What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics

Written by Rachael Denhollander, recipient ofSports Illustrated?s Inspiration of the Year Award and one ofTime?s 100 Most Influential People (2018).?Who is going to tell these little girls that what was done to them matters? That they are seen and valued, that they are not alone and they are not unprotected??Rachael Denhollander?s voice was heard around the world when she spoke out to end the most shocking USA gymnastics scandal in history. The first victim to publicly accuse Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics team doctor who sexually abused hundreds of young athletes, Rachael now reveals her full story for the first time. How did Nassar get away with it for so long? How did Rachael and the other survivors finally stop him and bring him to justice? And how can we protect the vulnerable in our own families, churches, and communities?What Is a Girl Worth? is the inspiring true story of Rachael?s journey from an idealistic young gymnast to a strong and determined woman who found the courage to raise her voice against evil, even when she thought the world might not listen.In this crucial cultural moment of #MeToo and #ChurchToo, this deeply personal and compelling narrative shines a spotlight on the physical and emotional impact of abuse, why so many survivors are reluctant to speak out, and what it means to be believed. Review Rachael Denhollander was the first survivor to expose Larry Nassar?s sexual abuse and the last to give a victim impact statement regarding his serial molestation. HerWhat Is a Girl Worth? is a mature, resolute Christian memoir that lends vital perspective to abuse and institutional cover-ups.Denhollander details her childhood and upbringing; her visits to a Michigan State University clinic as a teen; Nassar?s assaults at the clinic; and her road toward speaking out in 2016, months before the #MeToo movement gathered momentum.The long term consequences of Nassar?s betrayal are drawn in a clear-eyed way. Denhollander?s pain balances with a tender portrait of her husband and family. Her intelligent reflections reveal a woman of faith who chose to sacrifice her privacy and to seek justice with love and determination that no child face the same pain. Separating her own future happiness and healing from the outcome of the trial, she presents peace as possible. Hers is a compelling viewpoint that isn?t imposed as a solution for all survivors.Also an attorney, Denhollander elucidates the steps she took to bring her case to MSU police. From the first suspicion that Nassar?s treatments were anything but medical to his sentencing, the cruel realities of her survival thread with advocacy and everyday motherhood. Nassar is drawn as the thorough, renowned doctor, making his abuse even more chilling.Treating a sensitive topic with unflinching truth, respect, and fair-mindedness,What Is a Girl Worth? fuses biblical notions with legal insights, personal journal entries, and heartbreaking data to make a lucid argument regarding the power of a single voice to inspire a chorus.Foreword ReviewsStarred review. In this powerful debut, attorney and former gymnast Denhollander tells of her life leading to the 2018 conviction of sexual predator Larry Nassar, a sports physician associated with Michigan State University and the USA Gymnastics team who molested the author and more than 200 other girls. Raised in Kalamazoo, Mich., Denhollander was homeschooled, deeply religious, and aspired to become a lawyer. ?Gangly? and 56," she didn?t fit the profile of a gymnast but was placed on her gym?s competitive team; after sustaining a lower-back injury at age 15, she was sent to Nassar, who would?under the guise of treatment, without gloves, and without consent?vaginally penetrate her with his fingers. She reported the abuse to her coaches, but, she writes, they didn?t believe her; nearly 16 years later when another gymnast?s story of abuse by a coach broke, Denhollander d