Alisa Kaplan - Still Room for Hope : A Survivor's Story of Sexual Assault, Forgiveness, and Freedom read online FB2, EPUB, MOBI
9781455553839 English 1455553832 ""These were boys we knew, boys we trusted. 'They wouldn't do that to you, ' she insisted. I wanted to believe her. But I couldn't...""""On July 6, 2002, sixteen-year-old Alisa Kaplan woke, sick and disoriented, in the passenger seat of her car. She'd been at a party the night before, but there was a big blank hole where her own memories of the night should have been. So what happened at that party? Why couldn't she remember anything about the night before? As the appalling, terrifying details of that night began to surface, it ignited a media frenzy and a storm of controversy with Alisa trapped at the center: A straight-laced, straight-A student, sexually assaulted by three male friends-all caught on videotape.Her fight for justice pitted her against some of Southern California's most powerful families, and made her the target of a devastating smear campaign. Despite the evidence, the corruption and humiliation of her first trial resulted in a hung jury, and sent her spiraling into the oblivion of meth addiction.But on the threshold of her last chance and darkest moment, Alisa discovered: There was still room for hope.Now she recounts her gripping story of transforming from victim to survivor: How she got a second chance, broke her silence, and found faith and grace in God on her way to rebuilding a stronger, meaningful life. Courageous and heartbreaking, Alisa's hope-filled account demonstrates that redemption is always possible, and forgiveness can transform anyone., "These were boys we knew, boys we trusted. 'They wouldn't do that to you,' she insisted. I wanted to believe her. But I couldn't..." On July 6, 2002, sixteen-year-old Alisa Kaplan woke, sick and disoriented, in the passenger seat of her car. She'd been at a party the night before, but there was a big blank hole where her own memories of the night should have been. So what happened at that party? Why couldn't she remember anything about the night before? As the appalling, terrifying details of that night began to surface, it ignited a media frenzy and a storm of controversy with Alisa trapped at the center: A straight-laced, straight-A student, sexually assaulted by three male friends-all caught on videotape. Her fight for justice pitted her against some of Southern California's most powerful families, and made her the target of a devastating smear campaign. Despite the evidence, the corruption and humiliation of her first trial resulted in a hung jury, and sent her spiraling into the oblivion of meth addiction. But on the threshold of her last chance and darkest moment, Alisa discovered: There was still room for hope. Now she recounts her gripping story of transforming from victim to survivor: How she got a second chance, broke her silence, and found faith and grace in God on her way to rebuilding a stronger, meaningful life. Courageous and heartbreaking, Alisa's hope-filled account demonstrates that redemption is always possible, and forgiveness can transform anyone., A survivor of a brutal sexual assault revisits her traumatic story, including the corruption and humiliation of the trial, her descent into addiction, and her subsequent journey to faith and forgiveness.The story caused a storm of controversy, but at the heart of the media frenzy was Alisa, a 16-year-old girl and a straight-A student, sexually assaulted by three male friends--all caught on tape. Her push for justice pitted her against some of Orange County's most powerful families, made her the target of a devastating smear campaign, and sent her spiraling into addiction. Now she recounts her gripping story of transforming from victim to survivor: how she got a second chance, and found faith and grace in God on her way to rebuilding a stronger, meaningful life. Courageous and heartbreaking, Alisa's hope-filled account demonstrates that redemption is always possible, and forgiveness can transform anyone., At the age of sixteen, Alisa Kaplan knew she was running with the wrong crowd. One night the former straight-A student and track star was sexually assaulted by three of her male friends. Brutalized, Alisa's questions about what happened that night were answered when the police called, having identified her from a video in their possession. Alisa lived through a pair of trials against some of the most powerful families in Orange County. While her hometown and the media raged against her, Alisa spiraled downward into alcoholism and, eventually, methamphetamine use. After years of addiction, abusive relationships, and homelessness, Alisa received a second chance. She entered rehab and began the process of turning her life around and finding faith and grace in God on her way to sobriety. Alisa's story illustrates that redemption is always possible, and her honesty and incredible capacity for forgiveness appeal and have the ability to transform everyone., I was nineteen years old and addicted to methamphetamine. My desperate parents had kicked me out of my childhood home, and I was staying with my abusive boyfriend, Russell, in a one-bedroom drug house with ten other people, including three young kids. The cops had come to arrest Russell on an outstanding warrant for stealing cars, and since I was clearly under the influence in a house full of drugs, they were going to take me in, too. But then the cop rifling through my purse found something that gave him pause: a list of the overcrowded drug rehab centers I'd been calling for weeks, begging for a bed. At the time, I was still a Jane Doe, the anonymous victim at the center of one of the most notorious rape cases in California history-the event that had sent my life off the rails. But just as that cop had no idea of the trauma that had brought me to that meth house (or any inkling that I was the girl he'd heard about everywhere, from CNN to 20/20 to the pages of LA Weekly), neither would he recognize me today: a healthy, powerful woman, joyful in my recovery and confident in God's love. That police raid was one of the first moments where I saw a glimmer of hope for my own future, so that is where I chose to begin this story. It was a lesson for me that even in the very darkest moments always-always-room for hope. Book jacket.
9781455553839 English 1455553832 ""These were boys we knew, boys we trusted. 'They wouldn't do that to you, ' she insisted. I wanted to believe her. But I couldn't...""""On July 6, 2002, sixteen-year-old Alisa Kaplan woke, sick and disoriented, in the passenger seat of her car. She'd been at a party the night before, but there was a big blank hole where her own memories of the night should have been. So what happened at that party? Why couldn't she remember anything about the night before? As the appalling, terrifying details of that night began to surface, it ignited a media frenzy and a storm of controversy with Alisa trapped at the center: A straight-laced, straight-A student, sexually assaulted by three male friends-all caught on videotape.Her fight for justice pitted her against some of Southern California's most powerful families, and made her the target of a devastating smear campaign. Despite the evidence, the corruption and humiliation of her first trial resulted in a hung jury, and sent her spiraling into the oblivion of meth addiction.But on the threshold of her last chance and darkest moment, Alisa discovered: There was still room for hope.Now she recounts her gripping story of transforming from victim to survivor: How she got a second chance, broke her silence, and found faith and grace in God on her way to rebuilding a stronger, meaningful life. Courageous and heartbreaking, Alisa's hope-filled account demonstrates that redemption is always possible, and forgiveness can transform anyone., "These were boys we knew, boys we trusted. 'They wouldn't do that to you,' she insisted. I wanted to believe her. But I couldn't..." On July 6, 2002, sixteen-year-old Alisa Kaplan woke, sick and disoriented, in the passenger seat of her car. She'd been at a party the night before, but there was a big blank hole where her own memories of the night should have been. So what happened at that party? Why couldn't she remember anything about the night before? As the appalling, terrifying details of that night began to surface, it ignited a media frenzy and a storm of controversy with Alisa trapped at the center: A straight-laced, straight-A student, sexually assaulted by three male friends-all caught on videotape. Her fight for justice pitted her against some of Southern California's most powerful families, and made her the target of a devastating smear campaign. Despite the evidence, the corruption and humiliation of her first trial resulted in a hung jury, and sent her spiraling into the oblivion of meth addiction. But on the threshold of her last chance and darkest moment, Alisa discovered: There was still room for hope. Now she recounts her gripping story of transforming from victim to survivor: How she got a second chance, broke her silence, and found faith and grace in God on her way to rebuilding a stronger, meaningful life. Courageous and heartbreaking, Alisa's hope-filled account demonstrates that redemption is always possible, and forgiveness can transform anyone., A survivor of a brutal sexual assault revisits her traumatic story, including the corruption and humiliation of the trial, her descent into addiction, and her subsequent journey to faith and forgiveness.The story caused a storm of controversy, but at the heart of the media frenzy was Alisa, a 16-year-old girl and a straight-A student, sexually assaulted by three male friends--all caught on tape. Her push for justice pitted her against some of Orange County's most powerful families, made her the target of a devastating smear campaign, and sent her spiraling into addiction. Now she recounts her gripping story of transforming from victim to survivor: how she got a second chance, and found faith and grace in God on her way to rebuilding a stronger, meaningful life. Courageous and heartbreaking, Alisa's hope-filled account demonstrates that redemption is always possible, and forgiveness can transform anyone., At the age of sixteen, Alisa Kaplan knew she was running with the wrong crowd. One night the former straight-A student and track star was sexually assaulted by three of her male friends. Brutalized, Alisa's questions about what happened that night were answered when the police called, having identified her from a video in their possession. Alisa lived through a pair of trials against some of the most powerful families in Orange County. While her hometown and the media raged against her, Alisa spiraled downward into alcoholism and, eventually, methamphetamine use. After years of addiction, abusive relationships, and homelessness, Alisa received a second chance. She entered rehab and began the process of turning her life around and finding faith and grace in God on her way to sobriety. Alisa's story illustrates that redemption is always possible, and her honesty and incredible capacity for forgiveness appeal and have the ability to transform everyone., I was nineteen years old and addicted to methamphetamine. My desperate parents had kicked me out of my childhood home, and I was staying with my abusive boyfriend, Russell, in a one-bedroom drug house with ten other people, including three young kids. The cops had come to arrest Russell on an outstanding warrant for stealing cars, and since I was clearly under the influence in a house full of drugs, they were going to take me in, too. But then the cop rifling through my purse found something that gave him pause: a list of the overcrowded drug rehab centers I'd been calling for weeks, begging for a bed. At the time, I was still a Jane Doe, the anonymous victim at the center of one of the most notorious rape cases in California history-the event that had sent my life off the rails. But just as that cop had no idea of the trauma that had brought me to that meth house (or any inkling that I was the girl he'd heard about everywhere, from CNN to 20/20 to the pages of LA Weekly), neither would he recognize me today: a healthy, powerful woman, joyful in my recovery and confident in God's love. That police raid was one of the first moments where I saw a glimmer of hope for my own future, so that is where I chose to begin this story. It was a lesson for me that even in the very darkest moments always-always-room for hope. Book jacket.