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A review by jhbandcats
Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
I liked the premise of the book and the way the author, Erika Krouse, interwove her history of child sexual abuse with the contemporary sexual assaults by the Univ of Colorado football team, told through the lens of researching a legal case. It’s part memoir, part expose of a university coverup at the highest levels. By including her own story within the legal case, Krouse turns a fascinating story of rape and deception into one of personal struggle and redemption.
There’s no truly happy ending - there were no criminal charges ever filed, the university faculty and staff got off scot-free, and not everyone who was assaulted received part of the settlement. But within the convoluted justice system in the US, a form of justice was achieved.
My only quibble was that all the names were changed even though the case, settled in 2007, is a matter of public record. However, I read an interview with Krouse in JNews where she explains more fully how she was doing all she could to protect the women by not tying them to assailants who might further retaliate. It was the best she could do under the circumstances.
There’s no truly happy ending - there were no criminal charges ever filed, the university faculty and staff got off scot-free, and not everyone who was assaulted received part of the settlement. But within the convoluted justice system in the US, a form of justice was achieved.
My only quibble was that all the names were changed even though the case, settled in 2007, is a matter of public record. However, I read an interview with Krouse in JNews where she explains more fully how she was doing all she could to protect the women by not tying them to assailants who might further retaliate. It was the best she could do under the circumstances.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism