Crash Into Me: A Survivor's Search for Justice

by Liz Seccuro

In September 2005, Liz Seccuro's world turned upside down when she received an apology letter from the man who had raped her twenty-two years earlier. The rape, which occurred when she was a seventeen-year-old freshman at the University of Virginia, was reported to the campus police, but their inquiry led nowhere. The man accused of raping her left the university soon after, and Seccuro tried to put the incident behind her, starting a business and a family, but like all survivors of trauma, the memory was never far from the surface.

The letter brought it all back. Seccuro bravely began an e-mail correspondence with her rapist to try to understand what happened, and why. As the correspondence continued, Seccuro found the courage to do what should have been done all those years earlier-prosecute him. She began appearing on national television and radio to talk about the case. Several crime dramas and a John Grisham novel, The Associate, were based on her experience. She had found a way to end a terrible story, but once judicial proceedings began, she found that what she thought occurred at that UV A frat party was only the tip of the iceberg. The investigation revealed at least two other assailants, numerous onlookers, and a wall of silence among the fraternity members that persisted two decades later.

Liz Seccuro's inspiring, unflinching memoir is about experiencing terrible trauma-and the power of justice to heal.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, True Crime, Biography, Biography Memoir, Psychology, Autobiography

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2009

About the author

"Crash Into Me" is Liz Seccuro’s first book. Liz is a victim’s rights advocate and spends time lobbying for important legislation to help support sexual assault victims in the United States. Seccuro also founded STARS - Sisters Together Assisting Rape Survivors - (www.starssurvivors.org) to help fund programs assisting rape victims and their families who are seeking justice and looking to heal their mind, body and soul. Liz hopes to build a legacy of hope and spread her spirit of survival to as many people as possible.

Reviews

[rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up without knowing anything about its author, Liz Seccuro, or her story. The idea of a woman choosing to prosecute her rapist 20 years later seemed very empowering and I bought it without a second thought. I had hoped to find a thoughtful exploration of this decision.

I might be an asshole for this, but...well, this book is kind of a slapdash effort. My main criticism is that once Seccuro decides to bring charges against her rapist after he contacts her again, the meat of the book quickly becomes dialogue taken directly from court transcripts, buffered by factual interjections and scenes of Liz crying. I want to give her credit for being so concerned with the veracity of this (sensitive) story that she literally copied court transcripts, but at the same time, I went into this book hoping for at least as much reflection as straight reportage.

I also thought the bits about her life after her attack tended to be superficial. As with Terri Cheney's Manic, I very quickly became frustrated with the noticeable excess of detail about how privileged her life is now -- the restaurants she goes to, the celebrities that live in her town (Greenwich, CT), her vacation to the Hamptons. Status doesn't matter much when it comes to victimization of women -- women of all stripes are victimized -- and when you have the opportunity to be a voice for survivors everywhere, I don't find it relevant to know the details of the things your monetary success buys you as much as I would like to see a deep exploration of where you were before vs. where you are after the rape, cultural context, more information about your advocacy work, etcetera. It is clear that she is affected deeply by the rape, and as I said, we see many scenes where Liz and her husband cry or feel angry, but as other reviewers have commented, there is not much progression or complexity to this emotional journey.

(Which is not to say that I have any negative opinion on Liz's desire to prosecute her rapist or not forgive him without justice. I think she's brave for doing that knowing people would criticize and she'd have to testify in public. I just wish her writing about the subject would have been more complex/progressive/reflective.)

Others have said this would have been more suited to a magazine article. I think that's what I think too. It's fantastic that Seccuro has become an advocate for other women who are silenced, but there are survivors who do not have the access/voice or even ability to communicate their story of a published book's length and permanence as she does. So that is the reason that I wish there was more of emotional substance to Crash Into Me.

[Mariah Roze · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned so much from this book. It was heart gripping and eye-opening all in one! It shares the story of a women that was raped and her struggle to find inner peace.

It was a good read!

[Jennifer Rayment · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Good Stuff

* Brutally honest and powerful
* Books like this one help give power back to those victims that have had their power forcefully taken from them
* Refreshing to hear of helpful police officers dealing with rape victims/survivors
* Admire the authors strength of character
* Absolutely disgusted by the lack of support from the University and its archaic need to protect its reputation (Makes me wonder what Humber & Guelph-Humber would do in a similar situation)
* Also truly disgusted by the legal system (Not just U.S. - Canada is no better) that treats rapists so leniently. In my opinion rapists are rapid dogs and should be put down. They are sick and cannot be cured -- sorry if that is brutal, but it is something I truly believe
* See 1st quote - helped me understand the abandonment of friends/family when they learned about Jake's disability and my postpartum depression - doesn't make it hurt less, but it helped me to understand and forgive
* I think this will inspire many more women to speak out about their own rapes and to also inspire more women to go into the law and/or education to help bring change to these archaic institutions
* Actually has some of the court transcripts in it -- trust me you will shake your head at the absurdity of it all

The Not so Good Stuff

* I am now truly terrified of sending my kids to University
* It really is disturbing to see how society spends so much time/money on defending the rapist and blaming the victim -- really what the hell has the length of a skirt have to do with rape
* I won't lie, its a tough book to read at times, often felt sick to my stomach, sad and angry

Favorite Quotes/Passages

"Perhaps some people feel that tragedy is contagious and to see it happen to a friend is to acknowledge the possibility of its entering one's own life. Regardless, it hurt deeply to lose friends I had considered a part of my support system."


"I think in recovery they don't really teach you about how your admission now causes turbulence in the victim/survivor's life. From my discussions with people in the program, I hear taht addicts on your "step" just want forgiveness, neatly tied up in a bow."


"Does it really give you a 'story' following a rape victim home? With her child in the car? Have some grace and class and get off my property."


What I Learned

* How horribly frequent rape still occurs at Universities and how it is still suppressed by these Universities in order to protect their reputations
* That many of these institutions are more willing to cite a student for underage alcohol than rape

Who should/shouldn't read

* Everybody! It does have brutal descriptions of the rape, so I would suggest not for younger than 14 - but if you do have a younger child I suggest talking over with them about the book.

5 Dewey's


I won this from GoodReads and wasn't required to review it

[Samantha Gutierrez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review Title: Liz...Inseccuro?

First of all, this author has a writing style that makes her story impossible to put down. Engaging, engaging, provoking. The flow is incredible, sort of like "A Million Little Pieces" written by someone with a degree in English...but unfortunately, with the same amount of B__S__t.

I must confess, it is thrilling to write this review because I am 100% certain the author will have read it by the end of April. It is not possible for me to separate my review of her work from my feelings about the author in general, because, unfortunately, I began to form an opinion of the author before the book was released. This wasn't hard to do, because Liz Seccuro literally comments on everything that others have written about her. We'll get to that in a moment.

My first thoughts on the subject matter of her case were mixed. The author mentioned that she put out web polls on how others viewed her decision--narcissism, anyone?--and 19% of readers polled did not agree with her. Well, after carefully reviewing the content of her book and the comments she has posted throughout the internet, I do not agree with her, either.

The author goes to lengths to make the reader believe that she will someday forgive her violator and that she has found peace, but she has only found rage. Her claim that she has found peace is unforgivably compromised in how she reacts to any comments expressing disagreement with her, or empathy for her violator.

" b_smith wrote:
Good luck Will, hope you get through this tragedy just as Mrs. Soccura has had too. May this now end...

Liz Seccuro wrote:
Hello, friend of "Will". At least have the respect to spell my name correctly. And don't assume I've "gotten through" this tragedy yet. There are others out there and your friend hasn't provided their names. "

She sees William Beebe as a sack of meat--subhuman, at best--and only expresses empathy for the plight of his mother so the reader will not recognize her true nature. If she could only keep a story straight, I may have read her book differently. But it's hard for me to accept her claims of why she turned in the rapist when she is so contradictory in every one of her public messages. Recently, the author wrote an article in the Huffington Post in which she claimed to be a Republican and then summarily rejected the entire party's platform.

In her article, she wrote, "I am a rape survivor. And I am a registered Republican."

But here is what she wrote in the comments:

"I didn't say I voted Republican­. I vote issues. For the record, I voted for Obama. The Republican party has morphed into something completely different. I outed myself to show the different shades of what a Republican can be."

Voting for President Obama doesn't mean you can't be Republican, especially considering he was the only viable candidate. It is her comment the "party has morphed into something completely different" which gives me a laugh.

This book was disappointing because I wanted to believe the rapist was a monster and the author a saint for bringing his acts to justice. I'm left with less certainty after seeing the author engage the public media. I believe she got a taste of revenge and she'll stop at nothing for more--hey, maybe she is a Republican? At least she taught us all an important lesson: Never, Ever, Ever apologize.

-Samantha Gutierrez-

[Jillian Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse; Reprint edition (July 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416998276
ISBN-13: 978-1416998273
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
Genre: Nonfiction, trauma, abuse, memoir





Reflection:


Decent and simple writing, quick story. I'd like to respond to the few reviews criticizing the author and her apparent still burning hatred for her rapist(s) and her critics - Liz Seccuro seems to care more about the perpetuation of the rape-culture we (speaking of the USA here) live in. Where women sexually assaulted are not asked "Are you okay?" but instead "Were you drunk?" or "What were you wearing?" Our mainstream culture needs to progress into a more educating and supportive environment, where the victims of rape are viewed as victims, and where we educate youth that sexual advances without consent is wrong, rather than teach women to cover their cleavage or else they somehow deserve their rape. I thank Ms. Seccuro in that sort of challenge to our ideologies.

With that said, the narrative could have been stronger, the writing more potent, and there was little to no development in her healing processes described in the novel. It was a decent read, but I hoped for more.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank-you, Goodreads, for sending me an advanced copy of Crash Into Me. I received the book yesterday and couldn't put it down. Ms. Seccuro tells her personal compelling story with equal parts of horror and compassion. The basic story was one in which a man working his AA 12-step program, wrote a letter to a woman he had raped at a fraternity party 22 years prior, trying to make amends.
The horror of what she had gone through came crashing back as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. Since Virginia has no statue of limitations on sexual assault, she made the decision to file rape charges against him.
The book offers a lot to think about concerning basic human rights, forgiveness, and culpability. I personally do not understand why Ms. Seccuro does not go after the University of Virginia. She was lied to, mis-handled, and mistreated by a community that should provide safety. The world has enough problems with out all the foolishness of college fraternities.

[Molly Heatherly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should be a MUST read for all Mother’s who have daughters regardless if they go off to college or take a different path. Liz Seccuro’s story details her nightmare of being raped her freshman year in college while attending the University of Virginia. Liz is a victim, a survivor and continued her fight to make sure her perpetrator received the punishment he deserved. Rape can happen anytime, anywhere, to anybody and this is a TOPIC that needs to be discussed openly without a stigma! Liz Seccuro’s book has accomplished that goal for victims, survivors and those who want to become educated! Thank you for writing this book and sharing your story.

[Alisha Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

More often than not, I tend to feel like crap when I rate a memoir 3 stars or less especially when it's on a story that's incredibly powerful and courageous. I think it took a lot of bravery for Securro to go after her rapist especially when so much time had passed, therefore sort of expecting that the chance of conviction was going to be slim due to lack of evidence. However, my 3 star rating has absolutely nothing to do with Securro's actual plight or whether or not she should have let bygones be bygones seeing as how the rapist first contacted her to apologize (I don't, by the way). My 3 star rating has to do with the actual writing.

Here's the thing that sort of soured the writing in Crash Into Me for me. I've read Alice Sebold's Lucky (another memoir about a college female being raped) and that book was so beautifully written that I started comparing (only) the writing in Crash Into Me to that of Lucky. And it just doesn't hold up. Lucky was written in a gritty, emotional way while Crash Into Me was written in a sort of breezy, matter of fact manner. Therefore, Lucky resonated more with me (seeing as how I tend to reread it at least once a year) and I found it more powerful.

Crash Into Me was an extremely courageous book written by an extremely courageous person. However, writing-wise it just left a lot to be desired.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blurb for this book sounded great. The book wasn’t.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads Description- In September 2005, Liz Seccuro's world turned upside down when she received an apology letter from the man who had raped her twenty-two years earlier. The rape, which occurred when she was a seventeen-year-old freshman at the University of Virginia, was reported to the campus police, but their inquiry led nowhere. The man accused of raping her left the university soon after, and Seccuro tried to put the incident behind her, starting a business and a family, but like all survivors of trauma, the memory was never far from the surface.

The letter brought it all back. Seccuro bravely began an e-mail correspondence with her rapist to try to understand what happened, and why. As the correspondence continued, Seccuro found the courage to do what should have been done all those years earlier-prosecute him. She began appearing on national television and radio to talk about the case. Several crime dramas and a John Grisham novel, The Associate, were based on her experience. She had found a way to end a terrible story, but once judicial proceedings began, she found that what she thought occurred at that UV A frat party was only the tip of the iceberg. The investigation revealed at least two other assailants, numerous onlookers, and a wall of silence among the fraternity members that persisted two decades later.

Liz Seccuro's inspiring, unflinching memoir is about experiencing terrible trauma-and the power of justice to heal.

Never has a book inspired me more than Crash into Me, the story of Liz Seccuro who was brutally raped as a freshman at the University of Virginia at a frat house party. Her story, bravery, and strength throughout her life made me realize that if victims of rape can forgive but still fight and eventually find peace than so can anyone. I realized that my minor day to day annoyances are nothing compared to what Seccuro survived. This book mesmorized and moved me in ways that are hard to explain. Rape is such an ugly crime and to read about it in such detail can be sickening. But the cold hard truth is that this crime happens everyday and can happen to anyone. The victim is not at fault but is often blamed. Campus rapes run rampant in our country and not all are reported. If anything I hope that my own alma mater does it's best to help victims of this crime and that universities in this country are creating strong policies of no tolerance. I thank Seccuro for sharing her story with the reader and want her to know that her story and fight have touched me. I would recommend this book to anyone because I think that everyone should know the emotional toll that rape takes on a person and this book shares that in an emotional and inspiring way. 4 stars!

[Lara Strubel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book as a Goodreads giveaway (which was very exciting! Thanks, Goodreads)

The first chapter read easily but then I found myself distanced through the next couple of chapters. I was skeptical because of the author's obviously privileged life and what sounded like yet another outdated, stereotyped, and under-informed depiction of Greek life from the early 80's.

Luckily I kept reading because I came to recognize that I was judging the author - the victim - like so many others. While I didn't care for the predictable description of the idyllic college campus and its embarrassing Greek system, this didn't change the fact that the experience was authentic for Liz Seccuro. The remainder of the story is very well told, and, like many others who have already posted, I read from about page 36 to the end without stopping. I did not expect some of the surprise twists from a narrative account of a true story.

I admire Liz Seccuro's tenacity and persistence, the subtle but memorable way that she drops the personal relationships of implicated individuals. These relationships may partially explain the preference of society, but especially the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and University of Virginia, to defer impunity to said implicated individuals. I'm proud of her for taking on a system and exposing herself as an individual to scorn and ridicule in the hopes of ending a systemic problem.

At the conclusion of this book, I don't feel summoned to sympathy for this writer so much as called to be aware and voice opposition to systemic oppression in all its many modern forms. I'm glad this book was written so I could read it!

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well don't you feel like an a$$ when you dislike the book about someone's trauma. I'll make this clear - it has NOTHING to do with the trauma. What happened to the author is despicable and inexcusable and horrific. End of story.

In all fairness, I didn't make it past the first 50 pages. The writing just wasn't for me. While I get that the author is likely just over-explaining, it comes off at times as pretentious and condescending, especially when the subject matter is explaining in detail yet complaining about things lots of people don't have (the author's post-college life is one of great privilege). I don't need you shove your fancy vacation down my throat. I don't need you to explain rush to me like I wasn't in a sorority myself. I don't need the 7 pages of waxing poetic about the University of Virginia and it's charms.

She also did a bit of that - wasting words on things that had zero impact on the story, such as describing the breakfast spread in the dorms or what clothes she chose for various activities. The only reason they appear to be there is to show off. That over-explaining should dissipate with writing experience so I was surprised to see it here from a woman whose pre-book career was as a writer.

Bottom line was I couldn't stick with it. I caught myself rolling my eyes in the second chapter where all this long winded description happens, and didn't want the writing to cause me to do so in regards to much more serious content as the book went on. It wouldn't feel right so I put the book down.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's closer to a 2.5. I wanted very much to think better of this book than I did. I sympathize with the author and respect the good work she's done in helping others who have been through this experience. But the book itself isn't written especially well. There's nothing about the structure or the choice of words that are particularly engaging. It felt like she was holding something back emotionally in her telling. And while I totally understand needing to do that as a victim, as an author that leaves something lacking for the reader. I'm not sorry I read it, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else either.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly strong survivor

This is a very well written book, extremely detailed. My heart goes out to all rape survivors - I cannot imagine what they go through on a daily basis, having to fight so hard to receive any sense of justice, and having to settle for not much.

[Dorilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Effects of sexual assault

This book provides need information about the effects of sexual assault & the justice system. I give the author credit for diving deep into the topic & giving it the respect it deserves.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was brave, and haunting, and hard to read--but Liz Seuccuro, may you never be silenced again.

[BRNTerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY GRADE: B+

I learned of Liz on an episode of I.D.'s Vanity Fair Confidential, Season 4, episode 1 titled Shadows on the Lawn. This is a well-written and easy to follow memoir about injustice-turned-justice, but barely.

Liz was at a frat party one night in 1984, a party she didn't even want to go to and only went to as a favor for her male friend, and was given a tart green-colored drink that was obviously drugged. She was there mentally at times but had trouble moving her limbs and was fading in and out of consciousness. She was carried into a bedroom and the lights were turned out and she was raped, and raped in another room by another male, and was raped digitally on the sofa by a third male while a few other men looked on. She's not sure what order this all happened in. She wasn't a rape victim who stayed silent. She did what she could at the time of the assault, October 1984, to see that her attacker was punished but was unsuccessful. Right after the rape she walked to the UVA medical center to tell them she was raped and was told by a nurse that they don't handle rape victims there, which makes no sense at all, and the nurse told her to go to another hospital far away. She was lied to right to her face several times by the disgusting male dean of UVA, Robert Canevari, about who had legal jurisdiction over the college. She was told the university had to deal with the situation themselves, not the Charlottesville police, which was a complete lie. The scumbag, who's hopefully six feet under now, tried to make her think she wasn't raped and just had a bad date and he even told her parents, right in front of her, that she was 'date raped', which wasn't true because there was no date. He suggested she transfer to another school and told her he had 'contacts' who could help with it. He'd already had the rapist, William Beebe, leave the school, thinking that would solve the problem and Liz would drop her complaint. Dean Canevari never even took a report of her story. In fact, several others didn't either. They just wanted to sweep the situation under the rug.

I have a bone to pick with her friends too. Lots of them came to her dorm room to comfort her but none of them offered to take her to a hospital.

Justice wasn't really served because William only spent five months in prison, due to Virginia not having a statute of limitations on rape, and the other two men who raped her got away with it because they wouldn't cooperate with law enforcement and by that point it had been twenty-two or three years since it happened.

Liz is very likable and very open about her ordeal and her struggle with panic attacks. I do think the book needed to be longer and I'd have liked more details on her first marriage at age twenty-three and I definitely wanted to read more of her correspondence with William Beebe. It needed information on how her parents were dealing with it over the years.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hoped to get more out of this book than I did. It needed serious editing and I ended up skimming a lot of it. I appreciate that the author's story is important and deserves to be told; all survivors should be empowered to take up time and space telling their stories-- but the way it was written made it a real struggle for me to read it through as a narrative book. It feels more like she had a big file of everything she'd collected on her case, and she just put it into a kind of chronological order and printed it out-- it's valuable as a record of what happened, but it's not a well-crafted narrative, and it missed multiple opportunities to connect her story to the broader social/cultural context. It also didn't feel like a helpful guide for coping strategies for other young women who found themselves in a similar position to her former self-- which, maybe that's asking too much, but I feel like that's maybe what I unconsciously was hoping for. I don't *enjoy* reading clinical testimonies of assault and suffering-- I do it in hopes of finding companionship and hints on building a roadmap through my own tribulations.

[Kristen Pollard · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you review a book like this? Of course it was difficult to read, and sad to hear an all-to-familiar story of campus rape at a school I attended. I found the description of the legal process eye-opening, and felt sorry for the way Seccuro was treated by the authorities both at the age of 17 and then again during the trial. I think it's important, too, for people to know how the system works so that we can hopefully make it better. I applaud Seccuro for her bravery in speaking up and being a voice for all those who don't or can't have one.

[Nancy Bandusky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an emotional and graphic account of a rape victim's experience from prior to the crime through the judicial process.

There is an interesting brief discussion on forgiveness but more emphasis was needed regarding the fact forgiveness does NOT mean there are not consequences for one's actions.

While in no way blaming the victim, her experience should be analyzed by individuals, educational institutions, law enforcement, and the judicial system as to where things went wrong which resulted in denying the victim adequate justice.

[Lee L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story of courage & hard work to bring about justice. I don't know if I would have done all she did to bring about justice for my rape (or any abuse). Her husband's support was amazing. I admire her for the work she is doing now for victims. This book will encourage you to keep fighting.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very eye opening story. As a mother of 3, 2 of them being girls, it’s very scary to realize what goes on in the world and how people try to dismiss certain things. To think of the countless number of girls and women who have experienced what Liz has and never come forward is frightening. I commend Liz for her bravery and determination for change and justice.

[Ellie Pretsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a powerful read and still such an important issue at hand- universities attempting to silence rape victims for the sake of reputation. Seccuro’s vivid account details true horrors and how trauma can follow victims. I had to put it down a couple times because it was so upsetting- as a fellow victim. Well written and great lady power book!

[Corey Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly powerful book. It was difficult to read at times hearing the story of the survivor of sexual assault. But it is definitely a book that all should read in order to appreciate the gravity in which these victims have to endure and in an order to appreciate the systemic issue of college sexual assaults still rampant.

[Louise Larsen]

Really well written memoir of surviving a harrowing ordeal at one of our country's finest colleges. Upsetting to read, but very grateful the survivor took the time and strength to articulate what it feels like to have an institution turn against you when they were the ones to allow systemic rape to occur.

Inspiring book for other survivors to read.

[Tamsin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely kept me reading and was an easy and quick read. I guess I would have liked a little more background and a little more personal touch to understand her. The book is mainly just about her trauma and the incident and the court case.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I commend the author for her courage to tell her story. I’m glad that she pushed through to find peace in her life and to be an activist for others.

[Sophia]

I didn’t actually read this I just needed a title that matched a wattpad book

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her story was one of honest, powerful and hard to put the book down.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A First Reads win that I was really excited about; I read a short article in Marie Claire or Glamour about Seccuro and her forthcoming book and was instantly curious.

Seccuro was raped at a fraternity party in 1984. 22 years later, she receives a letter in the mail from her rapist apologizing to her. Will Beebe, her rapist, is a member of Alcoholics and Anonymous and got to the step about righting past wrongs. Not only is this just flat-out creepy, but Seccuro begins a brief email correspondence with him before becoming scared that he may show up at her house (don't blame her there) and taking the emails to the police. This creates a bit a snowball effect and Seccuro is given the option of pressing charges against Beebe, something she wasn't able to do when the rape actually happened.

The way Seccuro was marginalized and dismissed by the University of Virginia - where she and Beebe attended school and where the rape occurred - is disgusting. Despite going to a medical facility and waiting several hours, she was turned away. The university never took any action against Beebe, citing that since he dropped out of school shortly after the assault that there was nothing they could do. When she tried to go to the Charlottesville police department, she was told by UVA that the campus was not in their jurisdiction (a lie). Seccuro eventually realizes that the school isn't going to help her, so she attmepts to move on with her life.

The book is interspersed with transcripts from the court proceedings and Seccuro has to tell and re-tell what happened to her in painful detail. Later in the book, there's a heartbreaking revelation that Beebe wasn't Seccuro's only attacker that night; she was actually raped by 3 men that night, all members of the fraternity. This part of the book caused my heart to fall to my stomach and made me so angry; the wall of silence by the "brothers" was still impenetrable 20+ years later. As a member of a sorority, the ways these guys acted was despicable. Doing the right thing beats Greek bonds any day. When the fraternity was discussing what happened shortly after the incident at a meeting, one of the members suggested that another member's father - a business bigwig - hook them up with some type of insurance policy in case this happened again. Shocking. As of the end of the book, Securro still isn't totally sure who the other 2 men were or what exactly happened to her (it's presumed that her drink that night was drugged).

Seccuro really hits her stride when she talks about not blaming the victim - more than once, and by her own mother (!!!), in one instance - she was asked what she was wearing, as if she provocated the attack. Seccuro lost several friends after she tried to talk to them about what happened to her and she received angry messages calling her all manner of horrible names and villifying her since the prosecution came about from an apology. She takes a hard line with college campuses, as her story is, sadly, one of many.

While it can be bit hard to read at times, Seccuro tells her story with honesty and courage. And finally, her voice is being heard.