Fighting Back

Book excerpt: "The sexual abuse of children impacts the most vulnerable members of society. It is the stories of all of these victims who suffered in silence that led us to join together to write this book, a book we hope will serve as a cautionary tale for children and adults alike. This book would not be possible without Kayla Harrison's brave revelations of the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her coach; it is these firsthand accounts that give all of us a chance to see explicitly how child sexual abuse can begin, persist, and is brought to an end. In the chapters that follow, we trace the course of Kayla's victimization and survival, weaving her story with our professional experience with hundreds of children, teens, and families to reveal what can be done to prevent and interrupt this damaging cycle"--