Invisible Girls: The Truth about Sexual Abuse » (Second Edition)

The statistics are staggering.

One in four girls will experience sexual abuse by the time she is sixteen, and 48 percent of all rapes involve a young woman under the age of eighteen. It’s not surprising then, that in a society where sexual abuse of young women is rampant, many women never share their stories. They remain hidden and invisible.

In her pioneering work with young survivors through the last thirty years, Dr. Patti Feuereisen has helped teen girls and young women to find their voices, begin healing, and become visible.

In this revised second edition, Dr. Patti’s gentle guidance and the girls’ powerful stories continue to create an encouraging message: Remarkable healing is possible if girls learn to share their stories in their teens and early twenties. With a new introduction, new chapters, and updated resources, this new edition of Invisible Girls has even more to offer girls, young women, and those who care about them.

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Written by a psychotherapist, this book sets personal narratives within a generalized discussion of sexual abuse of girls and young women. Feuereisen addresses myths about female sexuality and abuse, considers contributing family dynamics, and offers advice on preventing, reporting, and recovering from abuse. Individual chapters are given to father-daughter incest, other incest, abuse by teachers and clergy, and different types of rape. The writing is clear and frank, including sufficient details without becoming salacious. The personal voices are the strength here, reminding other victims that they are not alone and that healing is possible. Individuals of various races and ethnicities tell their stories within their cultural contexts. Carolyn Lehman's Strong at the Heart: How It Feels to Heal from Sexual Abuse (Farrar, 2005) is an equally impressive title with greater emphasis on the importance of telling one's story to aid in the recovery process. Linda L. Foltz's Kids Helping Kids Break the Silence of Sexual Abuse (Lighthouse Point, 2003), for a younger readership, offers similar treatment on the importance of speaking out, with less explicit detail.-Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.