One Way Back

April 15, 2024
A hero of the #MeToo movement tells her full life story in her own words in this revealing, confident memoir. Ford grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., in the 1960s and '70s. "Living in the land of our founding fathers," she writes, "built on a system of power that was created by and for men, of course men and women were treated differently and kept conveniently separate." It was in this environment that she first encountered future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who, she writes, sexually assaulted her at a party when she was 15. (He was 17.) The experience had a profound effect on her, but as she demonstrates in this courageous text, it was hardly the driving force of her life. For graduate school, she moved to Southern California, where she learned to surf, began her work in psychology and biostatistics, and became a mother. She never imagined she would end up back in D.C. as an adult, testifying during Kavanaugh's tumultuous nomination hearing. Though she had supported #MeToo, she writes, "even when considering coming forward, I saw myself more as a whistleblower than an activist. I didn't even identify as a 'survivor' at that point (but after enduring the testimony and its aftermath, I would change my view)." Ford offers a cleareyed description of the personal, professional, financial, and emotional fallout, with which she's still reckoning five years later. She partially attributes her survival to the thousands of letter writers who reached out with thanks, support, and their own assault stories. It is to them she dedicates her memoir, which extends far beyond the hearing that made her a household name. "My story can't just be about the three months in 2018 when my life exploded in front of the world's eyes," she writes. "My life weaves together surfing, statistics, motherhood, friendship, and politics." An artful and honest account of sacrifice and survival.

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