They are so brave and they point out the reason that I believe, much long term abuse of this sort carries on.
Very few people tell young children anything about sex. I know that most of us here would talk to our kids even if uncomfortable, but would we ever talk to a neighbor's child about it? Likely no. Those boundaries are quite clear, even today, with everything we know about incest and child sexual abuse.
So children learn from their families, and if they have an abuser telling them that this is okay, that it happens in every house, but it's a family secret, and no outside influence telling them that it isn't okay, what is a child supposed to believe? By the time that they learn from school or friends that there is something wrong, they are typically starting to suspect something, but they still feel silly or stupid or ashamed when they learn that what happens at their home shouldn't happen. They just don't want to feel any worse than they already do, so they don't tell.
And then you have dependence. If the person that you depend on for food clothing and shelter all your life is also hurting you, how do you know where to draw the line? Even when you have the chance to be rescued, you don't know what's out there. It might be worse, and the thought of losing the small thread of security they may still have to hang onto is just too much.
These girls tell their story with not just a lot of heart and a truckload of courage, there is also a lot of anger. They aren't just speaking out, they are screaming at the world. To please look, pay attention, ask questions, and if you suspect something, keep asking.
And they are, at the same time whispering to other victims that they can tell, there is still security outside the nightmare. That it doesn't get better fast and that it isn't easy, but it does get better.
I don't give a darn what their financial or relationship status is, and I am aware that they are not fully healed and likely never will be. These incredible women are a world away from the victim that we usually see as an advocate. They aren't polished, they don't pose like they are shooting for a magazine cover, they don't preach unconditional forgiveness or talk about how perfect their lives seem now. They tell about the anger, the scars they will always carry; in other words, they are attainable. The lives they live may not be heavenly or perfect, but they seem heavenly to a child laying in bed waiting for her father to come into her bedroom at one in the morning...
I know, I wrote a book, but I am absolutely in awe, and I think that they will do more for more people than they even imagined, by having the absolute guts to show who they really are both now and then.