‘Amanda’s story underscores the lasting power of speaking your truth, building a movement, and never losing sight of your dreams’ Melinda French Gates
A brave and imaginative memoir by the Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen, detailing her healing journey and ground-breaking activism in the aftermath of her rape at Harvard.
At a Harvard fraternity party in 2013, the trajectory of Amanda Nguyen’s life was changed forever when she was raped.
The American-born child of Vietnamese refugees, Nguyen had long dreamed of attending Harvard, and it had become a place of refuge from a childhood filled with turmoil and trauma. Determined to not let her rape derail the life she’d worked so hard to create, she opted for her rape kit to be filed under Jane Doe, knowing that an active court case tied to her name could hurt her odds of working for NASA after graduation, a goal she’d been working toward for years.
But she was shocked to learn this choice meant she had only six months to take action before the state of Massachusetts destroyed her kit, rendering any future legal action impossible. Nguyen knew then that she had two options: surrender to a law that effectively silenced survivors of sexual assault, or fight for a change.
A deeply affecting memoir of grief, survival, and hope, Saving Five details Nguyen’s winding journey of recovery and action, which ultimately led her to create the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, one of the only unanimously passed laws in the history of the United States. Both a tribute to resilience and a lesson on healing, Saving Five is an inspirational story for the ages.
A brave and imaginative memoir by the Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen, detailing her healing journey and ground-breaking activism in the aftermath of her rape at Harvard.
At a Harvard fraternity party in 2013, the trajectory of Amanda Nguyen’s life was changed forever when she was raped.
The American-born child of Vietnamese refugees, Nguyen had long dreamed of attending Harvard, and it had become a place of refuge from a childhood filled with turmoil and trauma. Determined to not let her rape derail the life she’d worked so hard to create, she opted for her rape kit to be filed under Jane Doe, knowing that an active court case tied to her name could hurt her odds of working for NASA after graduation, a goal she’d been working toward for years.
But she was shocked to learn this choice meant she had only six months to take action before the state of Massachusetts destroyed her kit, rendering any future legal action impossible. Nguyen knew then that she had two options: surrender to a law that effectively silenced survivors of sexual assault, or fight for a change.
A deeply affecting memoir of grief, survival, and hope, Saving Five details Nguyen’s winding journey of recovery and action, which ultimately led her to create the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, one of the only unanimously passed laws in the history of the United States. Both a tribute to resilience and a lesson on healing, Saving Five is an inspirational story for the ages.
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Reviews
Saving Five is an extraordinarily moving account of Amanda Nguyen's pursuit of justice and healing for herself and for millions of survivors around the world. Amanda's story-innovatively told by versions of herself at different ages-underscores the lasting power of speaking your truth, building a movement, and never losing sight of your dreams
Amanda Nguyen's journey from survivor to global advocate inspires and empowers us all to stand up and fight for what is right. Saving Five is truly a beacon of hope for anyone who has faced adversity and Amanda's voice is one that the world needs to hear
It takes a special kind of bravery to suffer what Amanda Ngyuyen has endured and not only survive, but to become stronger through every slight, indignity and betrayal by every power that you can imagine, be it governmental, administrative, institutional, or familial. I am in awe of her persistence, determination and fortitude to fight for and win rights we as American citizens have mistakenly assumed were ours by birthright. Saving Five describes why she is my hero.
Brilliant. Amanda Nguyen is a compassionate, clear-eyed guiding force. Not only does she fight for survivor's basic rights, in Saving Five she shows us how to reclaim the full spectrum of our lives, replete with pain, fury, creativity, and recovered dreams
I am in awe of Amanda Nguyen's courage in sharing her story and her fight to support survivors. As a survivor, I know how painful it is to revisit and recount the horror of the rape and sexual abuse, along with the shame, stigma, and doubt that came with it. Today, Amanda and Saving Five are more than just that story―she's an astronaut, an author, an activist, and a champion for all
If Saving Five doesn't inspire you, check your pulse. It is an extraordinary testimony of resilience, persistence, and ambition. While Amanda's history-making journey alone could have carried this memoir, it's also a feat of formal invention, lyrical prose, and a gifted storyteller's sense of suspense. I was mesmerized from page one to its triumphant ending.