The Memory Bird

This book is a collection of drawings, personal essays, letters, poems, and journal entries created primarily by women, but also by some men who have recovered or are recovering from the emotional effects of childhood sexual abuse. They write about their experience of abuse by fathers, brothers, other relatives, and people outside the family. The contributors offer a wide range of experiences ranging from the process of remembering and dealing with pain to the use of creative expression as a means to begin healing. The passages reveal anger and shame, full of the struggle to break the silence and to act to restore oneself. Chapter titles like \u0022The Survivor's Song,\u0022 \u0022Claiming the Right to Feel Pain,\u0022 \u0022Can You Hear Me?\u0022 and \u0022Learning to Dance,\u0022 define the emotions and stages many survivors share. A chapter called \u0022You Want a Witness?\u0022 consists of recovered memories and helpful comments on False Memory Syndrome. Each chapter has a brief, accessible introduction by the editors.