Kim Richardson's memoir of her harrowing experiences in a Catholic orphanage, as well as her work on behalf of her fellow victims, is chronicled in this book.Not always an easy read as Richardson recalls the physical and sexual abuse she endured at the hands of clergymen and nuns, this is nevertheless an important book. Since 1922, the Roman Catholic Church's policy has been to move those accused of child abuse and/or molestation to a different area (this is known as a pontifical secret, which meant that revealing the information made the teller subject to ecclesiastical punishment). As with the well-known abuses of the Magadelene Laundries, the problem was wide-spread within the orphanages.I applaud Richardson's bravery in telling her story, particularly in how the abuses have affected her far into adulthood. Bringing these matters into the light is the only way that they will be stopped.
