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Silenced No More: Surviving My Journey to Hell and Back—The Shocking True Story of Surviving Epstein’s Island and Years of Abuse
For the first time ever, a survivor tells the shocking inside story of her time trapped in Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking ring.
Sarah Ransome moved to New York at the age of 22 with hopes for a better life, an education, and a career in fashion. Her dreams were destroyed almost overnight when she met Jeffrey Epstein and was invited to an island paradise disguising her personal hell.
“By sharing my testimony…I hope to see both minds and laws changed. More than anything, I want to encourage a culture in which women, even if they haven’t led the perfect lives, even if they’re not proud of every one of their choices, still feel the right to stand in their truth.”
This story is her day in court.
Sarah Ransome moved to New York at the age of 22 with hopes for a better life, an education, and a career in fashion. Her dreams were destroyed almost overnight when she met Jeffrey Epstein and was invited to an island paradise disguising her personal hell.
“By sharing my testimony…I hope to see both minds and laws changed. More than anything, I want to encourage a culture in which women, even if they haven’t led the perfect lives, even if they’re not proud of every one of their choices, still feel the right to stand in their truth.”
This story is her day in court.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 7, 2021
181 people are currently reading
1032 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
January 4, 2023
This author is an admitted liar and Connie Bruck, a journalist on The New Yorker said of her "Ransome is either hallucinating or lying.". Normally I wouldn't write about the author's shortcomings, just the book, but when a book is a memoir and about events (around Jeffery Epstein) that she has lied about in emails, to her lawyers and to journalists, then I think considering the book without knowing this, doesn't make sense. If a book is about an author, then writing what is known about the author cannot be against the ToS.
US court privilege and defamation of character.
In the run up to the 2016 presidential election, Ransome wrote dozens of emails to a reporter for the New York Post claiming that she possessed sex tapes of Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump. Bill Clinton and Richard Branson.The journalist was Connie Bruck who reported in the New Yorker
She also claimed to have been targeted for assassination by Hillary Clinton and the CIA and that she was working with the Russian KGB to prevent the election of the two "pedophiles" who were running for president.
For Ransome, as for the other women, these benefits [from Epstein] depended on her having sex with Epstein and with his friends. In her affidavit, she named Dershowitz as one of those friends. Ransome was another imperfect witness. In the fall of 2016, she had suggested to the New York Post that she had sex tapes of half a dozen prominent people, including Bill Clinton and Donald Trump – but couldn’t provide the tapes when asked. (Ransome told me that she invented the tapes to draw attention to Epstein’s behavior, and to make him believe that she had “evidence that would come out if he harmed me.”)” Connie Bruck, Alan Dershowitz, Devil’s Advocate, The New Yorker, July 29, 2019"Dershowitz in Guilt by Accusation
In her emails, Ransome, like Giuffre, mentioned me. And like Giuffre, she mentioned me as someone she did not have sex with. She claimed, quite absurdly, that I had been her lawyer and was suing a man who met her on the “sugar daddy” website where young women express a willingness to exchange sex with wealthy men for money. Of course she had no evidence—no retainer agreement, court documents, letters, witnesses or anything else—to support her absurd claim, because I had never met her and was not her lawyer.So this author is an admitted liar. She accused Alan Dershowitz, as had Virginia Roberts Giuffre (either at the behest of the Daily Mail whom she approached to sell her story of Epstein in 2011, (and got #160,000 GBP for it) or her lawyer - the same lawyer as Ransome - of having sex with her, he has never met either of them. I was given this book, I'm wondering if I am going to have to bandage my jaw up to stop it falling open and catching flies before I read it. If I do.
But that isn’t the important point. What is critical is that the story she made up about me before meeting her lawyers was that I was her lawyer and not her sex partner. She concocted the phony sex story about me only after she met her greedy lawyers, who were aware that she had previously made up false stories about the sex tapes and Clinton assassination plot.
When I publicized Ransome’s many lies, she was forced to admit to a journalist that she had “invented” the story and the sex tapes in order to take revenge against Epstein and prevent him from harming her.
US court privilege and defamation of character.
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January 9, 2022Another hard one to rate, so I'll forgo the rating entirely. Five stars for Sarah's courage in telling her heartrending story, and for the solid points she makes about our failure to believe victims and to stand up for them, still. With the public revealing of the crimes of Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, Larry Nassar, Jeffrey Epstein, and so many more, people are slowly, finally starting to ask the right questions--"how did these assholes get away with this for so long?" and "why didn't all the people who knew DO something?" instead of "what was she wearing?" But, as Ransome points out, justice is still too slow, allowing others to be victimized and many co-conspirators to escape punishment. I long for the day when it only takes one survivor--not dozens--to be believed.
The revelation that Epstein was aided and abetted by a team of women--some also his victims, some not--was horrifying, but sadly not surprising. After I was assaulted at a writers' conference, I discovered the man (and I use that term loosely) who felt he had the right to put his hand up my skirt in full view of multiple witnesses, was a serial predator who had been put in a position of power by a group of women who sneered at the accounts of his victims--which stretched back years before I encountered him--and who dared to name themselves as "equal" survivors whose accounts should be given the same weight. Because they were women too, dontcha know, and as women, should be believed. Even though they weren't present at these assaults and there was proof in writing that they'd long been well aware of what was going on. I'd love for someone--perhaps a psychologist--to dig into what makes women support and aide predators, because it's not always fear or money.
Where this account fell short for me was the writing. As compelling and heartrending as Ransome's story is, the over-the-top purple prose, where absolutely everything required an extended, eyeroll-inducing metaphor, almost had me give up on it a few times. Her choice of an oversexed, male creature as something that "lived inside her" was particularly unfortunate. I cringed at the multiple mentions of the stallion trotting inside her. As she gets more into what she suffered at the hands of Epstein and his cronies and henchwomen, though, the narrative smoothes out a bit. But I wish an editor had encouraged her to just tell her story, because her story is more than enough.
The revelation that Epstein was aided and abetted by a team of women--some also his victims, some not--was horrifying, but sadly not surprising. After I was assaulted at a writers' conference, I discovered the man (and I use that term loosely) who felt he had the right to put his hand up my skirt in full view of multiple witnesses, was a serial predator who had been put in a position of power by a group of women who sneered at the accounts of his victims--which stretched back years before I encountered him--and who dared to name themselves as "equal" survivors whose accounts should be given the same weight. Because they were women too, dontcha know, and as women, should be believed. Even though they weren't present at these assaults and there was proof in writing that they'd long been well aware of what was going on. I'd love for someone--perhaps a psychologist--to dig into what makes women support and aide predators, because it's not always fear or money.
Where this account fell short for me was the writing. As compelling and heartrending as Ransome's story is, the over-the-top purple prose, where absolutely everything required an extended, eyeroll-inducing metaphor, almost had me give up on it a few times. Her choice of an oversexed, male creature as something that "lived inside her" was particularly unfortunate. I cringed at the multiple mentions of the stallion trotting inside her. As she gets more into what she suffered at the hands of Epstein and his cronies and henchwomen, though, the narrative smoothes out a bit. But I wish an editor had encouraged her to just tell her story, because her story is more than enough.
January 5, 2022
A harrowing account of a brutal life.
A little girl lost, who could so easily have been saved was it not for the ruptures in her ancestral chains. Blow by blow Ms Ransom details the mistakes she made, following in the footsteps of her alcoholic mother and grandmother who went, enslaved in their own minds, before her. This is a tale of surviving Patriarchy and alcoholism as much as sex trafficking and modern slavery of young women in the western world.
It is an extraordinary memoir, so well written I want to know how it was done, who wrote it with such eloquence and gusto. Most importantly, it is an account of the cruel reality many women live in, behind the evil of powerful men and the people who feed their beastly hunger.
This is a historical document, a must-read for the world to heal from the detrimental effect of how Patriarchy silence and abuse women.
I'm in awe of Ms Ransom's courage to stand by her story and defend all victims. What I want for her, and I'm sure she wanted for herself, is a quiet life lived in love and abundance the nature she loves. Instead, she has decided to stand up for all womankind and speak TRUTH to our biggest fear: Being haunted, enslaved and abused, whether in trafficking, prostitution or at the hands of fathers and partners. May she, and this book, be instrumental in changing our legal systems, rip the veil from our politicians, royals and despicable high profile figures and FINALLY provide a safe haven to all women suffering in silence.
This book will save lives, it will save our daughters.
Thank you to Henrietta Meire for her excellent narration.
#audiobook on Scribd.com
A little girl lost, who could so easily have been saved was it not for the ruptures in her ancestral chains. Blow by blow Ms Ransom details the mistakes she made, following in the footsteps of her alcoholic mother and grandmother who went, enslaved in their own minds, before her. This is a tale of surviving Patriarchy and alcoholism as much as sex trafficking and modern slavery of young women in the western world.
It is an extraordinary memoir, so well written I want to know how it was done, who wrote it with such eloquence and gusto. Most importantly, it is an account of the cruel reality many women live in, behind the evil of powerful men and the people who feed their beastly hunger.
This is a historical document, a must-read for the world to heal from the detrimental effect of how Patriarchy silence and abuse women.
I'm in awe of Ms Ransom's courage to stand by her story and defend all victims. What I want for her, and I'm sure she wanted for herself, is a quiet life lived in love and abundance the nature she loves. Instead, she has decided to stand up for all womankind and speak TRUTH to our biggest fear: Being haunted, enslaved and abused, whether in trafficking, prostitution or at the hands of fathers and partners. May she, and this book, be instrumental in changing our legal systems, rip the veil from our politicians, royals and despicable high profile figures and FINALLY provide a safe haven to all women suffering in silence.
This book will save lives, it will save our daughters.
Thank you to Henrietta Meire for her excellent narration.
#audiobook on Scribd.com
December 14, 2025
I believe Sarah Ransome. The low rating is only due to the quality of writing. Her story is worth reading, but too much of it was left unwritten and the style of writing just didn't resonate with me. My favourite parts of the book were dealing with the author's childhood and adolescence, because they were the most detailed and personal.
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August 6, 2025I don’t want to rate this book due to the sensitive nature of it. But it is raw, brave, and important.
Quote:
“I am a victim of rape, yes, of a brutal sex-trafficking ring, but that is not all. I am also a fighter who has walked through hell and emerged from it, driven toward a purpose-filled calling to serve as a voice for others. We sisters who have, at times, been forced to trade our dignities for a bowl of hot soup are not “harlots” or “prostitutes,” rubbish to be segregated, semantically or otherwise. We are survivors. We have done what we had to do, what we took no pleasure at all in doing, in order to remain here. For that we shouldn’t be shamed and shunned. We should be regarded as warriors.”
Quote:
“I am a victim of rape, yes, of a brutal sex-trafficking ring, but that is not all. I am also a fighter who has walked through hell and emerged from it, driven toward a purpose-filled calling to serve as a voice for others. We sisters who have, at times, been forced to trade our dignities for a bowl of hot soup are not “harlots” or “prostitutes,” rubbish to be segregated, semantically or otherwise. We are survivors. We have done what we had to do, what we took no pleasure at all in doing, in order to remain here. For that we shouldn’t be shamed and shunned. We should be regarded as warriors.”
January 6, 2022
One of many horrific stories surrounding the Epstein/Maxwell trafficking nightmare. I applaud the author for bravely sharing her experience. I really appreciated Sarah talking about her childhood, and the generational patterns that made her especially susceptible to predators like Epstein & company. People like that know exactly what they are doing and who they can prey upon. Extremely tough subject matter. That should go without saying. Very well-written. Five stars because Sarah's story and the story of so many others will not be forgotten by this reader. We all need to step up and take human trafficking seriously. It is a dark underworld that must be stopped.
December 17, 2021
A horrible account of Sarah Ransome's tough childhood to her nightmare of a life after meeting and being overtaken by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
This book while hard to read at times makes you wonder how such monsters like them exist and have even hob knobbed with celebrities and others of vast wealth and power all of whom deny seeing or suspecting any wrong doing by them.
And yet they continued to get away with it even after suspicions arose and victim accounts were made public.
This poor Woman having had her dreams shattered over and over again and living in fear of her life from these two and their cohorts is just unfathomable.
Sadly she and the other victims of Jeffrey will never get the exact justice they deserve due to his cowardliness in committing suicide. So we can hope justice will be served in the Maxwell trial and hopeful conviction, she needs to rot in prison for the rest of her life.
This book while hard to read at times makes you wonder how such monsters like them exist and have even hob knobbed with celebrities and others of vast wealth and power all of whom deny seeing or suspecting any wrong doing by them.
And yet they continued to get away with it even after suspicions arose and victim accounts were made public.
This poor Woman having had her dreams shattered over and over again and living in fear of her life from these two and their cohorts is just unfathomable.
Sadly she and the other victims of Jeffrey will never get the exact justice they deserve due to his cowardliness in committing suicide. So we can hope justice will be served in the Maxwell trial and hopeful conviction, she needs to rot in prison for the rest of her life.
June 5, 2022
A heart wrenching memoir written by Sarah Ransome, survivor of the international sex trafficking ring led by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. As I was reading her horrific childhood riddled with rape, alcoholism, abandonment by family members, I truly felt sad for her. As she gets older, she has very little self worth and confidence in herself. Therefore she is an easy target for Jeffrey and Ghislaine!
Sex traffickers are masters of spotting vulnerability and a broken soul a mile away. Sarah was a perfect candidate for these two monsters. She was alone in New York, very little money, abused and raped as a child and as a teenager. She was the perfect victim.
This book is about her time spent under the cruel thumbs of the most notorious sex traffickers in our modern history. Some parts were really sad and hard to read but yet I really appreciate her honesty and courage to pour her heart and soul for us to read.
A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sex traffickers are masters of spotting vulnerability and a broken soul a mile away. Sarah was a perfect candidate for these two monsters. She was alone in New York, very little money, abused and raped as a child and as a teenager. She was the perfect victim.
This book is about her time spent under the cruel thumbs of the most notorious sex traffickers in our modern history. Some parts were really sad and hard to read but yet I really appreciate her honesty and courage to pour her heart and soul for us to read.
A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 25, 2022
I would have given this book five stars, but I can't justify giving a book about Jeffrey Epstein five stars. Overall, this personal account was the perfect representation of what it's like to be an older woman trapped inside of a little girl's body. Sarah gave us a picture of what it was like to be part of Jeffrey's disgusting ring, and what he did on the side with so many other victims. Excellent book, sad story. I am so proud of her for coming forward.
November 30, 2021
Wow. A powerful story. Sarah goes right into the details of her family history then gets into how she met Jeffrey Epstein. The pedophile island and the mansion in New York. She didn't experience anything in Florida or New Mexico where Epstein had mansions as well.
August 25, 2023
This is a grim read. Normally I skew toward memoirs sharing insight into the best of humanity and offering lessons of how to emulate. This one, though, is a journey through some of the worst experiences people - young females in this case - endure.
Taking the author at face value, her life has been a pinball journey of trauma starting with a broken home in childhood, on to innocence theft as a tween, then into periodic assault on the journey to adulthood, and ultimately leading to a popcorn trail of hope that actually ensnared her as a 20-something in the horrific web of a professional predator.
Whether or not the reader chooses to believe every account within this memoir is true as told, the indisputable fact of the human experience is that abuse of women - mental, emotional and physical - is real and all too nauseatingly frequent. This book shines a light on and gives voice to this truth, one made even worse in this case since it involved an abuser with many friends in high places, not just a garden - variety dirt bag sending nasty and unsolicited DMs online.
While I prefer to view the world through rose-colored glasses, this story is an important reminder that some folks are saddled with seeing life through much darker lenses.
Taking the author at face value, her life has been a pinball journey of trauma starting with a broken home in childhood, on to innocence theft as a tween, then into periodic assault on the journey to adulthood, and ultimately leading to a popcorn trail of hope that actually ensnared her as a 20-something in the horrific web of a professional predator.
Whether or not the reader chooses to believe every account within this memoir is true as told, the indisputable fact of the human experience is that abuse of women - mental, emotional and physical - is real and all too nauseatingly frequent. This book shines a light on and gives voice to this truth, one made even worse in this case since it involved an abuser with many friends in high places, not just a garden - variety dirt bag sending nasty and unsolicited DMs online.
While I prefer to view the world through rose-colored glasses, this story is an important reminder that some folks are saddled with seeing life through much darker lenses.
January 21, 2022
I’m sure most will know but TW include just about everything so please do your own research.
Reviews like these are so hard to write. I overanalyze everything I want to note. The appreciation I have for this book and our author is incredible, but at the same time I can’t say I “loved” it, that isn’t an appropriate word for the book. Non-fiction doesn’t always work like that and some topics are hard to review and digest. I think it was very well written and a five star for me but the word “love” doesn’t come to mind. I can’t imagine the vulnerability and courage to write a book like this and discuss such trauma so openly. I appreciate her account of events, situations, and people, her responses, and her thoughts to the events detailed. I also found it especially thought provoking when she stated she wanted the world to see victims differently and not base current crimes and situations on their own personal pasts and experiences.
There are notes and threads of silence throughout the book. The author does a great job at providing us with adequate backstory and history about her life leading up until the events that we all know of from the media. They include her family, childhood, teen years, college, jobs and relationships. And most importantly her survival. I especially appreciated the cited articles, studies, interviews, pieces of work etc that support the investigations and psychology of the situations.
This is for sure not a happy, light read, but I found it important and thought provoking. I admire the courage and vulnerability our author has and commend her for sharing her story.
Reviews like these are so hard to write. I overanalyze everything I want to note. The appreciation I have for this book and our author is incredible, but at the same time I can’t say I “loved” it, that isn’t an appropriate word for the book. Non-fiction doesn’t always work like that and some topics are hard to review and digest. I think it was very well written and a five star for me but the word “love” doesn’t come to mind. I can’t imagine the vulnerability and courage to write a book like this and discuss such trauma so openly. I appreciate her account of events, situations, and people, her responses, and her thoughts to the events detailed. I also found it especially thought provoking when she stated she wanted the world to see victims differently and not base current crimes and situations on their own personal pasts and experiences.
There are notes and threads of silence throughout the book. The author does a great job at providing us with adequate backstory and history about her life leading up until the events that we all know of from the media. They include her family, childhood, teen years, college, jobs and relationships. And most importantly her survival. I especially appreciated the cited articles, studies, interviews, pieces of work etc that support the investigations and psychology of the situations.
This is for sure not a happy, light read, but I found it important and thought provoking. I admire the courage and vulnerability our author has and commend her for sharing her story.
May 8, 2022
(I agree with others that this is a hard book to rate). I couldn’t wait to be done with this book because it was such a hard topic (sex trafficking) and was very graphic. I did not know about Jeffrey Epstein’s network and so was going into this cold. Ransome had so much background of father issues, finding herself in desperate situations where selling herself seemed the easiest/quickest/only option. Until reading this I don’t think I understood “grooming” or how wide a network could be. It’s very scary. In addition it definitely raised self-examination on when to speak up for right as well as how our society (including me) empathizes with some types of victims more than others. Definitely a lot to digest.
December 1, 2025
I imagine that sharing your story after being involved in something of this magnitude is a very scary thing to do, so major props to Sarah for going public with her account! I appreciate that she was transparent with her own shortcomings, specifically with drugs and alcohol, and also her acknowledgement of the fact that there were times when she willingly found herself back in Epstein’s grip in order to gain success. But I think it’s very clear that she had a lot looming over her head and this book really shows how abusive situations can be so gripping.
While there were so many victims and women leading other girls into the trap, I also admire the fact that she was unwilling to do the same. She spoke about how if she were to bring another girl into this trafficking ring, that is a line that she could never uncross. Thank God she stuck with that conviction!
As far as the writing of this memoir goes, there were lots of times when I felt as if I was reading something written by a journalist, sometimes even like it was a research paper or something. While much of her story is told here, there’s also a lot of history and quotes from other sources, or general facts about the case. There were times when it was lacking a personal touch. Something I also noticed was that I felt like she went pretty heavy on the thesaurus. I don’t think a memoir like this needs to be so fancy and poetic. It didn’t feel natural.
Though it seemed to come and go through her life, Sarah frequently referenced her faith and the ways the God showed up for her time and time again as she was going through all of this. I think it’s wonderful that she was able to come of an awful situation like this and be able to recognize the fact that He never did leave her. “I called out to my Heavenly Father, the one, the only one I knew might hear me.”
TW: alcoholism, divorce, adultery, statutory rape, rape, attempted suicide, sex work, disordered eating and body shaming, human trafficking, drug abuse
While there were so many victims and women leading other girls into the trap, I also admire the fact that she was unwilling to do the same. She spoke about how if she were to bring another girl into this trafficking ring, that is a line that she could never uncross. Thank God she stuck with that conviction!
As far as the writing of this memoir goes, there were lots of times when I felt as if I was reading something written by a journalist, sometimes even like it was a research paper or something. While much of her story is told here, there’s also a lot of history and quotes from other sources, or general facts about the case. There were times when it was lacking a personal touch. Something I also noticed was that I felt like she went pretty heavy on the thesaurus. I don’t think a memoir like this needs to be so fancy and poetic. It didn’t feel natural.
Though it seemed to come and go through her life, Sarah frequently referenced her faith and the ways the God showed up for her time and time again as she was going through all of this. I think it’s wonderful that she was able to come of an awful situation like this and be able to recognize the fact that He never did leave her. “I called out to my Heavenly Father, the one, the only one I knew might hear me.”
TW: alcoholism, divorce, adultery, statutory rape, rape, attempted suicide, sex work, disordered eating and body shaming, human trafficking, drug abuse
February 21, 2022
I struggle choosing a star rating for this book and any others like it. 5 stars for writing about and therefore reliving your trauma. Probably even more like a thousand stars out of 5 for that. But there also seemed a lot of unnecessary information in this book. The back story didn’t make much sense. Also the authors views on sex work, while kinda understandable to me also confuse me a lot and made me feel gross and not great. I still don’t understand how this case got so big and I just want justice for all victims.
December 22, 2021
Very Brave. Not only to tell her story, but to give us her previous life history. This gave me a little understanding as to her mindset and the baggage that contributed to her situation. She stated that the island Epstein had her on was hell, but I would include her entire life as hell. One thing for sure, more than just a couple of people should be frying for this trafficking ring. But we know that won't happen because of all the so called high profile people involved. 😡. Glad she was able to tell her story.
December 17, 2021
Robotically turning the pages of this book, I was so very captivated by the story of Sarah Ransome who depicts a horror saga of rape and abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell but is completely warped in her psychotic mind insomuch that she is actually telling the story of HER EMPLOYMENT and ARRANGEMENT with Mr. Epstein and her being too weak to manage such responsibilities whilst blaming her lifetime of daddy issues and non-desire to be homeless or a sex worker as excuse for continuing her involvement with Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell. I am the last person to "believe" a woman who offers zero proof, and I stood behind Bill Cosby every step of the way. In fact, I might have been the first to hashtag FREE BILL COSBY. But against my better judgement, when I caught the Sarah Ransome interview on The View (again, should have seen red flags given that it was The View), I was interested in reading about this posh South African accented girl who stated that she moved to New York to live the dream life as depicted in Sex and the City (my favourite show of all time). And the book turned out to be a whiny piece of filth (albeit written in beautiful Queen's English). I enjoyed learning about her lineage of aristocracy. I cringed and was horrified when I read of her raping at 11 years old. But this was the only time in her story where I agree with her application of the word rape. In the next 25-ish years to follow, she describes nearly every sexual encounter as being rape, including what she "endured" with Mr. Epstein. And even after she got a settlement (gold digger) and moved back to the UK, she claimed depression and bla bla bla. It is a sob story for which I shall not sob. Poor Sarah... she agreed to sexual scenarios with Mr. Epstein in exchange for a glamorous apartment, designer handbags, couture clothing, $750 haircuts, private flights, etcetera etcetera. But when it came time to pay, she called it "rape" just as she did about the boyfriend who wrapped her in plastic and sodomised her and threw dollars at her, treating her like a whore (with her consent). On top of that we have the never-ending story of her alcoholism and other addictions. I hope with all of my heart that this girl can find the peace and quiet and happiness that she seemingly seeks but seemingly always causes to destroy in the process of seeking. What I did learn from this book is that Jeffrey Epstein seemed like a really super guy who took care of his ladies and knew how to collect many of them. Mind you, if he did, indeed involve himself with minors, then I retract this opinion, but on that subject we shall never know unless proof exists. Sex with minors is wrong. It is illegal. Creating a network of adult ladies for your own pleasure is weird but entirely fine and legal, especially if you are funding their extravagant lifestyles. I think that Mr. Epstein was killed in prison (likely by Hillary Clinton to protect Bill), and Sarah Ransome seems to agree with this assumption of murder. And Ghislaine Maxwell seems like a perfect lady. A sophisticate. A socialite. Someone who lost her successful father and best friend (Jeffrey) in tragedy. Just as I could not stop turning the pages of this book, on the moment that I finished, I could not discard of it any faster.
April 17, 2022
This book was extremely difficult to read, given its content. I rated it low mostly because it was so challenging to read.
January 5, 2023
I think I'm probably not the only person who finds it an extremely hard task to give this book a rating. It's a pretty harrowing read; a lot more difficult than even Hunting Ghislaine, by John Sweeney, which I've just read, and though that book also deals with the troubling subject matter of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein, it manages to carry you along with lighter moments. This narrative by a victim of the Epstein/Maxwell trafficking enterprise, decidedly doesn't (understandably).
Judging the literary value, using a star system, of somebody's narrative of sex trafficking and rape feels somehow wrong, but at the same time, it needs to be done, and for various reasons (some related here), I do think this book could have done with the input of a decent editor. It makes up for this somewhat in the courage of conviction and passionate advocacy expressed in the book.
I'm glad that this book has been written. I feel it's important for victims of trafficking to document their stories and enable our culture to understand the complex dynamics of grooming and Stockholm syndrome, which are obviously a reality that many still like to flatly deny in our rape-culture, incel-ridden, Andrew-Tate-tolerant society. Ransome is definitely a very powerful advocate on this issue, and a strong spirit.
In fact, in taking a glance at the other reviews of this book here, I saw a one-star review (from a woman) that basically called Ransome a liar, mostly based on the fact that she was legally an adult when 'employed' (the reviewer's choice of words) by Epstein. This shows a shocking lack of insight and I would tend to wonder if a person who makes this judgment has actually read the book in full.
One thing that is extremely clear from the book is that Ransome's childhood was one of serious neglect. She discusses the fact that she had an aristocratic grandfather in Scotland who was wealthy. However, his involvement in her life was limited to a few chats on his estate when she took refuge with a Scottish aunt for a few years in her teens. This time in Scotland was to get away from her broken situation in South Africa, where her deadbeat father refused to believe she had been raped by a teenager in her school, and her alcoholic Scottish mother struggled to cope. Her Scottish mother had been disowned by the aristocratic multi-millionaire patriarch due to his disapproval of her marriage to Ransome's father, and there's a strong sense that Ransome also paid dearly for this. Ransome was also raped at 11 by a drunken boyfriend of her mother's, and didn't feel it possible to relate this fact to either of her parents: her mother was drinking herself into a nightly stupor, while her father was by then uninterested in either mother or daughter and living on the other side of the country.
Ransome's childhood and family dynamics seem like something out of a Greek tragedy. Accordingly, she regularly refers to generational wounds and father complexes throughout this book, in language that is a bit archaic at times.
Her years with her aunt in Scotland stabilized her life somewhat, but there is a real sense in the book that she never really had a chance to process or get validation of her experiences of these traumatic childhood events. We know that victims of rape and sexual abuse are often subjected to gaslighting, and that this can have a devastating effect on their self-image. Research shows that this is why many of them end up doing sex work, which happened to Ransome after her school years, when she was desperate for a way to survive (neither her father nor her Scottish grandfather coughed up when she was in need, while her mother was perpetually financially in need herself).
Despite the fact that she did well in school during her time as a teen in Scotland, she was essentially a walking time bomb, easy prey for predators. She was that highly dangerous combination in terms of predation: a strikingly beautiful young woman with a massive open wound that hadn't even begun be properly addressed. She got through secondary school in Scotland and became head girl, faithfully following the script laid out for her by her aunt and family in Scotland. She even got baptised into Catholicism (the family religion), and this seems to genuinely be a great comfort to her. But in a sense, the project to get her back on the straight and narrow as a teen was papering over the cracks, as there were still gaping emotional wounds from her experiences of deep neglect and abuse in her childhood and teen years, which went undiscussed and unaddressed.
When Ghislaine Maxwell used her veneer of charm and sophistication to draw Ransome into Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring, Ransome was 22 and alone in New York. Maxwell promised to help her get a place at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and throughout Ransome's time being horrifically abused in this scenario, this carrot was repeatedly dangled to keep her in line. Her descriptions of the tactics used are fairly classic ones in a trafficking and abuse scenario: playing girls off against one another with favouritism, gaslighting, pscyhological abuse, and so forth. While it's true to say that most trafficking doesn't occur in the context of a New York mansion or a private Carribbean island, this is most definitely what was happening. Ransome was not underage like so many of the other women abused by Epstein and Maxwell, but she was profoundly vulnerable like them: from a broken home, poor, and emotionally deeply wounded. Predators are experts at spotting this trait, then going for the kill.
In some ways, this book feels more like a manifesto than a memoir. Ransome has gained much understanding of her younger self and clearly has done a lot of research on the subject of sex trafficking. Memoirs work best when they tell the story. This oscillates between telling the author's personal story and citing research at length, and sometimes that jars a little. I would think the dynamics of trafficking are clear enough from the story itself without the academic research backing it up, which is an entirely different project.
Despite this, I do think this is a worthy and at times engaging book, from a woman who is understandably still not fully at peace with her experiences, but who ultimately has shown a strong survival instinct and will to find her self worth from within. And in a world where people protect the evil that the Epstein/Maxwell enterprise embodied, and where there are still many more individuals involved in the victimization of these young girls who should be prosecuted, all we can do is wish her that peace.
Ransome has emerged from the tortuous saga with a passionate and strong moral compass. All of those people who colluded with Epstein/Maxwell or looked the other way in the face of sexual exploitation of children and young women do not have that to comfort them on their deathbeds, as they prepare to face their final reckoning. Ultimately, Ransome wins.
Judging the literary value, using a star system, of somebody's narrative of sex trafficking and rape feels somehow wrong, but at the same time, it needs to be done, and for various reasons (some related here), I do think this book could have done with the input of a decent editor. It makes up for this somewhat in the courage of conviction and passionate advocacy expressed in the book.
I'm glad that this book has been written. I feel it's important for victims of trafficking to document their stories and enable our culture to understand the complex dynamics of grooming and Stockholm syndrome, which are obviously a reality that many still like to flatly deny in our rape-culture, incel-ridden, Andrew-Tate-tolerant society. Ransome is definitely a very powerful advocate on this issue, and a strong spirit.
In fact, in taking a glance at the other reviews of this book here, I saw a one-star review (from a woman) that basically called Ransome a liar, mostly based on the fact that she was legally an adult when 'employed' (the reviewer's choice of words) by Epstein. This shows a shocking lack of insight and I would tend to wonder if a person who makes this judgment has actually read the book in full.
One thing that is extremely clear from the book is that Ransome's childhood was one of serious neglect. She discusses the fact that she had an aristocratic grandfather in Scotland who was wealthy. However, his involvement in her life was limited to a few chats on his estate when she took refuge with a Scottish aunt for a few years in her teens. This time in Scotland was to get away from her broken situation in South Africa, where her deadbeat father refused to believe she had been raped by a teenager in her school, and her alcoholic Scottish mother struggled to cope. Her Scottish mother had been disowned by the aristocratic multi-millionaire patriarch due to his disapproval of her marriage to Ransome's father, and there's a strong sense that Ransome also paid dearly for this. Ransome was also raped at 11 by a drunken boyfriend of her mother's, and didn't feel it possible to relate this fact to either of her parents: her mother was drinking herself into a nightly stupor, while her father was by then uninterested in either mother or daughter and living on the other side of the country.
Ransome's childhood and family dynamics seem like something out of a Greek tragedy. Accordingly, she regularly refers to generational wounds and father complexes throughout this book, in language that is a bit archaic at times.
Her years with her aunt in Scotland stabilized her life somewhat, but there is a real sense in the book that she never really had a chance to process or get validation of her experiences of these traumatic childhood events. We know that victims of rape and sexual abuse are often subjected to gaslighting, and that this can have a devastating effect on their self-image. Research shows that this is why many of them end up doing sex work, which happened to Ransome after her school years, when she was desperate for a way to survive (neither her father nor her Scottish grandfather coughed up when she was in need, while her mother was perpetually financially in need herself).
Despite the fact that she did well in school during her time as a teen in Scotland, she was essentially a walking time bomb, easy prey for predators. She was that highly dangerous combination in terms of predation: a strikingly beautiful young woman with a massive open wound that hadn't even begun be properly addressed. She got through secondary school in Scotland and became head girl, faithfully following the script laid out for her by her aunt and family in Scotland. She even got baptised into Catholicism (the family religion), and this seems to genuinely be a great comfort to her. But in a sense, the project to get her back on the straight and narrow as a teen was papering over the cracks, as there were still gaping emotional wounds from her experiences of deep neglect and abuse in her childhood and teen years, which went undiscussed and unaddressed.
When Ghislaine Maxwell used her veneer of charm and sophistication to draw Ransome into Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring, Ransome was 22 and alone in New York. Maxwell promised to help her get a place at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and throughout Ransome's time being horrifically abused in this scenario, this carrot was repeatedly dangled to keep her in line. Her descriptions of the tactics used are fairly classic ones in a trafficking and abuse scenario: playing girls off against one another with favouritism, gaslighting, pscyhological abuse, and so forth. While it's true to say that most trafficking doesn't occur in the context of a New York mansion or a private Carribbean island, this is most definitely what was happening. Ransome was not underage like so many of the other women abused by Epstein and Maxwell, but she was profoundly vulnerable like them: from a broken home, poor, and emotionally deeply wounded. Predators are experts at spotting this trait, then going for the kill.
In some ways, this book feels more like a manifesto than a memoir. Ransome has gained much understanding of her younger self and clearly has done a lot of research on the subject of sex trafficking. Memoirs work best when they tell the story. This oscillates between telling the author's personal story and citing research at length, and sometimes that jars a little. I would think the dynamics of trafficking are clear enough from the story itself without the academic research backing it up, which is an entirely different project.
Despite this, I do think this is a worthy and at times engaging book, from a woman who is understandably still not fully at peace with her experiences, but who ultimately has shown a strong survival instinct and will to find her self worth from within. And in a world where people protect the evil that the Epstein/Maxwell enterprise embodied, and where there are still many more individuals involved in the victimization of these young girls who should be prosecuted, all we can do is wish her that peace.
Ransome has emerged from the tortuous saga with a passionate and strong moral compass. All of those people who colluded with Epstein/Maxwell or looked the other way in the face of sexual exploitation of children and young women do not have that to comfort them on their deathbeds, as they prepare to face their final reckoning. Ultimately, Ransome wins.
December 31, 2021
Thank you to harper audio for my copy. I had never heard of this story before, but of course I was familiar with the horror of Epstein. I been trying to read/listen to a wider range of books and I decided to give this one a listen. There were a lot of parts that were hard to listen to that were very sad, the country has come a long way in the last 20 years, but we still have a while to go. Sarah is brave for sharing her story and I'm glad to see more people are being brought to justice.
January 24, 2022
I hope she finds peace.
By P30, I was SO over the use of 'inner stallion'. Sadly, it continued throughout.
By P30, I was SO over the use of 'inner stallion'. Sadly, it continued throughout.
January 15, 2022
Having heard Sarah being interviewed on 'Woman's Hour,' I had to read her book. I couldn't put it down. Brilliantly crafted and written, it pulls you right into her toxic childhood, the traumas and abuse which set the scene for her vulnerability as a young woman. Discovering the backstory of Sarah's family history, makes fascinating reading too and explains how generational brokenness can be such a powerful force in one's life.
This book is so important. It tears down any misconceptions one might have about the young girls and women who get caught up in the web of lies, spun by the deceitful and powerful. As we now watch the story unfold in the news, regarding the claims of another victim, having insight into Sarah's experiences gives one a whole new perspective.
There was one scene which jarred with me however and this was when Sarah compares her captivity to Auschwitz. Whilst I am not dismissing the traumas Sarah experienced at all, that comparison could be viewed as an insult to the victims of the holocaust. Pot calls kettle black comes to mind, when later she criticizes Ghislaine for her 'tasteless' comment about being on the 'Auschwitz diet.' I was also puzzled by a particular contradiction. Referring to some important dinner guests of Jeffrey and Ghislaine, Sarah says she wondered if they thought it strange that there were several 'muted' young women seated at the end of the table. 'I hope they truly didn't,' she writes and yet in the next sentence she says she wished they had. Have I misunderstood this scene? I even wonder if it is a typo and the word 'didn't' is meant to say 'did.'
I was particularly moved at the end, by the thanks Sarah gives to various people and the positive relationship she has with her mother. I hope this book will be far reaching in helping victims of sexual trafficking and abuse find their voice, to bring to justice those people who think they are above the law because they are rich and powerful (or royal).
This book is so important. It tears down any misconceptions one might have about the young girls and women who get caught up in the web of lies, spun by the deceitful and powerful. As we now watch the story unfold in the news, regarding the claims of another victim, having insight into Sarah's experiences gives one a whole new perspective.
There was one scene which jarred with me however and this was when Sarah compares her captivity to Auschwitz. Whilst I am not dismissing the traumas Sarah experienced at all, that comparison could be viewed as an insult to the victims of the holocaust. Pot calls kettle black comes to mind, when later she criticizes Ghislaine for her 'tasteless' comment about being on the 'Auschwitz diet.' I was also puzzled by a particular contradiction. Referring to some important dinner guests of Jeffrey and Ghislaine, Sarah says she wondered if they thought it strange that there were several 'muted' young women seated at the end of the table. 'I hope they truly didn't,' she writes and yet in the next sentence she says she wished they had. Have I misunderstood this scene? I even wonder if it is a typo and the word 'didn't' is meant to say 'did.'
I was particularly moved at the end, by the thanks Sarah gives to various people and the positive relationship she has with her mother. I hope this book will be far reaching in helping victims of sexual trafficking and abuse find their voice, to bring to justice those people who think they are above the law because they are rich and powerful (or royal).
December 29, 2025
I listened to this heart wrenching book on Audible. Sarah did the narration, and I could hear the angst in her voice as she related her story. I choose to believe the survivors. Sarah was one of the earliest victims of Epstein's and Ghislaine's trafficking. Sarah describes some of the times she was raped and abused when being on the island and at Jeffrey's NYC mansion. She helped Virginia Giuffre with her lawsuit and gave a victim testimony in front of Congress.
This young woman went through hell. For a good part of her life, she was addicted to drugs with the help of Epstein, and also an alcoholic. She went through relationship after relationship repeating her unhealthy behavior with men. For many years she was on the run because both Epstein and Maxwell threatened her life. She went on to sue them both.
There were times in the book when I almost stopped reading as it seemed to me that she kept repeating the unhealthy behavior over and over. I had to keep in mind that she was young and didn't have the benefit of therapy or good advice. She was promised help from Epstein and Maxwell, but it ended up completely screwing up her life.
This is another survivor story that is difficult to listen to. I read some of the comments about the book, and many people refuse to believe her. They call her a liar, but I am making a choice to believe these survivors.
This young woman went through hell. For a good part of her life, she was addicted to drugs with the help of Epstein, and also an alcoholic. She went through relationship after relationship repeating her unhealthy behavior with men. For many years she was on the run because both Epstein and Maxwell threatened her life. She went on to sue them both.
There were times in the book when I almost stopped reading as it seemed to me that she kept repeating the unhealthy behavior over and over. I had to keep in mind that she was young and didn't have the benefit of therapy or good advice. She was promised help from Epstein and Maxwell, but it ended up completely screwing up her life.
This is another survivor story that is difficult to listen to. I read some of the comments about the book, and many people refuse to believe her. They call her a liar, but I am making a choice to believe these survivors.
Read
March 6, 2022The only rating I want to give this incredible story is a one ⭐️ to the editor for allowing Sarah to use the descriptor stallion over and over again.
I’m not sure which part of this tale is the most horrendous, the abuse by the duo G and J or the number of times Sarah was raped by the other people in her life OR by the neglect of her family.
Listening to the story on audio I just found myself screaming inside no no Sarah not again, NOT again. Just as you think she’s turned down a better path something else blocks away. I wonder if Sarah will ever be happy, if the horrors that she’s experienced will ever stay behind her.
In the conclusion of the story Sarah says something very profound. The old adage that you can’t love others until you love yourself first, she says, is false because you can’t love yourself if you haven’t had anyone to love you to begin with. I’ll never forget this.
I’m not sure which part of this tale is the most horrendous, the abuse by the duo G and J or the number of times Sarah was raped by the other people in her life OR by the neglect of her family.
Listening to the story on audio I just found myself screaming inside no no Sarah not again, NOT again. Just as you think she’s turned down a better path something else blocks away. I wonder if Sarah will ever be happy, if the horrors that she’s experienced will ever stay behind her.
In the conclusion of the story Sarah says something very profound. The old adage that you can’t love others until you love yourself first, she says, is false because you can’t love yourself if you haven’t had anyone to love you to begin with. I’ll never forget this.
June 11, 2022
I enjoyed this book. The author is a very good writer & the narration was great. She is very down to Earth & conversational in her tone, as well as, very creative & engaging. I thought her details helped explain her point of view without being salacious. She acknowledged & went into detail with explanations of why a 22 year old adult would end up in the web of Epstein. I could understand how it could happen, but yet I still feel like she did not take a lot of personal responsibility in the choices she made. In fact, her life choices basically led her to the “Epstein Lifestyle” of taking money from men in trade for her body, before & after his time in her life. Perhaps it was the length & consistency of their arrangement that made it more impactful for her. But on the other side of the coin, it gave her more time to get out of it & not continue with her $750 celebrity haircuts.
November 14, 2025
Riveting and Enraging
As an abuse survivor myself (just two boyfriends but a lot of damage) AND a political activist, this book captivated me almost more than “Nobody’s Girl” by Virginia Giuffre.
Together they should be required reading for high school and college.
Aside from the lifelong trauma caused to all these young women, the most significant lesson is the immense collusion from servants, public figures, the justice system and other professionals who all looked the other way while these young women and girls were lured, repeatedly raped, sodomized and threatened and stalked.
One wonders after reading these accounts if there is decency and honesty and integrity among humans.
Godspeed to Sarah Ransome for a fulfilling future full of love, solitude and animals (who make more sense than humans).
As an abuse survivor myself (just two boyfriends but a lot of damage) AND a political activist, this book captivated me almost more than “Nobody’s Girl” by Virginia Giuffre.
Together they should be required reading for high school and college.
Aside from the lifelong trauma caused to all these young women, the most significant lesson is the immense collusion from servants, public figures, the justice system and other professionals who all looked the other way while these young women and girls were lured, repeatedly raped, sodomized and threatened and stalked.
One wonders after reading these accounts if there is decency and honesty and integrity among humans.
Godspeed to Sarah Ransome for a fulfilling future full of love, solitude and animals (who make more sense than humans).
December 1, 2025
Detailed and thorough
This book tells all. The good, the bad, and the disturbing. The author shares her whole life history of how she came to all the points she did in life even if that truth causes others to look down on her. Victim blaming and shaming has always been a cruel part of the fight for justice. The author bares all and admits her bad choices put her at risk but no amount of risky behavior excuses someone else from their culpability if they chose to victimize another individual. Another detail account of how the system failed these victims and so many more and true insight into the mindset of a victim and their struggle to heal and regain self worth, let alone report their abuse in a system destined to revictimize them. Everyone should read these stories to truly understand the evil that lives hidden among us.
This book tells all. The good, the bad, and the disturbing. The author shares her whole life history of how she came to all the points she did in life even if that truth causes others to look down on her. Victim blaming and shaming has always been a cruel part of the fight for justice. The author bares all and admits her bad choices put her at risk but no amount of risky behavior excuses someone else from their culpability if they chose to victimize another individual. Another detail account of how the system failed these victims and so many more and true insight into the mindset of a victim and their struggle to heal and regain self worth, let alone report their abuse in a system destined to revictimize them. Everyone should read these stories to truly understand the evil that lives hidden among us.
March 14, 2022
I am glad Ransome wrote this book. Epstein's survivors should have a platform to tell their stories. Ransome's tale is horrifying- not just the years with Epstein - but her whole life. I found myself rooting for her, looking forward to the moment when she finally spoke out and began to heal from the decades of trauma.
The book itself felt messy. It lacked some organization, often drifting from narrative into research in a way that just didn't flow. Ransome also told us what happened to her, but she kept her distance from her readers. On the one hand, I'm glad she did not reveal the grizzliest details of her rape. On the other, she brushed past important moments such as her attempts to stop drinking.
The book itself felt messy. It lacked some organization, often drifting from narrative into research in a way that just didn't flow. Ransome also told us what happened to her, but she kept her distance from her readers. On the one hand, I'm glad she did not reveal the grizzliest details of her rape. On the other, she brushed past important moments such as her attempts to stop drinking.
July 1, 2022
*Trigger Warning ⚠️ Sexual abuse,Child abuse, rape
Sarah tells her story of being recruited, raped and abused by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in a detailed flow that presents itself like a movie.
While this is an interesting read for the story alone, Sarah also inserts facts regarding crime rates, sex work, mental health and healing from trauma it can almost feel like a self help book in a way.
The insightful view Sarah has and the heart she has when telling this story is truly moving.
It also makes you realize many of the things that billionaires of the world must still get away with right under our noses.
Excellent read if you love a story about addiction, abuse and overcoming their long term effects.
Sarah tells her story of being recruited, raped and abused by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in a detailed flow that presents itself like a movie.
While this is an interesting read for the story alone, Sarah also inserts facts regarding crime rates, sex work, mental health and healing from trauma it can almost feel like a self help book in a way.
The insightful view Sarah has and the heart she has when telling this story is truly moving.
It also makes you realize many of the things that billionaires of the world must still get away with right under our noses.
Excellent read if you love a story about addiction, abuse and overcoming their long term effects.
February 15, 2022
"Our tendency as humans is to do what I have sometimes done. What I still often do from my deep hurt, from my imperfection. Label predators as savage brutes, which is another form of othering. 'Calling these people monsters merely dehumanizes the dehumanizers (David Livingston Smith)".
"We sisters who have at times been forced to trade our dignities for a bowl of hot soup are ... rubbish to be segregated, sympantically or otherwise. We are survivors. We have done what we had to do, what we took no pleasure at all in doing, in order to remain here. For that, we shouldn't be shamed or shunned. We should be regarded as warriors."
"We sisters who have at times been forced to trade our dignities for a bowl of hot soup are ... rubbish to be segregated, sympantically or otherwise. We are survivors. We have done what we had to do, what we took no pleasure at all in doing, in order to remain here. For that, we shouldn't be shamed or shunned. We should be regarded as warriors."
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