Camp Paradox cover art

Camp Paradox

A Memoir of Stolen Innocence

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Camp Paradox

By: Barbara Graham
Narrated by: Angela Starling
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About this listen

This haunting yet wry coming-of-age memoir set at an all-girls summer camp fast-forwards decades into the future as Barbara Graham grapples with the knowledge that the "love affair" she believed she'd shared with her female camp counselor in the 1960s fits every definition of sexual abuse. The book will appeal to anyone who has experienced a betrayal of trust or conflated love and abuse.

Barbara Graham's latest book, Eye of My Heart: 27 Writers Reveal the Hidden Pleasures and Perils of Being a Grandmother, was a New York Times best seller. Her essays have appeared in many magazines, including Glamour, More, National Geographic Traveler, O the Oprah Magazine, Psychotherapy Networker, Self, Time, Utne Reader, and Vogue and have been collected in numerous anthologies. She has written for websites such as AARP, Beliefnet, Grandparents.com, the Huffington Post, and NPR, among others, and is a columnist for PurpleClover.com. Barbara's plays have been published by Dramatists' Play Service and produced off-Broadway and at theaters around the country.

This is a short audiobook published by Shebooks - high-quality fiction, memoir, and journalism for women, by women.

©2014 Barbara Graham (P)2015 Audible, Inc. Abuse Child Abuse Dysfunctional Families Parenting & Families Relationships Heartfelt

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Critic reviews

"This beautifully written account of a girl's soul-shattering experience is a teaching story. Graham shares her journey from trauma to transcendence and reminds us that facing pain honestly transforms it into redemption." (Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia and The Green Boat)
"Barbara Graham's memoir Camp Paradox is a clear, insightful, and important story that needs to be heard. Although we've made great strides in exposing the sexual abuse of children, the sexual abuse of girls by women is still a subject rarely talked about. But this is not only a book about suffering. It's also a book about healing - about reclaiming our selves and becoming whole again. Camp Paradox is engaging from the opening paragraph all the way through to the suspenseful and rewarding ending." (Ellen Bass, author of The Courage to Heal and many books of poetry, most recently, Like a Beggar)
"This eye-opening story of violation and love, romance and rape, is unlike any memoir that I know of. Witty, heartbreaking, yet finally hopeful, Graham tells her initiation story of summer camp sex and betrayal with clear-eyed compassion and unsparing truth." (Mark Matousek, author of Sex, Death, Enlightenment)
All stars
Most relevant  
the story told her relevance, pacing and depth, it certainly raised awareness and had me tearing up throughout. Thank you for sharing this harrowing experience and the aftermath.

powerful story

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Into the lifelong repercussions of childhood abuse, it recognises how things have changed over time and even after decades have passed, closure is important without needing to always mean punishment for the perpetrator

An insight

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Thought provoking and interesting account of historic child abuse and the long lasting affects on the surviver. Well written and gripping listen.

Insightful honest memoir

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My heart goes for the writer's suffering but (without sounding insensitive) I feel the writer intertwined the facts with her confusion. I can understand some teenagers can mix up feelings, especially where hormones are concerned but we clearly know when somebody is crossing a limit. And when it is as personal as sex, we all know very well through our human instincts when someone goes against our will.
In the story, the writer wasn't blackmailed neither the offender used her position or power to involve the writer in sexual acts. On the other hand, the writer herself surrendered herself for her bodily desires on many occasions, which is fine as long as you are not blaming the other party.
Rape, assault or whatever you want to call it could happen once when you might be off guarded, but if you are planning the meetings with the other person will no longer be categorised as rape.

Confrontation with Convenience

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I wish this writer much healing but also this story is very much written in the convenience of the writer.

It’s a no.

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