Life as I Knew It: A Memoir with a Critical Introduction

Abstract

The canon of literature written by and for the survivors of child sexual abuse is (understandably) densely populated by studies on the victims themselves. There exists, however, a gap in the literature regarding siblings of the survivors. These siblings are termed Secondary Survivors and are in need of much more attention from writers of poetry, fiction, memoir, and nonfiction. This paper serves to expose the current gap in the literature and to make a case for the importance of the production of new works to fill this gap. Following this critical introduction, the author provides the first chapter of a memoir from the perspective of a Secondary Survivor of child sexual abuse (CSA).