Publishers Weekly
10/21/2019
In this hard-hitting exposé, Peabody Award–winning ESPN reporters Barr and Murphy recount the rise and notorious fall of Larry Nassar, a Michigan State University sports physician who went to prison in 2018 for sexually assaulting hundreds of women and girls while allegedly treating their injuries. In this disturbing portrait, Nasser is an insidious predator, friendly and ingratiating, who disguised his assaults as legitimate procedures while using his medical reputation to dismiss victims’ accusation. Empowering him, the authors show, was the gymnastics industry itself, which demanded girls’ unquestioning obedience to tyrannical and sometimes violent coaches, brutal practice regimens, and weight restrictions that fostered injuries that Nassar treated with pain-killers and “massages”; meanwhile, the sport’s governing organization, USA Gymnastics, covered up abuse complaints against Nassar and others. Foregrounding several women who finally brought charges, Barr and Murphy vividly convey the sense of confusion and helplessness that beset victims as their claims met with patronizing disbelief, sometimes from their own parents. The result is a searing indictment of a child molester and the culture of silence and submission that abetted him. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
"A taut dramatic narrative, critical new reporting, and a full understanding of how Larry Nassar's unfathomable evil was enabled and given long life. Start by Believing will shock you with its truths, and lift you with the courage of these women."—Bob Ley, Emmy Award-winning former host of ESPN's Outside the Lines
"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, bestselling author and USA Today national sports columnist
"Thank you John Barr and Dan Murphy for shedding light on the historical account of the crimes of Larry Nassar. This book connects the dots of when and how this atrocity happened, and chronicles the stories of the brave women who eventually acknowledged their truth, found their voice, and fueled a revolution of Time's Up."—Valorie Kondos Field, Former UCLA gymnastics coach and seven-time NCAA Champion
"A meticulously reported and fearless work, Start by Believing is an epic indictment of the people who for decades enabled the culture of abuse and exploitation that made Larry Nassar's crimes possible, even inevitable. John Barr and Dan Murphy expose the institutional callousness-from coaches to top executives at the USAG-and the price that generations of girls and young women have had to pay."—Joan Ryan, bestselling author of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes
"Start by Believing is a powerful look at how victims of Larry Nassar's abuse were failed at every step along the way by the institutions-and people-that allowed it to continue unchecked for 25 years. If you want to understand how these unimaginable crimes continued for so long, and what we need to do to ensure that no more young athletes have to face similar dangers, you need to start by reading Start by Believing."—Scott Berkowitz, President and Founder of RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National
"Not a day goes by when I don't reflect on the survivors of Larry Nassar's horrific crimes. This empathetic, sensitively written book takes a deeper dive into the lives of the people who were hurt and shines a spotlight on their courage. I thank John and Dan for their efforts, which will no doubt support the overall goal of making our beautiful sport safe for athletes once again."—Dominique Moceanu, 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist
"An incredible story."
—Cheddar TV
"Shocking...enraging."—Salon Talks
"An important story that needs to be told."
—PopSugar
"[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)
"[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
Library Journal
12/01/2019
The conviction and sentencing of Larry Nassar in 2018 resolved the worst sexual abuse scandal in sports history, although the healing process continues for hundreds of victims. Winners of the Peabody Award for their previous coverage of the case, Barr and Murphy, both investigative reporters at ESPN, have written the most comprehensive account of the scandal to date, including a biographical portrait of Nassar and an in-depth investigation of the safety nets that failed to protect the young gymnasts in his care. Several survivors have released deeply affecting memoirs; theirs and others' stories are included along with thorough research that reveals exactly how a dangerous predator went undetected for so long. From the first accusations by frightened victims to the moment of vindication in a Michigan courtroom, this is the definitive history of the case. VERDICT The authors' exhaustive research and relentless pursuit of the truth create an unsettling and stark record of the abuse scandal that sent shockwaves across America and which continues to resonate deeply.—Janet Davis, Darien P.L., CT
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2019-10-21
Larry Nassar, the Michigan State University doctor who sexually abused hundreds of girls and young women—mostly gymnasts—will remain in prison until he dies. Peabody Award-winning ESPN journalists Barr and Murphy illuminate how he managed to assault unsuspecting victims for decades.
Recent books on the Nassar case have included Abigail Pesta's The Girls and Rachael Denhollander's What Is a Girl Worth? While those accounts provide urgent reading about the massive sex abuse scandal, this one features reporting so deep, broad, and incisive that it is unlikely to be surpassed. The patients Nassar abused were mostly preteens and teenagers, many of them virgins, who sometimes failed to recognize that legitimate treatment by Nassar should never have included the vile, penetrative actions he took. The few victims who tried to express their discomfort before 2016 suffered a different sort of abuse: being disbelieved by their parents, their gymnastics coaches, university administrators, police detectives, and even fellow gymnasts. Nassar was mild-mannered and married with children, and he had earned a reputation as a healer. However, it's unquestionable that the doubters should have known better, and the authors provide copious evidence that shows negligence on the parts of countless individuals. Nassar might have continued his assaults for years were it not for a 2016 exposé by three newspaper reporters at the Indianapolis Star, a lawyer in California who was already suing abusive Catholic priests, and a police detective at Michigan State University. The graphic evidence and the attitudes of the enablers are almost certain to produce rage among readers, but the book is a must-read "about power and control." Ultimately, write the authors, "this remarkable group of survivors took back control, spoke truth to power, toppled the leadership of [MSU and USA gymnastics], and, in so doing, empowered countless others."
The go-to book about a horrific series of crimes.
