Pages: 224
Genre: Memoir
Author: Amanda Nguyen
In 2013, the trajectory of Amanda Nguyen’s life was changed forever when she was raped at Harvard.
Determined to not let her assault derail her goal of joining NASA after graduation, Nguyen opted for her rape kit to be filed under “Jane Doe.” But she was shocked to learn her choice to stay anonymous gave her only six months to take action before the state destroyed her kit, rendering any future legal action impossible. Nguyen knew then that she had two options: surrender to a law that effectively denied her justice, or fight for a change—not only for herself but for survivors everywhere.
A heart-wrenching memoir of survival and hope, Saving Five boldly braids the story of Nguyen’s activism—which resulted in Congress’s unanimous passage of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act in 2016—with a second, beautifully imagined adventure, of Nguyen's younger selves as they—at ages five, fifteen, twenty-two, and thirty—navigate through dramatic incarnations of the emotional stages of her path toward healing, not only from her rape but from the violent turmoil of her childhood. The result is a groundbreaking work that seamlessly blends memoir with a moving journey toward acceptance and hope, forging a path ahead that is as inspiring as it is instructive.
From one of the most influential activists (and now astronauts) of her time, Saving Five is at once a tribute to resilience, a celebration of healing through action, and a resounding cry to change the world.
Comments (1)
I loved this book, it was an inspiring story about resilience, perseverance, and healing. I wasn’t sure I’d like the storytelling style mixed between typical memoir style and an alternate reality of different versions of Amanda at different ages, but I really came to appreciate it and it helped tie everything together.
While extremely frustrating reading about the policies that she was fighting against, it felt powerful to end the book in her successful efforts to pass the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act. To top it off, she passed up her opportunity to pursue becoming an astronaut, but was able to go to space on Blue Origin shortly after the release of her memoir which was an even bigger celebration of her hard work, endurance, and grit. I was sad to see her trip to space was overshadowed by some of the other crew members that joined her because it didn’t acknowledge her extensive background with NASA and Astrophysics. A powerful and inspiring memoir.