Director of Development & Communications.
Stories of abuse catch my eye. Before coming to work at the Denver Children's Advocacy Center, I was conscious of stories of abuse. I passively took note. But since taking this position, I'm struck by the sheer number of stories of abuse that come to light on virtually a daily basis.
Recently Ashley Judd (one of my favorite actors) released a book about her own personal struggle as a victim of neglect and childhood sexual abuse. She shares that she "looked really good on the outside," but that inside she was broken and crumbling under the pressure. She suffered from depression, insomnia and struggled with suicide.
While she emphatically states that her book is "honest" for her, she has also stated that it is not necessarily "accurate."' I was fascinated by this admission on her part, but the seemingly enigmatic contrast was addressed VERY WELL in an article at Salon.com by Mary Elizabeth Williams. I encourage you to check it out. She points out that, "The tricky truth is that life is not always clear-cut. What may well have been just another rollicking Saturday night for the elder Judds may have been torment for its youngest family member. Likewise, you might look back on a teenage experience as coercion, while another might call it abuse -- and you might well both be correct. Time and memory and the other experiences that build up along the way can change perception. They alter the story -- for all of the participants in it."
You may also want to check out the interview on the Today Show mentioned in Ms. Williams' article. You can also find an excerpt from the book by clicking here.
No comments:
Post a Comment