100 Women I Know

by F. Vera-Gray, Kezia Bayard-White, Phoebe Montague

100 Women I Know is a collection of accounts of rape and sexual assault. The stories in this book are from women that the editor knows personally, but aims to bring together and foster solidarity between everyone who has been a victim of sexual violence. By exposing the common threads in each story, 100 Women I Know demonstrates the need to redefine rape within society and to further the understanding of consent to help prevent young men and women from becoming perpetrators or survivors of sexual violence. The book gives a voice to all of the brave women who shared their stories and continues the much needed conversation on sexual violence. Thirty percent of money received from book sales will go towards funding educational workshops in schools.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2018

About the author

Fiona Vera-Gray

Reviews

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

"To experience sexual violence is to experience your own non-existence. It is to be treated as though you are nothing, no-one, a tool for another's purpose. Hollow. In the aftermath of violence this is what needs to be undone."

This is a unique and timely collection of first-hand accounts sexual violence. As a survivor myself, I certainly found it relatable, and its existence is a demonstration of the pervasiveness of sexual violence, even though it focuses mainly on young women. It's a feat of strength, and shows the power of solidarity among women.

The only thing that stopped it being a five-star rating for me is that it felt a bit 'light touch'. What I mean by that is not that this is light reading by any means - it is intense and heavy as you might expect - but that this is not the type of book that delves deep into the issue. There are a handful of statistics, but this book is more of a piece of art, using women's words to create a narrative and companion piece to Montague's documentary of the same name. It may be that because I'm a survivor and have a deep understanding of the topic, I'm yearning for something more equivalent to Everyday Sexism that digs a bit deeper. This is not so much a criticism of the book really, as it certainly doesn't claim to be a piece of social analysis, but I think I went in expecting to be blown away, and I wasn't - so it's really a reflection on my own expectations.

Regardless, I would highly recommend it, and have huge respect for all of those who contributed to its creation. It should be essential reading for all to raise awareness of how pervasive this problem is, and why women often do not report it.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a brilliant and important book about incredibly real, horrific, true stories of the actions and crimes men are still committing against women. It's incredibly validating while still being deeply sad and shocking. I wish I could buy enough copies I could just give them to everyone I meet, as I feel its a book we all should read.

[Rhys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really don't think I have the ability to summarise this book or put into words just how vital stories like these are.
For a start, this book should be made a compulsory read for any and all young men who are starting to become sexually active. We also need to normalise talking about sex and having real discussions about boundaries and consent with young people and young men especially.

[Jessamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very powerful. Very hard.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly heartbreaking and important read.

[Han Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is necessary and immensely powerful. I know I’ll be rereading it, and recommending it to everyone for the next 100 years. Nice to see a candid account of abuse, with an awareness against being bias; this book totally acknowledges that we’re all victims of the system that currently operates, and that toxic masculinity and the way boys are raised is something that needs to be addressed. This book is about re-educating. Obv CW rape, abuse, assault, self harm etc