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Eggshell Skull
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
Brutal, brave and utterly compelling, Bri Lee's extraordinary memoir shines a light on the humanity and complexity of our justice system and the limitless courage victims of crime must summon in a legal process stacked against them at every turn. In the age of #MeToo, Eggshell Skull is a prescient personal account of a young woman's fierce and unflinching battle against her abuser. I can't remember a book I devoured with such intensity, nor one that moved me so profoundly.' Rebecca Starford, author of Bad Behaviour and co-founder of Kill Your Darlings 'An illuminating meditation on society's complicity in sexual assault, told through one woman's pursuit of justice in a system that has failed women and survivors for too long. Powerful as it is timely, Eggshell Skull is a courageous, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful memoir from one of Australia's sharpest young writers.' Liam Pieper, author of The Toymaker Eggshell Skull: A well-established legal doctrine that a defendant must accept 'take their victim as they come': If a thin skull caused the death of someone after a punch, that victim's weakness cannot mitigate the seriousness of the crime, nor the punishment. But what if it also works the other way? What if a defendant on trial for sexual crimes has to accept his 'victim' as she comes: a strong, determined accuser who knows the legal system, who will not back down until justice is done? Bri Lee began her first day of work at the Brisbane Magistrates Court as a bright-eyed judge's associate. Eighteen months later she was back as the complainant in her own case. This is the story of Bri's journey through the Australian legal system; first as the daughter of a policeman, then as a law student, and finally as a judge's associate in both metropolitan and regional Queensland--where justice can look very different, especially for women. Confronted by horrific criminal behaviour every day in court, Bri's eyes were opened to the inequity of the legal system and how complainants in sex crime investigations and trials struggle to receive justice, are re-victimised, and let down by the system with heartbreaking frequency. The injustice Bri witnessed, mourned and raged over every day finally forced her to confront her own personal history, one she'd vowed never to tell. And this is how, after years of struggle, she found herself on the other side of the courtroom, telling her story. Bri Lee has written a fierce and eloquent memoir that addresses both her own reckoning with the past to speak the truth, as well as the stories around her, with wit, empathy and unflinching courage. Eggshell Skull is a haunting appraisal of modern Australia from a new and essential voice. 'Eggshell Skull is as finely wrought as its name suggests - a sensitive and clear-eyed account of childhood sexual abuse that ripples out to encompass both its psychic aftershocks and the gruelling work of seeking legal redress. Lee doesn't flinch from the ugliness of the crime, but her eye for detail is always compassionate, never gratuitous. This is a book that honours its survivors, and one that should establish Lee as a serious name in Australian non-fiction.' Jessica Friedmann, author of Things That Helped.
LibraryThing
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Madison91
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Mehso-so

I don‘t usually read non fiction, so I can‘t give this an authentic opinion

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keepingupwiththepenguins
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

Eggshell Skull falls into the category of an incredibly good book that it‘s incredibly difficult to recommend to anyone – I‘d certainly say to take great care reading it, even if you think that you‘re unlikely to feel triggered. It will be a five-star read for anyone who enjoyed Roxane Gay‘s Hunger. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/eggshell-skull-bri-lee/

The_Book_Ninja The full review is excellent. 11mo
45 likes1 comment
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TieDyeDude
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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1. ✔️
2. Scrambled. Ideally with pork roll.
3. Only two kinds of egg-laying mammals are left on the planet today—the duck-billed platypus and the echidna, or spiny anteater.

#deviledeggday @WildAlaskaBibliophile

WildAlaskaBibliophile Love this! 😊🍳🐔🥚💗 13mo
34 likes1 comment
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MrsMalaprop
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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“Fewer than one in five sex offences reported to the police result in charges being laid” 😢😤

LeeRHarry 😤 indeed 2y
Jeg Powerful read. A book I have kept. 2y
31 likes2 comments
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MrsMalaprop
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

The photo is pretty 😍; the memoir is not. Utterly riveting, page-turning, & frequently, stomach-churning. Bri writes about her time as a judge‘s associate on circuit in rural Queensland & the plethora of child abuse & sexual assault cases heard in the country towns she visited. All while grappling with her own childhood trauma & whether to report it to police. The saying, “It‘s a legal system, not a justice system” comes to mind.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

40 likes2 stack adds
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Rissreads
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

This book is my bookclub pick. As expected this book made me Mad and sad! It‘s a difficult read but a very brave story.

HeathHof Cute kitty! I am also currently trapped under a calico😹 3y
CarolynM Lovely photo😻 Looks like your weather has turned too. Cold and wet here today after an Indian Summer Easter. 3y
Jeg @Rissreads just love your cat. That is such a good book. Bet you get good discussion. 3y
29 likes3 comments
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Messiejessie
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

An eloquent and gripping narrative giving us a harrowing and shocking glimpse inside the Australian legal system related to sexual crimes.
Bri Lee‘s courage and determination in the face of so much injustice is both an inspiration to victims and a message to perpetrators.

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Lauren_Ho
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee

The duality was the new reality

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Lauren_Ho
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee

Properly living not placeholder living

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Lauren_Ho
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee

Negligence is a fancy way of saying 'not good enough'

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Lauren_Ho
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee

Nobody kicks one of the Queen's corgis

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Lauren_Ho
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee

Full criminal liability-- and responsibility--cannot be avoided because a victim is 'weak'.

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JeffyRoo
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
Pickpick

I found this book difficult to process at times. Ms Lee's experiences as a court associate, watching everyday as people such as her abuser get away with their crimes and listening to her internal struggles as she decides to bring her own case.
It is a difficult but necessary book for all of us.
Well written and important story. Thank you.

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CourtSmall
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

11-2020 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I cannot write a review and do this book just justice. What I will say is read the 'blurb' but be warned aside from her own story she talks about cases of sexual/domestic violence, child abuse, rape, paedophilia and her own demons driving her to cutting, bulimia and suicidal thoughts. This is the brave a courageous lady who decided enough was enough and she needed to be heard, hopefully her story inspires others to do the same.

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mija333
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee

Dad often came home with stories about the best and worst in human beings. We talked about why people did bad things. Life was understood as a series of choices, actions and consequences.

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Tashreads
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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I finally got around to spending my birthday gift voucher on....you guessed it.... books! Hip hip hooray 😁 🙌🎉⁣

#bookhaul #birthdaybookhaul

AntoinetteBuchanan Nice haul! 6y
69 likes1 comment
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Joanne1
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

This is, without doubt, a tough read and one that is honestly and bravely told. I found the tension and uncertainty unbearable and had to read the end first just so I could continue. I cannot imagine how truly torturous living through a trial that took the justice system two years to get through. But like many such memoirs Bri‘s is one that must be read widely, we must do better!!

MrsMalaprop Exercised a great deal of self control & did not purchase this book a couple of weeks ago. I do plan to read it some time though... 6y
50 likes1 comment
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Joanne1
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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This is an enormously difficult memoir to read and is a very grim portrayal of how awful men can be. Trigger warnings for just about everything. #stellaprize

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AntoinetteBuchanan
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Trying to read through the #2019stellaprize long list. This is my fourth of the 12 and it is powerful!

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Sue
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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😡😡😡

MrsMalaprop This book keeps popping up on my radar. Reckon I need to read it. 6y
Jeg @MrsMalaprop I enjoyed ( if that‘s the right word) it. Well worth a read I think. 6y
53 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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Gillyreads
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

Books read in September
Book of the month ~ Eggshell Skull.

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Gillyreads
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

Finally finished. Heartbreaking and a bit hopeful.

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Lizpixie
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

Hallelujah, I finished a book! This book slump is kicking my arse🤦🏻‍♀️ This was a hard book to read, not just because of the memories it kept making me relive, but also because of the fury I feel at the “justice” system that allows perpetrators to walk free after lying their arse off in court & for allowing them to drag a case out for years in the hopes that the victim will give up and go away.So much anger.A must read but be warned-a hard read.

Kalalalatja Great review! 6y
Gillyreads I‘m reading this at the moment. It makes me so angry 6y
63 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Lizpixie
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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After reading a 100+ pages of Eggshell Skull & with less than 85 pages left,I had to swap to a different genre for awhile.I was feeling so angry,frustrated, disgusted & most of all ashamed that women like me are still being pressured into believing these assaults are our fault.If my attacker wasn‘t dead already, I would be tempted to stoop to his level &(in the words of Samuel.L.Jackson)rain down with furious anger on his head. #helpmeobiwankenobi

StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego I'm intrigued by the tagged book, but it doesn't seem available in Canada ☹. 6y
Cinfhen Sounds really intense and I‘m sorry it‘s bringing up painful memories for you 6y
Kalalalatja This book sounds important, but brutal, and I need to read it! And I‘m so sorry for what you have been through, but I think you are awesome and strong for speaking about it! 💕 6y
57 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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Lizpixie
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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#BookMail Pt2 The 2nd book from booktopia.com.au is this memoir by Bri Lee documenting her story of working in the legal system before becoming a complainant in her own case against the man that sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager. I just got it, so I read the first page to get a feel for the story. I‘m now 120pg in and am finding myself getting very angry. I never told police about my experiences(twice)& after reading this, I‘m glad!😡

ReadingEnvy This doesn‘t help your situation (and I‘m so sorry you experienced that) but in my community we have sexual assault summits every year to help train social workers, cops, advocates and title ix investigators (that‘s me!) on various topics. Last year was trauma informed investigation (which is so often where police get it so wrong!) I hope everyone will learn more and do better. 🤗 6y
66 likes1 comment
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Gillyreads
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Recently started.

15 likes1 stack add
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Jeg
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

Heard her on the radio , got the book, read the book, blown away! I seem to be reading lots of memoirs lately. Not something I‘ve read much of in the past. If you read this book , which I highly recommend, you may want to bail in the beginning , but don‘t , it‘s amazing. I learnt a lot about the Aussie law and court system as well as the strength one person can have. I don‘t want to say too much more, just read it for yourself .
@MrsMalaprop

JennyM I am hearing great things about this. 6y
7 likes1 stack add1 comment
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sixminutesforme
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was completely blown away by this memoir! Full review at https://sixminutesforme.com/2018/06/28/eggshell-skull-by-bri-lee/

12 likes1 stack add
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roneea
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Sundays are for books and dogs

Reviewsbylola What a sleepy baby. ❤️ 6y
JennyM Is this one good? I was just reading the blurb about it last night 6y
roneea @JennyM its quite good so far! But hugely disturbing and distressing. You have to be prepared to read a lot of content on child sex abuse in order to make it through this one... 6y
roneea @Reviewsbylola I just adopted him and all he wants to do is lie in bed with me! He is very unhappy when I have to go to work! 6y
10 likes4 comments
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awonderinglife
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

A wonderful memoir looking at the impact of the Australian criminal justice system on survivors of sex assault. Honest, raw and hopeful.

10 likes2 stack adds
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Teresereading
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pickpick

Highly recommended. I heard Bri talk about her book at a local bookshop. I had won an ARC a few weeks ago from Allen & Unwin. I came home and started it immediately. Its hard reading at times as she relives her abuse and also tells the stories about what happens In the court system and how it adds to the victimisation of complainants. The statistics are compelling.

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WhereTheBooksGo
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Pink covers plus skulls on my TBR #auslit #Australian

10 likes2 stack adds
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Psychobabble
Eggshell Skull | Bri Lee
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Some more ARCs!! #excited #allenandunwin