Start by Believing
Larry Nassar's Crimes, the Institutions that Enabled Him, and the Brave Women Who Stopped a Monster
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Narrated by:
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John Barr
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Dan Murphy
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Chloe Cannon
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By:
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John Barr
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Dan Murphy
About this listen
The definitive, devastating account of the largest sex abuse scandal in American sports history - with new details and insights into the institutional failures, as well as the bravery that brought it to light.
For decades, osteopathic physician Larry Nassar built a sterling reputation as the go-to doctor for America's Olympians while treating countless others at his office on Michigan State University's campus. It was largely within the high-pressure world of competitive gymnastics that Nassar exploited young girls, who were otherwise motivated by fear and intimidation, sexually assaulting hundreds of them under the guise of medical treatment.
In Start by Believing, John Barr and Dan Murphy confront Nassar's acts, which represent the largest sex abuse scandal to impact the sporting world. Through never-before-released interviews and documents they deconstruct the epic institutional failures and individuals who enabled him. When warnings were raised, self-serving leaders chose to protect their organizations' reputations over the well-being of young people.
Following the paths traveled by courageous women - featuring a once-shy Christian attorney and a brash, outspoken Olympic medalist - Barr and Murphy detail the stories of those who fought back against the dysfunction within their sport to claim a far-from-inevitable victory. The gymnasts' uncommon perseverance, along with the help of dedicated advocates, brought criminals to justice and helped to fuel the #MeToo revolution. Start by Believing reveals the win-at-all-costs culture in elite athletics and higher education that enabled a quarter century of heinous crimes.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2020 John Barr, Dan Murphy (P)2020 Hachette BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
""[A] hard-hitting expose.... Foregrounding several women who finally brought charges, Barr and Murphy vividly convey the sense of confusion and helplessness that beset victims.... The result is a searing indictment." (Publishers Weekly)
"[Start by Believing] features reporting so deep, broad, and incisive that it is unlikely to be surpassed...the book is a must-read." (Kirkus Reviews [starred review])
"This is a horrifying story, and an important one, powerfully and carefully told by journalists John Barr and Dan Murphy. Their meticulously reported narrative presents a riveting account of the courage of these heroic women who will forever define the beginnings of the #MeToo movement." (Christine Brennan, best-selling author and USA Today national sports columnist)
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Story
On a cool, overcast afternoon in April 2016, a salacious tip arrived at the L.A. Times that reporter Paul Pringle thought should have taken, at most, a few weeks to check out: a drug overdose at a fancy hotel involving one of the University of Southern California’s shiniest stars—Dr. Carmen Puliafito, the head of the prestigious medical school. Pringle, who’d long done battle with USC and its almost impenetrable culture of silence, knew reporting the story wouldn’t be a walk in the park. USC is the largest private employer in the city of L.A., and it casts a long shadow.
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Wow.
- By Anna on 07-22-22
By: Paul Pringle
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The System
- The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football
- By: Jeff Benedict, Armen Keteyian
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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College football has never been more popular - or more chaotic. Millions fill 100,000-seat stadiums every Saturday; tens of millions more watch on television every weekend. The 2013 Discover BCS National Championship game between Notre Dame and Alabama had a viewership of 26.4 million people, second only to the Super Bowl. Billions of dollars from television deals now flow into the game; the average budget for a top-ten team is $80 million; top coaches make more than $3 million a year; the highest paid, more than $5 million.
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Gripping Inside Look at an Industry to Itself
- By W Perry Hall on 01-23-14
By: Jeff Benedict, and others
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A Death in White Bear Lake
- The True Chronicle of an All-American Town
- By: Barry Siegel
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1962, Jerry Sherwood gave up her newborn son, Dennis, for adoption. Twenty years later, she set out to find him - only to discover he had died before his fourth birthday. Harold and Lois Jurgens, a middle-class, churchgoing couple in picturesque White Bear Lake, Minnesota, had adopted Dennis and five other foster children. To all appearances, they were a normal Midwestern family, but Jerry suspected that something sinister had happened in the Jurgens household. She demanded to know the truth about her son's death.
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Really, really good book.
- By Danette on 12-23-20
By: Barry Siegel
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Judgment Ridge
- The True Story Behind the Dartmouth Murders
- By: Dick Lehr, Mitchell Zuckoff
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 14 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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On a cold night in January 2001, the idyllic community of Dartmouth College was shattered by the discovery that two of its most beloved professors had been hacked to death in their own home. Investigators searched helplessly for clues linking the victims to their murderer or murderers. A few weeks later, across the river, in the town of Chelsea, Vermont, police cars were spotted in front of the house of a high school senior. Soon, the town discovered the incomprehensible reality that two of Chelsea's brightest and most popular sons, were now fugitives, wanted for the murders.
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Terrible
- By Maria on 04-26-20
By: Dick Lehr, and others
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Chris & Nancy
- The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling's Cocktail of Death
- By: Irvin Muchnick
- Narrated by: Richard Tatum
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Exploring the steroid-fueled world of professional wrestling, this riveting chronicle lays bare the devastating events that led to the 2007 murder-suicide of Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their seven-year-old son, Daniel.
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The author has an axe to grind.
- By Spicy on 10-05-13
By: Irvin Muchnick
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Cycle of Lies
- The Fall of Lance Armstrong
- By: Juliet Macur
- Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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The definitive account of Lance Armstrong's spectacular rise and fall. In June 2013, when Lance Armstrong fled his palatial home in Texas, downsizing in the face of multimillion-dollar lawsuits, Juliet Macur was there - talking to his girlfriend and children and listening to Armstrong's version of the truth. She was one of the few media members aside from Oprah Winfrey to be granted extended one-on-one access to the most famous pariah in sports. At the center of Cycle of Lies is Armstrong himself, revealed through face-to-face interviews.
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...Pants on Fire
- By Mel on 03-25-14
By: Juliet Macur
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Inside Scientology
- The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion
- By: Janet Reitman
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Scientology, created in 1954 by a prolific sci-fi writer named L. Ron Hubbard, claims to be the world's fastest-growing religion, with millions of members around the world and huge financial holdings. Its celebrity believers keep its profile high, and its teams of "volunteer ministers" offer aid at disaster sites such as Haiti and the World Trade Center. But Scientology is also a notably closed faith, harassing journalists and others through litigation and intimidation, even infiltrating the highest levels of government to further its goals.
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My cup of tea.
- By MWMcCabe on 08-09-11
By: Janet Reitman
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Remembering Satan
- A Tragic Case of Recovered Memory
- By: Lawrence Wright
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Remembering Satan is a lucid, measured, yet absolutely riveting inquest into a case that destroyed a family, engulfed a small town, and captivated an America obsessed by rumors of a satanic underground. It follows the increasingly bizarre accusations and confessions, as well as the claims and counterclaims of police, FBI investigators, and mental-health professionals.
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Lawrence Wright missed important details
- By Mark Carras on 06-05-22
By: Lawrence Wright
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A Daughter's Deadly Deception
- The Jennifer Pan Story
- By: Jeremy Grimaldi
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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From the outside looking in, Jennifer Pan seemed like a model daughter living a perfect life. The ideal child, the one her immigrant parents saw, was studying to become a pharmacist at the University of Toronto. But there was a dark, deceptive side to the angelic young woman. In reality, Jennifer spent her days in the arms of her high-school sweetheart, Daniel. In an attempt to lead the life she dreamed of, she would do almost anything. For many years she led this double life. But when her father discovered her web of lies, his ultimatum was severe. And so, too, was her revenge.
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Good Story - Odd Formating
- By CrimsonYell on 01-24-20
By: Jeremy Grimaldi
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Perfect Poison
- A Female Serial Killer's Deadly Medicine
- By: M. William Phelps
- Narrated by: J. Charles
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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In Northampton, Massachusetts, at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kristen Gilbert was known as a hardworking, dedicated nurse - so why were her patients dying? So many emergencies and sudden deaths occurred while Kristen made her rounds on Ward C that her colleagues jokingly called her the "Angel of Death".
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Men are naive
- By Veruka on 09-15-12
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Why Meadow Died
- The People and Policies That Created the Parkland Shooter and Endanger America's Students
- By: Andrew Pollack, Max Eden, Hunter Pollack - foreword
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The Parkland school shooting was the most avoidable mass murder in American history. And the policies that made it inevitable have spread to your school....
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Stick to the facts
- By Annie B. on 01-16-20
By: Andrew Pollack, and others
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Lie After Lie
- The True Story of a Master of Deception, Betrayal, and Murder
- By: Lara Bricker
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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A seemingly perfect world held an even more unlikely killer... Julie Keown had a great job, financial security, and a perfect husband who was attending Harvard Business School. But after Julie suddenly died, and doctors discovered she’d been poisoned with the main ingredient in antifreeze, her parents began to suspect that her husband, James, was not so perfect. This blow-by-blow account shows how investigators and state police unraveled James Keown’s chilling web of deceit.
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Boring writing and lack of any narrative arc
- By Josh on 11-21-18
By: Lara Bricker
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Class Action
- The Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law
- By: Clara Bingham, Laura Leedy Gansler
- Narrated by: Gabrielle De Cuir
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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When the local iron mine began hiring women in 1975, Lois Jenson, a single mother on welfare, didn't think twice about accepting the grueling but well-paid job. What she hadn't considered was that she was entering a male-dominated society that fiercely resisted the inclusion of women, a prejudice born out in the brutal harassment of every female miner.
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infuriating
- By Ron on 05-20-06
By: Clara Bingham, and others
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The Suspect
- An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle
- By: Kent Alexander, Kevin Salwen
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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On July 27, 1996, a hapless former cop turned hypervigilant security guard named Richard Jewell spotted a suspicious bag in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park, the town square of the 1996 Summer Games. Inside was a bomb, the largest of its kind in FBI and ATF history. Minutes later, the bomb remotely detonated by the attacker amid a crowd of 50,000 people. But thanks to Jewell, it only killed two and wounded 111, not the hundreds who authorities estimated could have otherwise died. With the eyes of the world on Atlanta, the games continued.
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Kudos !
- By Tyree on 11-24-19
By: Kent Alexander, and others
What listeners say about Start by Believing
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- M. St John
- 12-25-20
Very well done
This book satisfied some the curiosity left to me as I encountered this story. It’s a deeper journey into the worlds of the multiple players: those in involved in the institutions that allowed this to happen for so long; those who prosecuted Nassar; and some of the courageous souls who stepped forward to turn their experience of abuse into the possibility of a better world. Good research into facts and experiences of woven into a story for those who are interested and care. Thank you
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- Anonymous User
- 05-23-24
Compelling story that changed the way I view institutions
Research and empathetic approach by the authors - they care about the story and the people involved.
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- Jimmy Larrison
- 09-02-20
Really compelling story from start to end
I had listened to a few podcasts about this case and read in the news. I thought this might be an extension of what I had already listened to or read, but I was wrong. The authors did a great job of telling the full story and digging into the history from many perspectives. This is a great audiobook!
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- rhea
- 01-23-20
powerful
This is a deeply moving and powerful story that sends a message of hope and solidarity to all those whom have experienced trauma. A must read for all who work with victims and survivors.
"Little girls do not remain small forever, they grow into powerful women".
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1 person found this helpful
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- Rick
- 12-02-22
Amazing! Sad! Courageous.
Amazing story from these courageous survivors. Hard to believe so many adults dismissed their stories and appalling that so many protected such a monster!
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- Alena
- 12-15-21
Important!
I thought the authors did a fantastic job. I wish the narrator had taken the time to learn how to properly say the names of gymnasts and coaches, overall great!
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- courtney b
- 02-12-20
a must read for those advocating for survivors
this book was very enlightening and showed how adults are in such denial about child sexual abuse. the red flags were there for 20 plus years and adults painted each flag green and continued to put kids in harms way. we have to do better. signs r there!
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- C. M.
- 02-19-20
A book everyone should read or hear
With only one exception this book is superb. It provides an insightful, thought-provoking, accurate, and gut-wrenching history of the evil of Larry Nassar and of his enablers, and an inspiring story of many of his survivors. If you can't buy it, find it in a library and read it or listen to it.
(The exception is the decision by the authors/editors/publishers to provide a misleading excerpt from Rachael Denhollander's victim impact statement, which does not include any of her words about her faith and God's grace. I can, almost, imagine semi-plausible reasons why no direct excerpts were included; but I cannot imagine any legitimate reason for not at least including a summary sentence.)
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- ORCoastalview
- 02-06-23
start by reading this book
Important account of the rampant abuse done to women and girls in athletics. If you have a child in sports, please read this book.
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- Sara K
- 10-28-20
Pronunciation Matters
The first rule of narration should be to make sure you are pronouncing things correctly, ESPECIALLY when saying the names of real people and places. It's very distracting to be listening to a book and hear a name botched so badly that, had I not known the reference, I would not have known who they were talking about. This will impact my future listening, as I will not be listening to anything else read by this narrator due to the fact that I cannot trust her pronunciations.
The mispronunciations distracted from the narrative as a whole, so it is hard to say how I felt about the book in general. Thankfully I was already familiar with the story, so I was not depending on this book to teach me anything new.
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5 people found this helpful