Undoing Jane Doe: How I Put the Middle School Coach and Teacher Who Sexually Abused Me Behind Bars

by Kristen Lewis Cunnane

Raised in the idyllic and close-knit northern California town of Moraga, Kristen Lewis Cunnane had it all at 12: a treasured family, close friends, a valued position on a variety of sports teams, and excellent grades. By any pre-teen’s standards, hers was certainly a life to envy.

Unfortunately, this happiness was to be short-lived as Kristen suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her middle school science teacher. Afraid to discuss the event with her parents or close friends, Kristen turned to a trusted female coach and teacher for guidance. When they first met, Julie Correa was seemingly the perfect role model for a naive 11-year-old. However, this woman spent years earning Kristen’s trust while at the same time manipulating her psyche. In a sickeningly ironic twist, this so-called mentor ultimately transformed Kristen’s life into one of sexual slavery over the entirety of her high school tenure. With controlling and calculated precision, Correa was able to both isolate Kristen from her family and simultaneously assault her in her childhood bedroom.

"Undoing Jane Doe" chronicles Kristen’s heartbreaking experience and the harrowing aftermath that nearly drove her to suicide. Using actual transcripts from pretextual phone calls and court records, Cunnane takes the reader through the years of prolonged abuse and the eventual takedown of a sexual predator. Haunting, insightful, and inspiring, Undoing Jane Doe showcases a deplorable side of humanity while at the same time manages to remind us of the sheer strength of the human spirit.

414 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2019

Reviews

[Tabatha Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book that needs to be read. This was one of the most heartbreaking, enraging, amazing stories of triumph, healing, love, and family. In this day and age, it's hard to feel that there is any kindness or goodness in humanity, Julie Correa is a stark example of that hopelessness. However, because Kristen was strong enough to do the most difficult, yet right thing by coming forward, there is a bit of light sparked that can remedy the despair. It took me nearly a month to read this book, because that is how heavy it will weigh on your soul. This is definitely something that should be read and remembered.

[Brooke Vermeer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true and emotional and very well written book describing the grooming, abuse, ptsd and in the end the couragious journey to bring truth and justice to putting a teacher who abused her in jail. It is not a light read and sometimes very graphic and raw. So well written! A warrior to not just overcome years of abuse but to be a successful adult, mother, athlete. In the book, the author toggles her point of view back and forth between the story she led as a young adult and the journey of creating a case to put this teacher behind bars years after the abuse ended.

[Carol LaBov]

Brave story by a true survivor

A chilling story told in simple,emotional detail. The abuse this sweet child endured and survived is a testimony to the power of the human spirit and her faith. Encouraging our children to question those who try to take advantage of their position with them is the best advice we can give.

[Calo123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoir, this was sad

[Abby Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Telling both the true story of the abuse endured growing up and the process of then dealing with the trauma years later, this book sheds a lot of light on the experience survivors of sexual abuse go through. Undoing Jane Doe is well written as it tells both stories alternating chapters and coming together in a way that is easy to understand and enlightening. Kristen grew up in my hometown and we attended the same high school so there was definitely a personal compelling element for me. But I cannot recommend this highly enough and feel everyone should read it to gain a better understanding and more sympathy for what survivors of sexual assault and abuse experience and the transition from victim to survivor.