ending, she embarks on a transformation of herself and the law, turning her trauma into a foundation for national change.
Amanda invites the reader with her on two concurrent paths: The first, her odyssey through the stages of grief to heal her present self and her inner selves at pivotal ages in her life. These personified aspects travel together to make sense of the horror they’ve faced, from denial towards acceptance.
The second path, a rigorous uphill trek through legislative hell to pass the Survivors’ Bill of Rights, would be Amanda’s battle cry. This bill would protect the civil rights of an estimated 25 million women and would establish the right to preserve evidence kits through the term of a case’s statute of limitations, to be notified of a kit’s destruction, and to be informed regarding forensic exam results.
Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope, is a deeply moving, painfully raw testimony of a survivor and a warrior. It is an important and powerful book; one I think everyone should read.
My sincerest thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux | AUWA, and Amanda Nguyen for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope will be published on March 4, 2025.
June 26, 2025
Amanda Nguyen delivers a memoir that matters; it is equal parts civic courage and personal odyssey. Personally, the structurally innovative moments in the book where different versions of herself interact and influence each other didn’t fully land for me. That said, the emotional and political weight of this book is undeniable. It’s a blueprint for resilience. And Nguyen herself? Nothing short of remarkable.
Here’s a peek at her accomplishments:
• Founder of Rise (non-governmental civil rights organization)
• Drafted the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act, a bill that passed unanimously through the US Congress
• 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
• 2022 TIME Woman of the Year
• Credited with kickstarting the movement to stop violence against Asian Americans after her video calling for media coverage went viral on February 5, 2021
• Forbes 30 Under 30
• She is a suborbital astronaut & the first woman of Vietnamese origin to fly into space (Blue Origin)
• Harvard Student (Astrophysics)
Here’s a peek at her accomplishments:
• Founder of Rise (non-governmental civil rights organization)
• Drafted the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act, a bill that passed unanimously through the US Congress
• 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
• 2022 TIME Woman of the Year
• Credited with kickstarting the movement to stop violence against Asian Americans after her video calling for media coverage went viral on February 5, 2021
• Forbes 30 Under 30
• She is a suborbital astronaut & the first woman of Vietnamese origin to fly into space (Blue Origin)
• Harvard Student (Astrophysics)
June 29, 2025
3.75
i loved hearing amanda’s story so much and found myself tearing up at certain parts. the amount of highlights i made was actually insane and i was in so much awe from her story and all of her accomplishments.
the main reason i rated this 3.75 is because i couldn’t “get into” or enjoy the parts of the book where we had full chapters of her at different ages (being referred to by the age, such as “Five”) and stages (denial, anger, etc) communicating. that sort of magical realism (?) element took me out of the book so many times, especially when i found myself more interested in the main part and timeline of her memoir.
i loved hearing amanda’s story so much and found myself tearing up at certain parts. the amount of highlights i made was actually insane and i was in so much awe from her story and all of her accomplishments.
the main reason i rated this 3.75 is because i couldn’t “get into” or enjoy the parts of the book where we had full chapters of her at different ages (being referred to by the age, such as “Five”) and stages (denial, anger, etc) communicating. that sort of magical realism (?) element took me out of the book so many times, especially when i found myself more interested in the main part and timeline of her memoir.
November 30, 2025
Non-Fiction November '25 - Book 9
Amanda Nguyen is an amazing woman and this is definitely not your average memoir. Truly a journey of an amazing spirit interspersed with a mythological tale of all of her different selves.
I think the should be required feminist reading. I learned so much about the work that went into creating and passing a bill on Capital Hill. (Rhyme unintended...maybe)
Amanda Nguyen is an amazing woman and this is definitely not your average memoir. Truly a journey of an amazing spirit interspersed with a mythological tale of all of her different selves.
I think the should be required feminist reading. I learned so much about the work that went into creating and passing a bill on Capital Hill. (Rhyme unintended...maybe)
Read
December 25, 2025The COURAGE. ugh.
"Grief is my gift to you, Amanda. Grief is worth going through. Each stage is painful but has a lesson to teach us. Denial provides us hope. Anger gives us fuel. Bargaining teaches us value. Sadness grants us our humanity. And Acceptance... acceptance of grief reveals to us that we are made of love. At the end of all this, at the end of the tunnel, is healing."
"Grief is my gift to you, Amanda. Grief is worth going through. Each stage is painful but has a lesson to teach us. Denial provides us hope. Anger gives us fuel. Bargaining teaches us value. Sadness grants us our humanity. And Acceptance... acceptance of grief reveals to us that we are made of love. At the end of all this, at the end of the tunnel, is healing."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 682 reviews