Rachael Denhollander - 10 Sept

Rachael Denhollander is a hero. She chose to speak her truth when it was painful, difficult, and certainly not the comfortable route to take. By doing so, she has played a significant role in making our beautiful sport safer and in protecting the livelihoods of countless child athletes. I will always stand beside her in solidarity and admiration, and I applaud her for taking the additional step of telling more of her story with this book. I know firsthand how challenging that can be, and I thank her for her courage.

DOMINIQUE MOCEANU, New York Times bestselling author and Olympic gold medalist

As men, were taught not to be afraid, not to ask for help, not to be victims. And so when abuse happens to us, we feel powerless to fight it. Thats my own story, but with Gods help, Ive learned a better way. And through What Is a Girl Worth?, we can all learn how to walk together toward a safer, brighter future. Do not miss this incredible true story of Rachael Denhollander, the woman who stopped an abuser. She is a living example of grace and strength in the fight against evil, and Im standing by her side.

TERRY CREWS, actor

This is one of the most important books youll ever read.

BETH MOORE , New York Times bestselling author and sexual abuse survivor

Rachael Denhollander stared down evil and changed the world. Parts of her memoir are heartbreaking, but it is ultimately uplifting, a story of faith, courage, and love. Rachael has become known internationally, but this book goes so much deeper than anything that has been said about her. It is a riveting memoir.

MARK ALESIA, reporter who first interviewed Rachael for the Indianapolis Star

I was utterly inspired by Rachael even before reading her memoir. But reading the story behind the story further cements my belief that this woman is a hero in every sense of the word. The courage it took to come forward and bring Larry Nassar to justice is amplified by the struggle it took to get to that point. Her willingness to put herself in harms way to protect future generations drove her to speak out even when she thought the world might not hear her. This unflinching narrative, replete with the harrowing details of the impact of abuse and the traumatic emotional aftermath, is an act of bravery in and of itself.

JENNIFER SEY, 1986 national gymnastics champion, seven times national team member, and author of the bestseller Chalked Up: My Life in Elite Gymnastics

Rachaels account of her abuse shatters our certainties. A well-loved and protected child is abused by those assumed to be good. Hearing such stories makes us want to deceive ourselves. We want to look away and deny. Rachael teaches us clearly that deceitnot truthis our enemy. The hard truth of her story brings light and hope. May we, like Rachael, have the courage to listen to the God of all truth as He teaches us through her words and her life.

DIANE LANGBERG, P H D, psychologist

No two sexual abuse cases are exactly alike, yet Rachael Denhollanders story reveals what they all have in common and the part we all can play in preventing abuse, defending the vulnerable, and pursuing justice. Sexual abuse does not take place only in dark alleys late at night. It occurs in brightly lit offices and in quiet church sanctuaries, in public spaces and in the privacy of homes. If you dont understand how this can be, please read this book. If you know too well why this is, you have even more reason to read this book. Rachael writes with moral clarity grounded in biblical truth and love. What Is a Girl Worth? is a must-read for anyone who cares about protecting precious lives from predators and pursuing justice for those for whom we were too late.

KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR, author of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books and Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah MorePoet, Reformer, Abolitionist

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TYNDALE, Tyndale Momentum, and Tyndales quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. The Tyndale Momentum logo is a trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Tyndale Momentum is the nonfiction imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois.

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

Copyright 2019 by Rachael Denhollander. All rights reserved.

Cover photograph of Rachael Denhollander copyright by Jacob Roberts. All rights reserved.

Cover and interior illustration of woman silhouette copyright Vectorig/Getty Images. All rights reserved.

Designed by Dean H. Renninger

Published in association with the literary agency of United Talent Agency, LLC, 888 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, New York 10106, USA.

Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The names and distinguishing details of some people in this book have been changed to protect their privacy.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Tyndale House Publishers at , or call 1-800-323-9400.

ISBN 978-1-4964-4133-1

Build: 2019-08-13 15:20:05 EPUB 3.0

For every survivor

from every background and identity,

those who came before,

those yet to come,

and those who are no longer with us.

It is not your fault.

It is not your shame.

You are believed.

May you know how much you are worth.

This account is my record of the events that led me to speak out against my own abuser and expose the harm done by perpetrators, as well as the damage that follows when institutions minimize or ignore abuse. I have changed some names and identifying details to protect the privacy of individuals. While describing events, I relied not only on my memory but on my personal correspondence, media reports, court transcripts, and medical and legal records. As with any memoir, this version of my story is uniquely my own.

August 4, 2016

10:32 a.m.

To whom it may concern...

I didnt expect to be writing an email that morning. With three children under five, I wanted, and needed, to spend my daytime hours savoring the simple, rich delights of my kidsand getting in a few hours of my own work whenever I could. My husband, Jacob, was a full-time graduate student and held down a job, so he was rarely home before dinner.

That morning, looking for the grocery list Id typed up the night before, I logged into my laptop. As it happens, I had left my Facebook tab open. Thats when I saw ita trending news story posted just a few hours earlier: A Blind Eye to Sex Abuse: How USA Gymnastics Failed to Report Cases.

Theres a shocker, I thought. My husband and I had been appealing to church leaders over a similar issue involving another church they had been supporting, and the wound felt very fresh. I glanced around to make sure my five-year-old son, already a fluent reader, was nowhere nearby, and I clicked the link. What I read filled me with a grief I cant express: USA Gymnastics had been systematically burying reports of sexual misconduct in a filing cabinetcomplaints about fifty-four member coaches over ten yearsand some of those coaches had gone on to abuse little girls for years. I wanted to cry. I knew all too well what those precious children had endured.