
The Girls
An All-American Town, a Predatory Doctor, and the Untold Story of the Gymnasts Who Brought Him Down
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Narrated by:
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Elisabeth Rodgers
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By:
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Abigail Pesta
The inside story of how serial predator Larry Nassar got away with abusing hundreds of gymnasts for decades - and how a team of brave women banded together to bring him down.
We think of Larry Nassar as the despicable sexual predator of Olympic gymnasts - but there is an astonishing, untold story. For decades, in a small-town gym in Michigan, he honed his manipulations on generations of aspiring gymnasts. Kids from the neighborhood. Girls with hopes of a college scholarship. Athletes and parents with a dream. In The Girls, these brave women for the first time describe Nassar's increasingly bold predations through the years, recount their warning calls unheeded, and demonstrate their resiliency in the face of a nightmare.
The Girls is a profound exploration of trust, ambition, betrayal, and self-discovery. Award-winning journalist Abigail Pesta unveils this deeply reported narrative at a time when the nation is wrestling with the implications of the MeToo movement. How do the women who grew up with Nassar reconcile the monster in the news with the man they once trusted? In The Girls, we learn that their answers to that wrenching question are as rich, insightful, and varied as the human experience itself.
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Critic reviews
"Abigail Pesta's The Girls is a riveting, angering, un-put-down-able and ultimately triumphant story. With new information at every turn, this impeccably reported, eloquent narrative provides stunning insights into the saga of the most prolific sexual predator in sports history. An unforgettable book, which only a woman could write with the nuance, depth, and compassion it deserves." (Sheila Weller, author of Girls Like Us and The News Sorority)
"Like no one else writing today, Abigail Pesta penetrates deep into the anguish of people, particularly women, who are caught in seemingly hopeless situations, when nobody will listen to them. In The Girls, Pesta details the incredible untold stories of how dozens of teenage gymnasts, after decades of abuse by a trusted doctor, finally break through his small army of powerful protectors and send him to jail for at least one hundred years." (Paul Steiger, former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal and founding editor of ProPublica)
"Deeply personal, powerful, and filled with stunning new insights into the Nassar scandal, this gripping narrative grabs you by the heart and leaves you cheering for these courageous women who felled a beast." (Joanna Coles, executive producer of The Bold Type, author of Love Rules, and director, Snap)
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my heart goes out to each of these girls. my prayers for healing from the emotional pain and sexual abuse.
may parents everywhere be on the alert for predators lurking in the most unlikely places. may we, as a society, prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.
gtreat read!
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I’ve been at meets where I could not believe what was coming out of the mouths of some coaches or how “rough” they could be. They were in it to win it, and only 1st place was good enough.
I had no idea how “mean” Geddart was to his gymnasts and now I know why he was being investigated. It’s sad he committed suicide, but he would have been joining Nassar in prison.
USAG seems to have gone the other way to make up for decades of mistakes. Guilty until proven innocent, suspending first, suspending for something that happened 30-40 years ago with the me too movement. You don’t know what is true anymore. There are jobs within the organization nobody wants!
The kids we coach are in it to be the best they can be. They have goals we can help them reach. I’ve told them I can make you as good as you want to be. They are individuals and need to be treated as such. I’ve seen a lot of gym hopping over the years. Parents want the best when they know their child has a chance at the big times. The girls are willing to do anything to be as good as the best at their gym. They want to please their coaches. This sets up a situation of overtraining, injury, and burnout. Build them up. Don’t tear them down.
Seems like making the national team and staying on it, young girls were subjected to questionable tactics, all because it produced medals. If you didn’t keep up, there were plenty of other talented girls to take your place. Our kids aren’t disposable.
Athletes aren’t disposable.
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Amazing Story
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A must read!!
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A Tragic Tale for so many
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great but heart wrenching
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Good but redundant and tedious at times
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Good but…
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Everyone Should Read
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Awesome!
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