The Accuser: The True Story of the Big Dan's Gang Rape Victim

by Karen Curtis

Cheryl Ann Araujo is The Accuser. In 1983, she was victimized by men, the judicial system, the Government, the media, and the Portuguese mob because she stood up against them all in the Big Dan's rape trial in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

In 1988, Jodie Foster portrayed a character loosely based on Cheryl Araujo in the Hollywood movie The Accused for which she won an Academy Award. Foster's character was gang raped on a pinball machine, rather than a pool table

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime

148 pages, Paperback

Published March 17, 2022

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sad story

There's a lot of repetition in this book and things that should have been left out or shortened. I really didn't need all that junk about the Kennedys or several pages of Arlen Specter's verbatim questions in some stupid hearings about cameras in the courtroom. All that and some unfortunate mild subtle sexism by the author made this book annoying to read.

Poor Cheryl. May she rest in peace. The mangy dirty dogs that hurt her should rot somewhere, anywhere, everywhere, and that community (and Cheryl's good-for-nothing boyfriend) should be ashamed of themselves for how they treated this poor young woman.

[Chiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book, I saw the film The Accused for the first time in 1991, I didn't know it was based on a true story, I found it years later, and since then I have always been interested in the case, I have searched for any news that I could find on Internet, now the TV program Trial by Media has finally come out, where it talks about the case of Cheryl Araujo, and finally this book, certainly when in the book it describes the rape is chilling, as well as when it describes the accident, between the other things I think she was killed ... This is truly a horrible story, first raped and then killed in an accident, a truly horrible story ... I can't understand why the two men who cheered the rape were acquitted, I think one of them killed her ... Anyway a really nice book to read for those are interested in this story ..

[Theresa Monuteaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a book. As someone who lived in the New Bedford area during this time a first generation American raised in a Portuguese community. I thought I knew the case. I was even briefly employed as an interpreter for a reporter on the New Bedford standard times . How wrong I was. What this author managed to uncover is incredible. She is a credit to women everywhere. Theresa Monuteaux

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very repetitive but I’m glad Cheryl’s story was told.

[Lauri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly researched and written