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Kill the Silence: A Survivor's Life Reclaimed
In 2009, college sophomore and track star Monika Kørra was grabbed by three men on her way home from a party and brutally raped. Within hours of being released, Monika resolved that she would not be a victim – she was going to be a survivor.
Monika had traveled from her home in Norway to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, determined to acclimate to life in the States and excited for the opportunity of a full scholarship to do what she loved. As an athlete and Olympic hopeful, Monika already knew how to train against extreme fatigue, soreness, and distraction. She was used to overcoming adversity, using obstacles like stepping stones to achieve her goals. Persistence and patience had always been her greatest tools. She would now have to use these same qualities to regain her self-identity and find a “new normal”.
Stripped of her sense of security, she slowly rebuilds her life with the help of her friends, family, and her own unflappable spirit. Monika shares the inspiring combination of mental and physical work that gave her the strength to win her greatest fight the court case against the three men who had attacked her. She testifies against them with confidence and a fierce determination that these men would never be able to hurt anyone else, securing a life sentence. Two of them received life, one with parole and one without parole for the worst of the three.
A large percentage of sexual assaults – upwards of 80% for female college students, like Monika was – go unreported, and 15 of every 16 rapists go free. By sharing her story, Monika hopes to inspire others to come forward and tell their own stories without shame or fear. Kill the Silence is about one woman's journey to recover from trauma and a call to arms to break the stigma that surrounds violence against women.
Monika had traveled from her home in Norway to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, determined to acclimate to life in the States and excited for the opportunity of a full scholarship to do what she loved. As an athlete and Olympic hopeful, Monika already knew how to train against extreme fatigue, soreness, and distraction. She was used to overcoming adversity, using obstacles like stepping stones to achieve her goals. Persistence and patience had always been her greatest tools. She would now have to use these same qualities to regain her self-identity and find a “new normal”.
Stripped of her sense of security, she slowly rebuilds her life with the help of her friends, family, and her own unflappable spirit. Monika shares the inspiring combination of mental and physical work that gave her the strength to win her greatest fight the court case against the three men who had attacked her. She testifies against them with confidence and a fierce determination that these men would never be able to hurt anyone else, securing a life sentence. Two of them received life, one with parole and one without parole for the worst of the three.
A large percentage of sexual assaults – upwards of 80% for female college students, like Monika was – go unreported, and 15 of every 16 rapists go free. By sharing her story, Monika hopes to inspire others to come forward and tell their own stories without shame or fear. Kill the Silence is about one woman's journey to recover from trauma and a call to arms to break the stigma that surrounds violence against women.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 17, 2015
17 people are currently reading
578 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 9, 2015
**THIS REVIEW IS TAKEN DIRECTLY OFF OF MY BLOG A READER'S DIARY**
Monika Kørra: Norwegian cross-country and track star, previously studied at Southern Methodist University, currently rape survivor. In Kill the Silence, Monika tells the story of a night out gone wrong. She was kidnapped at gunpoint and raped by three men in a black SUV. How exactly does someone get kidnaped when everyone is watching? Monika tells us the horrors she spent with The Worst One, The Weak One, and The Boss driving around Dallas as she's being raped, held at gunpoint, and wondering what's going to happen to her. This story is her way of bring rape culture to the eyes of society. She does not want to be known as a victim, but as a survivor. We spend almost three years in Monika's daily life; her struggles with school, her friendships, her relationships, and her time as Jessica December Watkins. She takes us behind the scenes of the court room walls, her therapy sessions, and even how she gets her life back on track. This is tell all memoir took courage to bring rape out into the open. Monika Kørra is now an advocate for rape victims through Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center's volunteer program and has also started the Monika Korra Foundation
A special thank you to NetGalley for providing me with yet another brilliant read!
Mark your calendars, Kill the Silence comes out August 25th!
Monika Kørra: Norwegian cross-country and track star, previously studied at Southern Methodist University, currently rape survivor. In Kill the Silence, Monika tells the story of a night out gone wrong. She was kidnapped at gunpoint and raped by three men in a black SUV. How exactly does someone get kidnaped when everyone is watching? Monika tells us the horrors she spent with The Worst One, The Weak One, and The Boss driving around Dallas as she's being raped, held at gunpoint, and wondering what's going to happen to her. This story is her way of bring rape culture to the eyes of society. She does not want to be known as a victim, but as a survivor. We spend almost three years in Monika's daily life; her struggles with school, her friendships, her relationships, and her time as Jessica December Watkins. She takes us behind the scenes of the court room walls, her therapy sessions, and even how she gets her life back on track. This is tell all memoir took courage to bring rape out into the open. Monika Kørra is now an advocate for rape victims through Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center's volunteer program and has also started the Monika Korra Foundation
A special thank you to NetGalley for providing me with yet another brilliant read!
Mark your calendars, Kill the Silence comes out August 25th!
February 7, 2016
the story of a rape... very disturbing -how is it possible to be abducted with people surrounding you?- and very accurate, as the author explains what she went through during and after the event. She was almost broken, but got her bearings back and decided it was not going to destroy her. The book is mostly about the two years following the rape, how she coped and got back to a better "normal". You cannot help but admire her, for pushing her fears away, and temoigner, to use the term made famous by Medecins sans Frontieres, explain to the unknowing world (us) what it feels like. A good book, a hard one, but full of a vibrant desire to live a full life.
August 3, 2015
Kill the Silence: A Survivors Life Reclaimed is an incredible read. I admire Monika Korra's courage to write about what happened to her. I believe this book would help so many victims that have been through sexual assaults. I found myself crying while reading this.
Such a powerful book!
Highly, highly recommended!
5 plus stars
Such a powerful book!
Highly, highly recommended!
5 plus stars
March 25, 2015
I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a really good book! I thought she was so brave to go and tell her story, and I hope someone that has gone through this will be given courage to speak out and tell their story.
November 11, 2015
Kørra probably won’t win any awards for her literary style, prose or writing in general, however she certainly deserves recognition for being brave enough to face her demons and put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.
For having the strength to lay bare her experiences and emotions, so others can see that there is a life beyond rape. Learning how to cope is a day by day and hour by hour uphill battle.
Her story is an autobiographical account of the horrific kidnap and gang rape ordeal she went through, as a college student.
Not only was she literally grabbed from the streets right in front of her friends, she was a student in a foreign country at the time. No family or childhood friends to support her during the aftermath of her ordeal.
Monika was lucky enough to have made a close-knit group of college friends, who were there to support her. In fact the details of the kidnap bound them together in a way I think outsiders might have trouble understanding.
I think one of the things that stood out for me the most was the treatment Monika received, specifically the way the police and hospital handled her. Lacking in sensitivity, in training, in understanding and in empathy.
The other thing was. and this is in no way a criticism, far from it, was the complete detachment from an emotional point of view.
Completely normal in her situation and certainly a coping technique. Keeping a wall between the flood of emotions and the memories isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as a support system is in place.
Kudos to her for surviving, being strong and sharing her story.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.
For having the strength to lay bare her experiences and emotions, so others can see that there is a life beyond rape. Learning how to cope is a day by day and hour by hour uphill battle.
Her story is an autobiographical account of the horrific kidnap and gang rape ordeal she went through, as a college student.
Not only was she literally grabbed from the streets right in front of her friends, she was a student in a foreign country at the time. No family or childhood friends to support her during the aftermath of her ordeal.
Monika was lucky enough to have made a close-knit group of college friends, who were there to support her. In fact the details of the kidnap bound them together in a way I think outsiders might have trouble understanding.
I think one of the things that stood out for me the most was the treatment Monika received, specifically the way the police and hospital handled her. Lacking in sensitivity, in training, in understanding and in empathy.
The other thing was. and this is in no way a criticism, far from it, was the complete detachment from an emotional point of view.
Completely normal in her situation and certainly a coping technique. Keeping a wall between the flood of emotions and the memories isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as a support system is in place.
Kudos to her for surviving, being strong and sharing her story.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.
April 26, 2016
This book made me think a lot about shame. And also the power of choice.
*Spoiler alerts ahead*..
I couldn't help but think what a rare woman Monika Korra is, reading her courageous account of those 4 years of her life with such detail and honesty - on the one hand, her perspective and thought process, along with her incredible support system of family and friends, did seem to "pave the way" for her healing and recovery - hadn't her parents always told her that struggle was a part of life, and it was her reaction that mattered most? ...but on the other hand, and what I found most inspiring, was her account of the moment after the attack when she made a DECISION. She decided that she would not let those 3 men steal the rest of her life. Her every action was committed to that decision - she did what she needed to do to heal, even meeting with one of the rapists in prison, face to face - asking him his account of the events and NOT LETTING UP until he fully admitted how he had "hurt her" - until he used that word, rape, taken full responsibility for his actions. Wow. I marvel at this young woman.
This account is a testament to the fact that it isn't the circumstances or events of life that define us - blame is a powerless act! It truly is our (re)actions that define who we are.
*Spoiler alerts ahead*..
I couldn't help but think what a rare woman Monika Korra is, reading her courageous account of those 4 years of her life with such detail and honesty - on the one hand, her perspective and thought process, along with her incredible support system of family and friends, did seem to "pave the way" for her healing and recovery - hadn't her parents always told her that struggle was a part of life, and it was her reaction that mattered most? ...but on the other hand, and what I found most inspiring, was her account of the moment after the attack when she made a DECISION. She decided that she would not let those 3 men steal the rest of her life. Her every action was committed to that decision - she did what she needed to do to heal, even meeting with one of the rapists in prison, face to face - asking him his account of the events and NOT LETTING UP until he fully admitted how he had "hurt her" - until he used that word, rape, taken full responsibility for his actions. Wow. I marvel at this young woman.
This account is a testament to the fact that it isn't the circumstances or events of life that define us - blame is a powerless act! It truly is our (re)actions that define who we are.
March 12, 2016
This is an ambitious memoir written by a young Norwegian long-distance runner about her gang rape in Dallas. In the end, they catch the bad guys and two of them get life in prison. The author sets up a foundation in her name that will encourage other rape victims to speak out and to dismiss the polite circumlocations society gives for the word rape.
The book's downside is the endless asking of rhetorical questions by the author, who is very obsessive, and an awful lot of information about endurance running. I thought the most interesting fact in the book was that endurance runners sit in the middle of the team bus studying intensely, while the sprinters all sit in the back singing and goofing off.
I do applaud the author for how she triumphed over her rapes and set a foundation in motion to help other rape victims.
If you want to read a more powerful book about overcoming rape, try Lucky by Alice Sebold.
The book's downside is the endless asking of rhetorical questions by the author, who is very obsessive, and an awful lot of information about endurance running. I thought the most interesting fact in the book was that endurance runners sit in the middle of the team bus studying intensely, while the sprinters all sit in the back singing and goofing off.
I do applaud the author for how she triumphed over her rapes and set a foundation in motion to help other rape victims.
If you want to read a more powerful book about overcoming rape, try Lucky by Alice Sebold.
September 23, 2015
What does one do after a tragic thing happens in their life? Well this book is the story of such a person. Monica went a party and was on her way home when 3 men grabbed her and brutally raped her. Monica doesn't let what happened to her define her, she struggles to put the pieces back together and live her life as normally as possible. What a wonderful thing she has done to write about this and help those who have also had tragedy in their lives maybe learn how to move on.
March 7, 2017
i received a copy of this for a honest review i really enjoyed this it was really good what she went through and coming out a stronger person
Merged review:
i really enjoyed this book a very good read
Merged review:
i really enjoyed this book a very good read
October 14, 2015
She showed the strength of the human spirit. It was an awe inspiring book in how she related how she handled her struggles with the rape and her recovery. God Bless her in her future as he has in her past.
December 6, 2015
This is a moving and inspirational read of a young woman who was kidnapped and raped. Her ordeal and how it made her a stronger is intense but very moving.
December 31, 2015
Interesting read about how one girl reclaimed her life after a rape. Towards the end I thought the book was drawn out a bit too long, but overall an interesting read.
June 19, 2019
Modig, sterk og rørende bok! Monika viser enorm styrke hvor hun gjennom hele prosessen fokuserer på de viktige og gode tingene hun har i livet. Hun nekter å bli et offer og jobber knallhardt for å finne sin nye normal, i Dallas, langt unna Løten i Norge. Hun bruker etterhvert sin historie til å få andre til å slutte gjemme seg og sette fokus på seksualisert vold mot kvinner.
En bok som gjorde sterkt inntrykk. Hun skriver veldig bra, til tider skifter der fort fra tårer til latter hos meg.
En bok som gjorde sterkt inntrykk. Hun skriver veldig bra, til tider skifter der fort fra tårer til latter hos meg.
June 2, 2018
Monika Korra is such an amazing woman. An athlete in a University in a foreign country, not only did she survive a brutal experience, but she is an absolute inspiration. It was interesting to see how it affected her training and her mindset and how she battled to become stronger and stronger and insisted on not keeping silent because then the survivor is shouldering the blame and not healing.
May 21, 2025
Well written. Korra allows the reader to hear what she is thinking and feel all the feels. She makes very clear that surviving is not the same as thriving and that getting to thriving is an individual and extremely difficult journey. Love this book!
July 16, 2022
Så modig og reflektert, takk for at du deler din historie og lar oss ta del i din reise. Lykke til med det gode arbeidet for en viktig sak. Heier på deg!
October 2, 2025
The story of a female athlete who came to America as part of a track team at a university and is raped. She uses her athletic training to help her overcome the trauma.
March 22, 2016
In 2009, college sophomore and track star Monika Kørra was grabbed by three men on her way home from a party and brutally raped. Within hours of being released, Monika resolved that she would not be a victim – she was going to be a survivor.
Monika had traveled from her home in Norway to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, determined to acclimate to life in the States and excited for the opportunity of a full scholarship to do what she loved. As an athlete and Olympic hopeful, Monika already knew how to train against extreme fatigue, soreness, and distraction. She was used to overcoming adversity, using obstacles like stepping stones to achieve her goals. Persistence and patience had always been her greatest tools. She would now have to use these same qualities to regain her self-identity and find a “new normal”.
Stripped of her sense of security, she slowly rebuilds her life with the help of her friends, family, and her own unflappable spirit. Monika shares the inspiring combination of mental and physical work that gave her the strength to win her greatest fight yet: the court case against the three men who had attacked her. She testifies against them with confidence and a fierce determination that these men would never be able to hurt anyone else, securing a life sentence. Two of them received life, one with parole and one without parole for the worst of the three.
A large percentage of sexual assaults – upwards of 80% for female college students, like Monika was – go unreported, and 15 of every 16 rapists go free. By sharing her story, Monika hopes to inspire others to come forward and tell their own stories without shame or fear. Kill the Silence is about one woman's journey to recover from trauma and a call to arms to break the stigma that surrounds violence against women.GR desciption
This is an incredible memoir by a very brave young woman who chose to not remain a victim. It was very encouraging to see how she chose to rise above her horrible rape and make something good come from such horror. She is very real and vulnerable in her writing. Just when you think you have moved to a different stage of grief and healing, a trigger will push you spiraling down. She is honest about her healing. This is a good book to help someone deal with tragedy.
Monika had traveled from her home in Norway to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, determined to acclimate to life in the States and excited for the opportunity of a full scholarship to do what she loved. As an athlete and Olympic hopeful, Monika already knew how to train against extreme fatigue, soreness, and distraction. She was used to overcoming adversity, using obstacles like stepping stones to achieve her goals. Persistence and patience had always been her greatest tools. She would now have to use these same qualities to regain her self-identity and find a “new normal”.
Stripped of her sense of security, she slowly rebuilds her life with the help of her friends, family, and her own unflappable spirit. Monika shares the inspiring combination of mental and physical work that gave her the strength to win her greatest fight yet: the court case against the three men who had attacked her. She testifies against them with confidence and a fierce determination that these men would never be able to hurt anyone else, securing a life sentence. Two of them received life, one with parole and one without parole for the worst of the three.
A large percentage of sexual assaults – upwards of 80% for female college students, like Monika was – go unreported, and 15 of every 16 rapists go free. By sharing her story, Monika hopes to inspire others to come forward and tell their own stories without shame or fear. Kill the Silence is about one woman's journey to recover from trauma and a call to arms to break the stigma that surrounds violence against women.GR desciption
This is an incredible memoir by a very brave young woman who chose to not remain a victim. It was very encouraging to see how she chose to rise above her horrible rape and make something good come from such horror. She is very real and vulnerable in her writing. Just when you think you have moved to a different stage of grief and healing, a trigger will push you spiraling down. She is honest about her healing. This is a good book to help someone deal with tragedy.
March 17, 2016
I cannot say that I enjoyed reading this book but I think it was courageous of Monika to write about her experience as a victim of rape. It is a powerful story of a brave and tenacious young woman whose violent assault is exacerbated by her cultural and communication differences from Americans. There are many pearls of wisdom in this book for all of us, not just victims of violent crimes. 'When the bone breaks, it often heals stronger in the location of the break.' The only reason that this book was not a 5 is that some of it could have been edited out. I believe that those parts were for her and other who experience rape. A call to arms for men and women who have been sexually assaulted to stand up and take action to make the world a better, kinder place.
Encouraging, powerful and life changing.
Encouraging, powerful and life changing.
March 26, 2016
Monika Korra refused defeat; although she was brutally raped by three individuals on her way home from a party while she was in college she determined to rise above this horrific experience. In her book, Kill The Silence A Survivor's Life Reclaimed Monika bravely recounts the night she was abused and allows the reader to follow step by step in her healing. There is much to be learnt about courage from this amazing woman. Definitely her story is so compelling that I would encourage others to put on their "must read" list. Kill The Silence is my favorite read for 2015 and I had the honor of reading for the Blogging for Books website.
February 15, 2021
This is the personal account of Monika Korra's abduction and rape. So many people are raped. A lot of those people are college students, in the general vicinity of campus. Rape is a disgusting and horrifying thing. I appreciate her honesty about her experience and her experiences during the healing process. This was a good book, though I hate to say that since the subject matter is so horrendous.
September 16, 2016
I do not recommend this book for any one younger than 13. i say this because the book is about a rape victim and her experience before during and after, the book also has a lot of cussing. Now, if you're over the age of 13, the book is a decent read. The book starts a little slow and boring but it gets much better. If you are interested in victims stories i would recommend this book.
June 11, 2016
Mixed feelings. A very inspirational story about a rape survivor. Book very fragmented and poorly written plus about 100 pages too long. I applaud her courage and resilience and I am sure her speaking engagements much better than her writing.
June 28, 2016
This was a difficult book to rad. It is the true story of a college athlete who was brutally raped by three men. The book tells her story and the aftermath. It tells how she healed and details the significant bumps along the way.
March 14, 2016
Made me cry. A number of times. Heart wrenching account of abduction, rape and recovering her life.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews