The book edit

There are so many great books which honour the survivor experience, explain the grey areas and the nuance of sexual harm and bravely show the world that survivor voices matter – and not all of them are memoirs or non-fiction.

Let's start with a novel – and written by a local author, too. Dice (Allen and Unwin 2023) is a courtroom drama written by Rotorua-based Claire Baylis – who knows her subject through and through from her time as a jury researcher. Baylis takes us inside the jury room as jury members try to decide the fate of a group of teenaged boys accused of sexual offences.

While we're talking courtroom fiction, Suzie Miller's Prima Facie (Picador 2023) is an absorbing read. This twisty novel inspired one of the hottest theatre productions of recent years – Prima Facie the one-woman play has won Tony and Olivier Awards and most recently has been toured around Aotearoa by Cassandra Woodhouse to rave reviews.

Non-fiction must-reads include She Said (Penguin Press 2019) by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey – the New York Times reporters who published the Harvey Weinstein revelations. The book goes into detail about the tough decisions faced by Weinstein's victim-survivors as they spoke up publicly for themselves, and for the sake of other women.

Another take on the Weinstein story from a different angle, Catch and Kill (Little, Brown & Company 2019) by Ronan Farrow exposes the tactics – including hiring a secretive Israeli private intelligence service – used to stop allegations about Weinstein being made public. The phrase "catch and kill" refers to the purchase of a media story, usually by a disreputable media company, to bury it without publishing.

Of the inspiring survivor stories published as memoir, Saving Five (AUWA 2025) by NASA astronaut Amanda Nyugen is top of the list. After her rape, Nyugen had to decide whether to risk her future at NASA, or lose the option to ever take her case to court. Her decision led to the passing of the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights.

Written On The Body (Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2018) is a beautiful compilation of stories from trans and non-binary survivors of domestic and sexual harm. Written in letters to parts of the body, it's designed to offer a range of perspectives on gender and identity and give its readers hope and support.