It helped me find my own voice..., November 26, 2004
I first heard about this wonderful book from a male friend
who thought it might help me come to terms with my abusive past.
I had just started therapy and was almost afraid to read it,
so it sat on my desk for awhile. Yes, the emotions this book
brought out in me were extremely strong, it brought back a lot
of pain and sorrow but the most positive thing it did for me
was to make me realize that I was not alone...these women had
similar histories but they survived, WERE survivors and were
able to voice their feelings. more...
A Powerful Book, August 28, 2002
I am so grateful to Risa Shaw and the numerous authors of
Not Child's Play for sharing a part of themselves with me. Brother-sister
incest must be brought out in the open, and steps must be taken
for it to be prevented. In sharing their stories, these women
ensure that readers will do everything in their power to make
sure this doesn't happen to any little girl they know. These
women of strength are a catalyst for healing, for education
and an inspiration to millions of women and girls out there.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read what true
strength is in this world. Thank you Lunchbox Press!
One of the Best Books Out There, July
26, 2002
There are many books on incest and recovery, including quite
a few written by survivors. In terms of the quality of writing,
this one is one of the best. It is a combination of essays,
poetry, and art, some of which is in color. An introduction
puts brother-sister incest, which is often ignored, in context.
Notes on the contributors at the end tell the reader a little
bit about the backgrounds of the women who wrote. more...
Finally!, July 25, 2002
Finally, a book that puts a human face on brother-sister incest,
so often brushed off as "normal" or hidden as something
that "can't be bad, it happens all the time." As
a survivor, I found this book extremely helpful and validating
of my feelings, and bought two more--one to share with my
family and one to share with friends. Thank you, Lunch Box
Press, for this creative anthology that recognizes courageous
sisters, speaks for many of us who are "hushed,"
and empowers our younger sisters to break this abuse.
"Speaking Up and Speaking Out Changes
Everything.”, July 24, 2002
The line in Risa Shaw's complex and beautifully-composed anthology
on brother-sister sexual abuse perfectly captures the power
of this little gem of a book.
Shaw has collected the voices and art of 35 survivors, and
she let's them speak up and out in complex and non-homogenized
ways. The editing for this volume is beautiful, as the brief
pieces are clear but not in any way standardized in content
or form. Here you will meet women who explode with unequivocal
rage, stories of girls who told and girls who kept quiet,
families who stopped it and (many more) families who didn't,
women who have patiently and lovingly cultivated honest adult
relationships with their former abusers, women whose demands
for truth have cost them their families, and women whose deeply
complicated and ambivalent memories make room simultaneously
for shame, hurt, fear, and pleasure. more...
Outstanding, ground-breaking work :), July
24, 2002
This anthology is an amazing work. After decades of silence
about the issue of brother-sister incest, we finally have a
book that is as inspiring as it is informative. The anthology
includes writing and artwork drawn from 35 women. This is not
a book about victims. It is a book about survivors-- about strong
women who learned to say no, who learned to speak out against
this often-ignored form of violence in hopes that future generations
of children could be protected.
I found the book an exhilarating roller-coaster ride of emotions,
ranging from raw, unbridled anger, to eventual healing and
a sense of wholeness. This is a book written for everyone.
It includes powerful short stories, poetry, and visual artwork.
It will make you angry, it will make you sad, and it will
leave you in awe at the resilience of the human spirit. But
the one thing it won't do is leave you untouched.
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