ONE OF SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL's BEST BOOKS OF 2022
In You Ruined It, Anastasia Higginbotham, acclaimed author of Not
My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, sheds light on the confusion and pain
that many children feel in the aftermath of incest and sexual
assault.
When 11-year-old Dawn discloses that a favorite cousin sexually
assaulted her, it's hard to tell what hurts more: the betrayal or the
fall-out. After all, everyone always says to tell someone, but does this
mean she'll never get to hang out with him again? What if he goes to
jail?
And the biggest question of all: How will she know if she can trust
someone again?
You Ruined It is a testament to a child's experience of a confusing
betrayal, her broken heart, and the loved ones who help her piece it
back together.
I wish I had this magical brave book when I was young and being
abused. So beautifully rendered and carefully told. May it inspire
anyone caught in childhood sexual abuse to tell their story and get
free. --V (formerly EVE ENSLER), award-winning playwright and author of
bestsellers The Vagina Monologues and The Apology