Reading about the subject of rape and sexual abuse can be very healing, allowing you to learn from what has worked for others. Below are the books that helped me most.

 

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Real Rape Real Pain: Help for Women Sexually Assaulted by Male Partners By Patricia Easteal and Louise McOrmond-Plummer The first book to focus exclusively on women who have been sexually assaulted by a partner.  Drawing on the experiences and voices of 30 survivors of partner rape from Australia, North America, Canada and the UK, Real Rape is a healing/resource book for survivors, supporters and professionals in the fields of counselling and advocacy internationally. For more information please go to http://www.partnerrapebook.org/

Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, by Mary Pipher, PhD This book examines the reasons that so many adolescent girls fall prey to depression, eating disorders, addictions and suicide attempts. While the book doesn't focus directly on sexual assault and abuse, the issues are certainly relevant. A survivor of adolescent rape will find this book particularly helpful.

After Silence: Rape & My Journey Back, by Nancy Venable Raine Beautifully and eloquently written, this book chronicles a woman's rape and how she fought back. Particularly focused upon is the silence that envelopes victims. Raine delves deep into psychological trauma and society's implications on recovery. This was one of the most helpful books I have read on this subject.

The Courage to Heal, by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis This is probably the most popular and best self-help guide to healing for women survivors of sexual abuse. I've only just started reading it, and it's very difficult for me to read, but very necessary.  The Courage to Heal is a very comprehensive and supportive book that is excellent for any reader, whether you are just remembering what happened or you have known for years. A section in the new edition called "Honoring the Truth" challenges allegations of "false memory syndrome".

Girl, Interrupted, by Susanna Kaysen This fabulous book tells the story of an 18 year old girl who is committed to a mental hospital after a 20-minute consultation.  Through a series of haunting vignettes, Kaysen shares her observations and philosophies on what makes us sane (or insane). The writing is very matter-of-fact and is often darkly funny. I read this book in one sitting, and have read it several times since I first discovered it years ago.

Obsession, by John Douglas The FBI's Legendary Profiler Probes the Psyches of Killers, Rapists and Stalkers and Their Victims and Tells How to Fight Back. I read this book as a way to convince myself that sexual predators have a disease...what happened to me wasn't a personal attack, if that makes any sense. Don't let the subtitle fool you; there isn't much in this book about fighting back. To be honest, it is not very well written. The book is also haunting and frightening, but I am very glad I read it.

Telling: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery, by Patricia Weaver Francisco A fabulous, personal account of rape and its aftermath. It covers more than just the rape; Francisco details the effect it had on her marriage and family, and the therapy that led her to recovery. Visit the author's website at http://www.tellingofrape.com.

The Flock, by Joan Frances Casey and Lynn Wilson The Autobiography of a Multiple Personality. This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to learn more about dissociative identity disorder.  It is the story of the formation and integration of 24 personalities. The abuse leading to DID isn't explained in great detail, with the emphasis more on diagnosis and treatment.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou Someone recommended this book to me, and I agree completely. I was fortunate enough to see Maya Angelou when she spoke on my college campus last year, and she is truly inspiring. She is a survivor and an amazing woman.

Journey to Wholeness: Healing from the Trauma of Rape , by Monique Lang
   This workbook (the only one on the topic to date) provides the guidance and direction for survivors to work through and process the emotional and psychological issues associated with sexual trauma. It reminds me a little of The Courage to Heal, only focuses on rape instead of sexual abuse. It is, from what I have seen, a wonderful book. I strongly recommend it.

Extra-Curricular: A Novel of Rape on Campus, by Anne M. Hasselbrack
   I just received this book and haven't had a lot of time to read it, but it looks wonderful. Check it out.

Goddesses in Everywoman, by Jean Shinoda Bolen
    A New Psychology of the Feminine. This is an interesting book that looks at archetypes in different goddesses from Greek mythology. It can be used as a tool for understanding yourself better. This book is very often recommended by Tori Amos.

Promiscuities, by Naomi Wolf
    The Secret Struggle for Womanhood.

When Rabbit Howls, by Truddi Chase
    about a woman who suffers from MPD from years of abuse by her step-father. It goes through her journey of first remembering little bits and pieces to finally putting the picture together. Unlike other sufferers of MPD, she chooses not to integrate but remain aware of all her personalities. In the end, she gets her revenge on her abuser in a healthy way. Not through actually hurting him. My only warning is that the book is very graphic. Nothing has been left out. It helped me tremendously.
Julie

The Gift of Fear, by Gavin De Becker
    I wanted to suggest a book. It is "The Gift of Fear" by Gavin De Becker. He provides security services for celebrities and is often on Oprah from what I hear. It was suggested to me by my cop/lawyer boyfriend the first time we met when we were just talking about work (I was a domestic violence crisis counselor). It talks about our intuition and learning to trust it to protect ourselves. Some of the suggestions about dealing with unwanted pursuers helped me a lot with my ex-boyfriend.
Liz

Sexing the Cherry, by Jeanette Winterson
    It's as impossible to describe as it is to forget.. it begins by telling us that "matter, the thing most solid and most real.. is now known to be mostly empty space and points of light.. what does that tell us about the nature of reality?" Another of my favorite quotes from the book, which follows the lives (definitely multiple) of a woman called Dog-Woman and her foundling son, Jordan.. is "I noticed a woman whose face was a sea voyage I had not the courage to attempt.." By the way, the title refers to botany, not anything else; there's nothing explicit in it, either.
Rosemarie

Creative Companion: How to Free Your Creative Spirit, and other books by Sark
    my recommendation is anything that Sark has written. She comes from a background of sexual assault and other aspects of life.. she helps me breathe when I feel the world coming in.
Crys

Transforming a Rape Culture, by Emilie Buchwald
    This is a compilation of many experts in rape giving their perspectives on various rape issues. It is an excellent book that aided me in understanding that what happened to me was not my fault, but rather a fault of our society. It also helped me understand what perpetuates rape and measures that can be taken to work towards a rape free society.

Men Who Rape: The Psychology of the Offender, by A. Nicholas Groth
    This book compiles testimonies from rapists and explains the reasoning for a rapist. It is a fascinating, disturbing book which really helped me understand many things including how this crime which appears to be very sexually motivated really has little to do with the desire for sex.

Possessing the Secret of Joy, by Alice Walker
    Not about sexual abuse per se, but definitely about a woman's ability to overcome the abuse and degradation she has suffered. Plus, Cornflake Girl is based on it...
kelly

Life Strategies, by Phillip C. McGraw, PhD
    I keep the "10 Life Laws" with me wherever I go. Very inspirational, and very much a wake-up call towards healing yourself.
Amber

The Sexual Healing Journey: A Guide for Survivors of Sexual Abuse, by Wendy Maltz

One Small Step: Moving Beyond Trauma and Therapy to a Life of Joy, by Yvonne M. Dolan
   This book is to help you move past even the survivor stage on to an identity of self-realization and hope.

The Woman's Comfort Book : A Self Nurturing Guide for Restoring Balance in Your Life, by Jennifer Louden
   It teaches you *how* to take care of yourself, giving specific assignments, as well as a symptom guide- pages to look up if you are feeling distrustful, needy, nervous, depressed, etc. Learning how to take care of yourself is such an essential part of healing, and she teaches excellent coping mechanisms for dealing with the pain. Highly recommended.

Father-Daughter Incest, by Judith Herman
   I've really been delving into my issues, and wanted to let you know about a wonderful book that gives some hypotheses as to how or why a manmight abuse his children--it most certainly doesn't condone the behavior. But I wish I'd had this book years ago--perhaps now is simply the right time. It's triggering additional memories for me, as well as giving me some insight into how a patriachial family structure can set up little girls as victims.
Kathleen

First Person Plural: My Life as a Multiple, by Cameron West, PhD
   It's an amazing book about a man who has DID due to reoccuring child abuse by multiple people. It's a wonderful story and I also learned a lot.
Pamela

Lost in the Mirror : An Inside Look at Borderline Personality Disorder , by Richard A. Moskovitz
   This book gives perspective to a form of mental illness which is often present in survivors of sexual and physical abuse. It helped me gain perspective on how to help deal with my emotions in the battle for sanity.
faeriewolf

The Rape Poems, by Frances Driscoll
   "These are poems of great courage. And if these are poems of terror, they are also poems of beauty, as Frances Driscoll takes us to a place finally colored by the 'lemon-green of very young leaves.'"
Gillian Conoley

Working with Available Light: A Family's World After Violence, by Jamie Kalven
   This novel is written from the unique perspective of a loved one of a sexual assault survivor.

Surviving the Silence: Black Women's Stories of Rape, by Charlotte Pierce-Baker

Getting Through the Day: Strategies for Adults Hurt as Children, by Nancy J. Napier
   Getting Through the Day enables adults who were traumatized as children to learn new strategies to meet the demands of daily living. Counselor Nancy Napier presents dozens of exercises helpful to anyone who finds that unresolved childhood feelings are blocking life's path.

Lucky, by Alice Sebold
   In this book, Alice Sebold recounts her rape while a freshman at college, and how she fought back by pressing charges against her attacker. She also reveals the impact that the assault had not only on her, but also on her family, friends, and potential boyfriends. Alice recounts the steps involved in bringing her rapist to justice - a great description of the trial process, from gathering evidence to the lineup to the trial itself. Told in a straightforward, non-self-pitying way. I am in awe of her courage and perseverance.
Tara

I Never Called it Rape, by Robin Warshaw
   It deals specifically with date and acquaintance rape and dispels the myths promoted in society which keep rapists, their victims, and outside observers from recognizing sexual assault for what it is. There are also sections which give advice on what to do if you have been raped, how loved ones can help a survivor, and what women and men can do to reduce the risk of date and acquaintance rape.
Christie

Secret Survivors: Uncovering Incest and Its Aftereffects in Women, by E. Sue Blume
   It's been really helping me understand the way I am now and the reason I am this way.
Jamie

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