This late Australian/American wrote this personal memoir largely about the abuse of herself and many others at the hands of her father, and the late Jeffery Epstein. His partner in crime, Ghislane Maxwell first lured the author while she was a minor into the sex trade at Mar a Lago. As such it is very current and controversial, with Prince Andrew also implicated. But it is also agonizingly detailed and tragic, describing the vast network of powerful men with their wealth used to silence their many victims. And it is doubly tragic as the emotional scars inflicted on her lead to her suicide last year.
The shamelessness and endless use of legal professionals to cover up the sex crimes of the rich and famous raises questions about the morality of the whole legal profession as well, as they willingly and knowingly tell what are clearly lies, in smear campaigns to discredit victims.
I have little sympathy for most of those who want to live a life as victims, wallowing in self-pity, but this is a clear exception. Her heroic efforts to expose the perpetrators of these heinous crimes deserve the highest praise.
For me, the book raises troubling questions about the whole fashion and modelling industry, which still portrays women as needing to be physically beautiful to please men rather than to be themselves.
This is deeply troubling read about a brave, troubled devoted soul that exposes a pervasive social evil of our times. Not at all fun to read, but important.
3.5/5
The Passionate Reader 