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A disturbing and heartbreaking memoir. An absolutely necessary read.

#AdventRecommends December 11th

Vanessa Springoro writes about a sexual relationship she had with a nearly 50 yr old man when she was 13 yr. Not only was he a lot older than her, he was also a famous French author. This book changed French law after it was published.

At the age of 14 Vanessa was in a sexual relationship with a 50 yr old man. Even at the time she heard that he was a pedophile but she didn‘t have the language at the time to understand what that was. In this memoir she looks back on that relationship and it‘s effects. Because this man wasn‘t just 50 yr old, he is also a well known author in France who used his relationships in his fiction and published his diaries.

An exceptionally moving, and indeed confronting memoir of childhood sexual abuse. What I found most horrifying about Springora's experience was the extent to which the adults in her lives colluded to support the toxic hold her abuser had over her. This collusion has far reaching tentacles, not just parents and friends, but teachers and educational institutions, and even the wider French literary community.

Not a book I would easily recommend - to me, it was gruesome and disturbing at moments - but I am glad Vanessa Springora brought her story to light.

Really upsetting! Much admiration for Vanessa Springora for taking ownership of her story and calling out the terrible abuse she underwent from the many adults surrounding her. Utterly shocking. Very disturbing. #Scribd #audio

WHOA! I‘m enthralled! This was brought to my attention by @Megabooks I do remember all the media buzz around this number one bestselling memoir in France. #Scribd 🎧

Vanessa Springora, French editor and publisher, has written a memoire about her beeing sexually abused at the age of 14 by a three times older man. Disturbing, powerfull and necessary book that empowers victimes of abuse!

Quick read! A tough one to swallow at times though. Loved this one.

Starting this one next!

A truly disturbing #nonfiction book about a 14 year old girl lured into a relationship with serial pedophile. This book was a bestseller in France, where it blew open the door to pedophilia and sexual assault in French intellectual circles. The acts this man committed were shocking, and his victims were forced to relive their trauma as he published novelizations and even diaries using their real names. TW in spoiler tag. ⬇️

This is a blame it on @Chelsea.Poole Somehow, I had missed all the press about this. Anyway, about halfway through and it‘s definitely really disturbing. 😬

Originally published in France, Vanessa is now a book publisher, but at fourteen in 1986, she was groomed an sexually abused by celebrated French author Gabriel Matzneff. This book brought to light an open secret of abuse of teens in the French intellectual community.

An excellent #memoir written by a French woman who was involved with (abused by) a man 35+ years her senior when she was 14 years old. The man was a respected French author whose work was highly regarded. His works often featured his diaries in which he recounted the abuse he inflicted upon V (the author of this book) and others. Very reminiscent of My Dark Vanessa, but it‘s nonfiction which makes it that much more heartbreaking.

24-25 Feb 2021 (audiobook)
This memoir is intelligent, angry and scathing of the French literati that allowed a middle aged writer to publicly flout sexual relations with young girls. Not only was his behaviour tolerated, his writing, which included details of relations with children well below the age of consent, was lauded. I was shocked by the calibre of philosophers who had in the 70s signed his petition to have the age of consent abolished.

I wasn't really expecting much, but OMG this book is gold ✨✨
The writing style is simple and quick to read, and the story is clear although it talks about the controversial theme of p3dophilia from the victim's point of view.
I can only hope more people start opening up about these kinds of cases and justice is done.