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Exposed: Nevertheless She Persisted
When the #MeToo movement went global in fall 2017, the world opened its eyes to the pervasive culture of workplace harassment toward women. While the media focused on abuses at powerful corporations and the Hollywood casting couch, voices of female victims in average American communities remained largely unheard. Exposed reveals, in heartbreaking detail, how the systems that run our local schools and governments can be used to shield aggressors and foster a culture of harassment and abuse.
Throughout her successful career as a school counselor, Alicia Curry earned the respect of her students and colleagues. When her consensual relationship ended with the principal of the school where she was employed, a cycle of harassment and lies emerged in its place. Suddenly, Alicia was plunged into a dizzying world of accusations, depression, isolation, and mistrust. It took the fight of her life to find freedom from a hostile work environment and secure a future for herself and her young daughter.
Told with clear-eyed detail and bravery, Exposed lays bare the struggle women face each day as they fight for justice in the face of workplace harassment.
Throughout her successful career as a school counselor, Alicia Curry earned the respect of her students and colleagues. When her consensual relationship ended with the principal of the school where she was employed, a cycle of harassment and lies emerged in its place. Suddenly, Alicia was plunged into a dizzying world of accusations, depression, isolation, and mistrust. It took the fight of her life to find freedom from a hostile work environment and secure a future for herself and her young daughter.
Told with clear-eyed detail and bravery, Exposed lays bare the struggle women face each day as they fight for justice in the face of workplace harassment.
- GenresMemoir
275 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 28, 2022
4 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 5, 2023
Written by a former KPS colleague. My mind is blown.
March 13, 2023
A moving, vulnerable and inspirational story of persistence and strength! So thankful I read it.
July 1, 2022
A tremendous story about a woman who wouldn't let her abuser's actions be swept under the rug. A story of courage, strength, and resilience.
August 4, 2022
The story in the beginning was not for me. I kept shouting, What the heck are you doing! Run Away from him, shut him down before he ever starts! That was in the first long chapters. Each chapter is long. I hate to say this to writers, but I like short chapters. This was about her though, and her "Truthful Recollections". All that she went through and then to end the way it did...sigh. I truly hurt for her.
I had a hard time getting into the long chapters in the beginning. After a while of God this and Religion that, I would read the beginning pages of the new chapter and the ending pages to move through it faster. This started around chapter 7.
During those chapters (1-13), I found her writing to be stiff and formal. I had a hard time too with calling the people as Mr or Mrs while her lawyer, family, and friends were called by their first names. It was disconcerting and I had trouble figuring out who was who.
The formality seemed to stem from religious overtones, of which I am not a fan. After chapter 14 though, her story and her writing, seem to evolve and become more interesting. This might be because it has more recent memories and the lawyer was more in the story.
But it was not until chapter 16 that I realized that she is a Black woman and that changed the whole story. The aggression of that man and everything that was tilted against her made me wish for a happier ending.
I wish the man got what he deserved, but no. All I can hope for is that she finds peace.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I had a hard time getting into the long chapters in the beginning. After a while of God this and Religion that, I would read the beginning pages of the new chapter and the ending pages to move through it faster. This started around chapter 7.
During those chapters (1-13), I found her writing to be stiff and formal. I had a hard time too with calling the people as Mr or Mrs while her lawyer, family, and friends were called by their first names. It was disconcerting and I had trouble figuring out who was who.
The formality seemed to stem from religious overtones, of which I am not a fan. After chapter 14 though, her story and her writing, seem to evolve and become more interesting. This might be because it has more recent memories and the lawyer was more in the story.
But it was not until chapter 16 that I realized that she is a Black woman and that changed the whole story. The aggression of that man and everything that was tilted against her made me wish for a happier ending.
I wish the man got what he deserved, but no. All I can hope for is that she finds peace.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 8, 2022
I just finished reading Exposed by Alicia Curry and I really liked it! Alicia tells her very personal story (a huge feat for anyone, much less someone who has experienced trauma in their private and personal life), of experiencing sexual harassment and retaliation at work. The story takes place mainly between 2014-2017, when the author, a school counsellor, was targeted by her principal and was on the receiving end of a significant amount of lewd comments and attempts to get her to sleep with him. Despite many attempts to turn him down, he was constantly trying to draw her in and eventually got her into bed with him. She was able to stop him from having sex with her, but she worried about how this might be seen by those around her. She did not want to have an intimate relationship with her boss and she didn't want her community, colleagues or students to find out. But once Alicia denies her boss, retaliation begins and soon he is preventing her from accessing any career advancement opportunities and creating a hostile work environment. Angered by the injustice, Alicia embarks on a years long process to fight the HR and superintendents in her school district in an attempt to move on and find justice for the discrimination and unfair treatment she received.
Through this memoir, it is clear that it wasn't easy for Alicia to come forward but she did it because she wanted to stand up for herself and also protect others from experiencing the lack of support and even retaliation that she received following her attempts to report what had happened to her. Her writing demonstrates the importance of victims of sexual harassment coming forward and receiving adequate support and real investigations. To not only go to court fighting this battle but also write a book about the journey requires immense strength and confidence, which Alicia thankfully has!
This memoir was a fairly quick read and had a nice pace, despite the fact that it took several years for Alicia to finally have some sort of justice. With clear dates within and at the beginning of each chapter, it was easy to follow the timeline. While religion and spirituality is mentioned throughout the story, most mentions are quite short and specific religions or beliefs were not really identified. As a result, whether or not you are religious, I think this book would be comfortable for most readers. I really appreciate the opportunity to read and voluntarily review this book through Booksirens and the publisher, AC Media. It was a great book and I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy memoirs written by strong, diverse authors.
Through this memoir, it is clear that it wasn't easy for Alicia to come forward but she did it because she wanted to stand up for herself and also protect others from experiencing the lack of support and even retaliation that she received following her attempts to report what had happened to her. Her writing demonstrates the importance of victims of sexual harassment coming forward and receiving adequate support and real investigations. To not only go to court fighting this battle but also write a book about the journey requires immense strength and confidence, which Alicia thankfully has!
This memoir was a fairly quick read and had a nice pace, despite the fact that it took several years for Alicia to finally have some sort of justice. With clear dates within and at the beginning of each chapter, it was easy to follow the timeline. While religion and spirituality is mentioned throughout the story, most mentions are quite short and specific religions or beliefs were not really identified. As a result, whether or not you are religious, I think this book would be comfortable for most readers. I really appreciate the opportunity to read and voluntarily review this book through Booksirens and the publisher, AC Media. It was a great book and I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy memoirs written by strong, diverse authors.
October 8, 2023
Mother. Educator. Counselor. Daughter. Sister. Aunt. Friend. Coworker. All of these help define Alicia Curry. But they do not tell her complete story. While she is one or more of these to each person in her life, the most important description in Exposed: Nevertheless She Persisted is survivor. Curry bravely tells her story of enduring workplace harassment and toxic workplace behavior and the years it took to fight back against a system that protects the abuser.
Curry starts the memoir describing the toll the loss of two of her brothers and other family members had begun to take on her. What Curry does well throughout is describe how not only one aspect of self is affected by loss, but many if not all are affected. The loss of Curry's brothers affected her as a sister, daughter, aunt, friend, mother, etc. Grief affects even someone who can compartmentalize most things and move on with their plans.
Curry carefully planned what career path she wanted to take and how it would take her to an administrative position within the school district. She worked hard for her career to provide for her daughter, to help serve the student population, to be a supportive family member. Then Curry starts receiving abusive behavior from someone she once trusted and from multiple people who would shape the course of her career.
Exposed is more than a simple retelling of a fight against an abuser, the systems that protected him (in multiple states), and the compounded affect it has on someone who was already fighting to find new routines after familial loss. Curry draws in the reader with her beautiful descriptions of the people who supported her throughout and with the description of her faith journey. Exposed is a story of strength and inspiration.
I received a complimentary copy from the author. This review is honest and voluntary.
Curry starts the memoir describing the toll the loss of two of her brothers and other family members had begun to take on her. What Curry does well throughout is describe how not only one aspect of self is affected by loss, but many if not all are affected. The loss of Curry's brothers affected her as a sister, daughter, aunt, friend, mother, etc. Grief affects even someone who can compartmentalize most things and move on with their plans.
Curry carefully planned what career path she wanted to take and how it would take her to an administrative position within the school district. She worked hard for her career to provide for her daughter, to help serve the student population, to be a supportive family member. Then Curry starts receiving abusive behavior from someone she once trusted and from multiple people who would shape the course of her career.
Exposed is more than a simple retelling of a fight against an abuser, the systems that protected him (in multiple states), and the compounded affect it has on someone who was already fighting to find new routines after familial loss. Curry draws in the reader with her beautiful descriptions of the people who supported her throughout and with the description of her faith journey. Exposed is a story of strength and inspiration.
I received a complimentary copy from the author. This review is honest and voluntary.
December 5, 2022
Alicia C. Curry’s Exposed: Nevertheless She Persisted is a non-fictional account of blatant sexual harassment and an educational and legal system that continually pushed down the victim and kept an abuser in a position of power, access, and influence. In vivid detail, the author describes what occurred, the retaliation she endured, how her life and career were affected, and what she could have done differently. The more I learned about her spiritual journey and relationship with her mother and daughter, the more I felt my connection to her deepened. Nevertheless, I would have liked to know more about who she was before, during, and after that time. The reader is dropped into her story during an incredibly painful time of her life, which coincides with her first meeting with her boss. I found myself wanting to know more about her in the good times. I was curious about her childhood, why she choose a career in counseling, the life she had as she pursued those dreams, and the joy that she found when counseling children in an academic setting. It is clear that the author is private but willing to expose her soul as it relates to this part of her life story. I hope she will explore that level of vulnerability more broadly in future works.
I received a copy of Exposed: Nevertheless She Persisted in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of Exposed: Nevertheless She Persisted in exchange for an honest review.
May 3, 2023
Writing a book is not a simple thing to do. Writing a book about a particular part in one’s life is even harder. I admire writers who write memoirs, biographies, etc. How can one write something personal and not only grab their reader’s attention, but keep it as well.
This book was an emotional read. I was angry for the author and what she went through. At times, I wanted to throw the book down, but decided to just take a break and read something else. How awful it was for her to go through this. It is sad this is still going on in our world in this day and age.
The writing in this was well done. Sometimes it felt slow, but that was okay given what type of genre this is. You felt like you were there going through this and fighting it with her. There was so much this author went through. I could not believe how much this man got away with.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes nonfiction and memoirs.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion.
You can find this and other reviews on my website:
https://www.charliadamswriter.com
This book was an emotional read. I was angry for the author and what she went through. At times, I wanted to throw the book down, but decided to just take a break and read something else. How awful it was for her to go through this. It is sad this is still going on in our world in this day and age.
The writing in this was well done. Sometimes it felt slow, but that was okay given what type of genre this is. You felt like you were there going through this and fighting it with her. There was so much this author went through. I could not believe how much this man got away with.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes nonfiction and memoirs.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion.
You can find this and other reviews on my website:
https://www.charliadamswriter.com
July 18, 2022
When Miss curry started working in the school system as a counselor that was her dream emotion share an idea of success and this was just the first step unfortunately the man directly above her thought it was OK to say sexual innuendos and make sexual passes at the employees who worked under him she finally it had enough and decided to fight back and although she didn’t get justice what she did get was worth way more than that it strengthened her faith in God made her closer to her mom and made her a better mother this is just a minor summary and I feel like I am disrespecting Alicia by not doing a better one, but there was a lot to unpack in this book and if you love memos that end authentically and memorize where the victim isn’t the best at everything but as humans like everyone else you love exposed by Alicia C curry. It truly was a moving memoir and I am glad I read it I received this book from Brooke Sirens and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.
December 23, 2022
Title: Exposed: Nevertheless She Persisted
Author: Alicia Curry
Genre: Memoir
Format: own paperback book
Series: NA
Star Rating: 4 stars
A special thank you goes to Novel Cause Publicity and Alicia Curry for giving me a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.
tw: mention of murder, housefire, gun violence, sexual harassment, stalking, death, retaliation
I have no idea how to even write a review for this book. I’ve already started this review over once before. This book is so raw and the feelings I feel are a lot. I can’t even begin to imagine what Curry was going through. It’s talked about in the book, sure, but to have a book about it, in the hopes you can help at least one person who may be dealing with a similar position and have all your fears and secrets exposed. That takes a lot of guts and courage. I am in awe of Alicia.
My mind is literally mush and it’s not because I’ve been working retail during the holiday season. I am angry on behalf of Alicia. When I finished this book, I was just so angry and it takes a lot for me to get angry. And boy, did I get mad. How in the world could this awful man get hired and everyone just ignores all the bad things he does? What really gets me is the professional women in her life, the ones she trusted, covered for this awful man. We are supposed to stick together as women, to always be there for each other and support one another. I just do not get it. My heart hurts so much for Alicia.
I suppose I should talk about the book itself since I am a book reviewer and that’s what they sent me the book for. I thought the writing was well done. Things were repeated but I can forgive that because I could tell Alicia really wanted to emphasize just exactly her feelings during the whole ordeal. It was organized in a clear and concise way. Things were explained properly and I was able to easily follow along.
I truly think everyone should read this book. I mean it. Everyone of every gender should check this book out. It’s an amazing example of how we need to be there for each other. We need to hold men (and women) accountable. It’s also an example of retaliation and how horrible it is. I have experienced retaliation. Not to the extent of what Alicia went through but I had a job where if you called in for whatever reason, you were put in a place that was considered the hardest house to work in. I worked in healthcare and I worked with people with physical and intellectual disabilities. So you can imagine how much it sucked to call in because you were super sick and then just get punished for it.
Overall, I know this wasn’t an average review. I really struggled to find the right words. Every sentence in this review was so difficult to write. I wanted to make sure I truly respected Alicia and her story. I hope this review does this book justice. Because I feel like this book is really important and I wanted to make it really clear just how important this book is.
Author: Alicia Curry
Genre: Memoir
Format: own paperback book
Series: NA
Star Rating: 4 stars
A special thank you goes to Novel Cause Publicity and Alicia Curry for giving me a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.
tw: mention of murder, housefire, gun violence, sexual harassment, stalking, death, retaliation
I have no idea how to even write a review for this book. I’ve already started this review over once before. This book is so raw and the feelings I feel are a lot. I can’t even begin to imagine what Curry was going through. It’s talked about in the book, sure, but to have a book about it, in the hopes you can help at least one person who may be dealing with a similar position and have all your fears and secrets exposed. That takes a lot of guts and courage. I am in awe of Alicia.
My mind is literally mush and it’s not because I’ve been working retail during the holiday season. I am angry on behalf of Alicia. When I finished this book, I was just so angry and it takes a lot for me to get angry. And boy, did I get mad. How in the world could this awful man get hired and everyone just ignores all the bad things he does? What really gets me is the professional women in her life, the ones she trusted, covered for this awful man. We are supposed to stick together as women, to always be there for each other and support one another. I just do not get it. My heart hurts so much for Alicia.
I suppose I should talk about the book itself since I am a book reviewer and that’s what they sent me the book for. I thought the writing was well done. Things were repeated but I can forgive that because I could tell Alicia really wanted to emphasize just exactly her feelings during the whole ordeal. It was organized in a clear and concise way. Things were explained properly and I was able to easily follow along.
I truly think everyone should read this book. I mean it. Everyone of every gender should check this book out. It’s an amazing example of how we need to be there for each other. We need to hold men (and women) accountable. It’s also an example of retaliation and how horrible it is. I have experienced retaliation. Not to the extent of what Alicia went through but I had a job where if you called in for whatever reason, you were put in a place that was considered the hardest house to work in. I worked in healthcare and I worked with people with physical and intellectual disabilities. So you can imagine how much it sucked to call in because you were super sick and then just get punished for it.
Overall, I know this wasn’t an average review. I really struggled to find the right words. Every sentence in this review was so difficult to write. I wanted to make sure I truly respected Alicia and her story. I hope this review does this book justice. Because I feel like this book is really important and I wanted to make it really clear just how important this book is.
December 1, 2022
This well-written memoir showcases a school counselor & principal, and the crapshow that ensues after their relationship ended. This story is an emotional ride on a painful journey as Alicia fights back against the injustices inflicted on her. The pages are filled with harassment, fear, and struggles but sprinkled with hope. It takes a strong and courageous person to endure all that Alicia dealt with. I appreciate her exposing her heart to help others.
July 26, 2023
This is an enlightening memoir that opens your eyes to the workplace harassment that the author experienced and the sacrifices it took for her to expose her truth. The story encompasses her struggles with loss, harassment, and depression while also being a single mother. Filled with heartbreak, bravery, and inspiration!
November 9, 2023
So brave and courageous of Ms. Curry to share this experience. The title says it all. I’m only sorry that she had to be so vulnerable to get her voice heard. I’m appalled that this behavior was tolerated and the author was never supported by HR among others in the district.
July 10, 2022
So well written, I felt like I was there. Bravely written to give an inside view.
June 20, 2023
interesting
September 16, 2022
Riveting journey of loss, abuse, courage, faith, and hope. Inspirational!
Ms. Curry depicts the depths of pain and personal sacrifice as she stepped forward risking her career and reputation for justice in the workplace. Her courage and raw honesty expose flaws of a school district who hired and protected a principal with a history of harassment. When you read this story you will move through all the emotions of the #metoo movement and the injustices that will always be present. Ms. Curry manages to take you through her journey, the lowest of lows, in a page turning detailed account. Yet the message of the book is one of hope. Hope that when you seek justice, God shows up. Hope that when you live bravely, God reminds you that you are enough. Hope that in your courage, you can win, you can fight, you can heal, and you can persevere.
Ms. Curry depicts the depths of pain and personal sacrifice as she stepped forward risking her career and reputation for justice in the workplace. Her courage and raw honesty expose flaws of a school district who hired and protected a principal with a history of harassment. When you read this story you will move through all the emotions of the #metoo movement and the injustices that will always be present. Ms. Curry manages to take you through her journey, the lowest of lows, in a page turning detailed account. Yet the message of the book is one of hope. Hope that when you seek justice, God shows up. Hope that when you live bravely, God reminds you that you are enough. Hope that in your courage, you can win, you can fight, you can heal, and you can persevere.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews