You Made Me This Way

A harrowing and heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful book about one of our society's deepest shames, written by Shannon Molloy, the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Fourteen.

Part memoir, part investigation into the taboo topic of male child sexual abuse, You Made Me This Way is a very personal book, driven by Shannon revealing his own experience of having been sexually abused as a young child, and his grappling to understand how this has shaped him.

The majority of men sexually abused as children never speak about their past and hide their shame and trauma, forever carrying an enormous burden on their own, often with terrible consequences. Shannon interviews survivors, learning about their hard-won insights, as well as experts, researchers, and therapists. This makes the book a vitally important step in encouraging conversation about what we must do to better support these men and the systematic changes needed to better protect children in the future.

Raw, honest, deeply important, and inspiring in its courage, this book shines a light on this darkness in our society - and the challenge to all of us is not to look away.

Books+Publishing praises the work as, 'Part memoir, part exploratory research project, Molloy's second book is an urgent and genre-defying feat of storytelling.'

The Courier Mail reflects, 'It's difficult to overstate the importance of You Made Me This Way, or the courage of the man who wrote it. Male child sexual abuse is not often explored in such depth - or with such candour. It is a taboo and tricky subject which Molloy tackles with grace and vulnerability, sharing his own experience, and talking with other survivors who have entrusted him with their stories. They are in good hands with Molloy, who understands their feelings of shame, anger, and confusion. I cried several times reading this book, and so has everyone else I know who has read it. I cried for the little boys these men once were, their innocence taken, trust broken, and voices silenced. Molloy's beautifully written book gives them a safe space to be heard.'

Lech Blaine calls it 'A moving, taboo-breaking exploration of childhood sexual abuse. Shannon Molloy's sensitivity is a gift to a country where young men are encouraged to keep their shame a secret.'

Brandon Jack states, 'Through the deep fractures of trauma, Shannon Molloy writes with tenderness, conviction and above all, heart. Reading these experiences, shared from the farthest brinks of vulnerability, is uncomfortable, yet wholly necessary.'