Rather than doing a statistical analysis, providing a self-help book or writing a memoir with the point of view from a single person, Catriona McHardy, Cathy Plourde & Sue William Silverman invited 17 sexual trauma victims turned into survivors to tell their own stories or the lessons learned from the past. Making Out Like a Virgin: Sex, Desire & Intimacy After Sexual Trauma is a unique collection of women, men, and transgender, from the United States of America, but also Cairo, Dubai, Dublin, Melbourne, and Toronto. The survivors are now in their mid-20's to 60's.

Their contributions don't focus on the rape or other sexual assault in detail, nor the aggressors, although the way 'things' happened are described in both honest, superficial, or raw phrases. You will encounter consent, the need for power or transactional sex, incidents and lasting abuse. Sex separated from love, sex with minors, same-sex rape, drug-related sex, etc. You will meet queers before and after coming out, struggles to rediscover pleasure, and repositioning sex in a relationship and love. Some found healing in women's groups, others in practicing yoga, mindfulness, or traveling through South America.

The book's narrative go way beyond just survival but excels in flourishing as reborn humans, willing to educate others, remain faithful to their current partners, writing books or discovering the world around being not a horrible place. Broken vessels or damaged goods renewed! ( )