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Alice Sebold
Alice had a long apprenticeship of healing and trying to write before she could succeed in recounting here (Lucky, 1999) the experience of her rape as a college freshman in Syracuse. She deals not only with her own issues following the violent assault, but also the issues of all those she knows—family and friends--who have no idea how to interact with a rape survivor. One of the interesting aspects of this memoir is that it details not only the rape, but also the unexpected apprehension and trial of the culprit.
More by Alice Sebold
The Almost Moon. 2007.
The Lovely Bones. 2002.
About Alice Sebold
Steven Barclay Agency
Interviews
Clarson, Jennifer, Book Magazine, July/August 2002 issue, in “Meet the Writers,” Barnes & Noble
Fernald, Anne, “Alice Sebold Interview,” Fernham, June 25, 2007.
Discussion Guide for Lucky
Reviews of Lucky
Aull, Felice, Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database, January 16, 2003
Brison, Susan, Metapsychology Online Reviews, February 3, 2000
Brown, Mary Daniels, Notes in the Margin, January 23, 2004
Clare County Library
d’Entremont, Joelle, Cercles, 2003.
Eckhoff, Sally, Salon, September 27, 1999
Hoffmann, Christine, The Missouri Review, Vol. XXV, No. 3, 2002
Lux-Baumann, Jessica, Rambles: A Cultural Arts Magazine, June 10, 2006
Markham’s Behavioral Health
McCabe, Nancy, LitPot
Rape – The Process of Recovery
Alice found that while the physical effects of her assault had healed in a few months, the psychological effects took much, much longer to heal, and displayed themselves in a self-harming way, as she began to take drugs, sleep around, and live in seedy places. She thought she was doing okay until she read an article by Judith Herman, whose book is listed below.
“Getting Your Life Back,” Sexual Assault Care Centre
Brison, Susan J. Aftermath: Violence and the Remaking of a Self. 2002.
Carosella, Cynthia. Who’s Afraid of the Dark? 1994.
Herman, Judith. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. rev. ed. 1997.
Raine, Nancy Venable. After Silence: Rape and My Journey Back. 1998.
Ramsey, Martha. Where I Stopped: Remembering Rape at Thirteen. 1995.
Family Relationships after a Violent Assault
One of the most surprising elements in Sebold’s book was the reaction of her family to her ordeal. It became obvious how everyone in a family can be scarred by such a violent assault, and the survivor’s healing can depend a lot on how supportive the family is.
Cummins, Jeanine. A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath. 2004.
Davies, Caitlin. Place of Reeds. 2005.
Francisco, Patricia Weaver. Telling: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery. 1999.
Kalven, Jamie. Working with Available Light: A Family’s World after Violence. 1999.
Sharp, Debra Puglisi. Shattered: Reclaiming a Life Torn Apart by Violence. 2003.
Substance Abuse
Sebold turned to drugs, although she didn’t immediately correlate her harmsful behaviour with not being healed. This self-destructive behaviour is usually more obvious to the outsider looking in than to the one who is suffering. However, violence is not the only reason that people become addicts.
Hoffman, John and Susan Froemke, eds. Addiction: Why Can’t They Just Stop? 2007.
Hansen, Julia. A Life in Smoke: A Memoir. 2006.
Holden, Kate. In My Skin: A Memoir of Addiction. 2007.
Knapp, Caroline. Drinking: A Love Story. 1997.
Smith, Lynn Marie. Rolling Away: My Agony with Ecstasy. 2005.
Authors Who Write Both Fiction and Nonfiction
Because Sebold has written two novels subsequent to this memoir, the workshop participants were interested in looking at other authors who have written both fiction and nonfiction.
Archer, Jeffrey.
Heaven: A Prison Diary. 2005
False Impression. 2006.
Atwood, Margaret.
Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing. 2002.
Oryx and Crake. 2003.
Grisham, John.
The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town. 2006.
The Broker. 2005.
Iggulden, Conn
The Dangerous Book for Boys. 2006.
Wolf of the Plains. 2007 [An interesting sidenote: each of these books was #1 on the British hardcover bestseller lists (nonfiction and fiction) at the same time.]
Kingsolver, Barbara
Vegetable, Animal, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. 2007.
Prodigal Summer. 2000.
(Created with the help of the Oshawa Workshop participants. All Web sites accessed July, 2007.
Maureen O’Connor/WordsWorthy/Connecting Books and Readers/maureen@wordsworthy.com)
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