I Will Find You : A Reporter Investigates the Life of the Man Who Raped Her

?This is it. My rape. I knew it was coming. Every woman knows. And now here it is. My turn." When Joanna Connors was thirty years old on assignment for the Cleveland Plain Dealer to review a play at a college theater, she was held at knife point and raped by a stranger who had grown up five miles away from her. Once her assailant was caught and sentenced, Joanna never spoke of the trauma again, until 21 years later when her daughter was about to go to college. She resolved then to tell her children about her own rape so they could learn and protect themselves, and she began to realize that the man who assaulted her was one of the formative people in her life. Setting out to uncover the story of her attacker, Connors embarked on a journey to find out who he was, where he came from, who his friends were and what his life was like. What she discovers stretches beyond one violent man's story and back into her own, interweaving a narrative about strength and survival with one about rape culture and violence in America. I Will Find You is a brave, timely consideration of race, class, education and the families that shape who we become, by a reporter and a survivor The journalist’s “brutally affecting [and] powerful” memoir of her quest to uncover the life of the man who raped her twenty-one years earlier ( Guardian , UK). Joanna Connors was thirty years old and on assignment for the Cleveland Plain Dealer to review a college theater production when she was held at knifepoint and raped by a stranger who had grown up five miles away from her. Once her assailant was caught and sentenced, Joanna never spoke of the trauma again . . . until her daughter was about to go to college. Resolving to tell her children about her rape, Connors began to realize that the man who assaulted her was one of the most formative people in her life. She embarked on a journey to find out who he was, who his friends were, and what his life was like. What she discovers stretches beyond one violent man’s story and back into her own, interweaving a narrative about strength and survival with one about rape culture and violence in America. I Will Find You is a “deeply humane and harrowing” memoir, as well as a brave and timely consideration of race, class, education, and the families that shape who we become ( Boston Globe ). A compelling and hard-hitting memoir which follows one woman's search, 20 years after the attack, for answers about her rapist. Joanna Connors was a 30-year-old newspaper reporter when she was raped. In the aftermath, she became afraid of everything - flying, driving, riding in a car while someone else drove. After she had children, she hovered over them constantly fearful for whatever might happen to them as well. But then, when her daughter was 16, Joanna began to confront the fears that had been ruling her life. Joanna's prose moves with the propulsive energy of a thriller, as she investigates the biggest story of her life. Her investigation leads her into the past as she looks back at the attack itself and how it was handled by the police, prosecutors, the courts and by her family and colleagues and how the fear and shame she tried so hard to deny remained, casting its shadow over so much of her life. From there, her investigation leads her forward to surprising discoveries, encounters with unforgettable characters, and sometimes into dangerous situations When Joanna Connors was thirty years old on assignment for the Cleveland Plain Dealer to review a play at a college theater, she was held at knife point and raped by a stranger who had grown up five miles away from her. Once her assailant was caught and sentenced, Joanna never spoke of the trauma again, until 21 years later when her daughter was about to go to college. She resolved then to tell her children about her own rape so they could learn and protect themselves, and she began to realize that the man who assaulted her was one of the formative people in her life. Setting out to uncover the story of her attacker, Connors embarked on a journey to find out who he was, where he came from, who his friends were and what his life was like. What she discovered stretches beyond one violent mans story and back into her own, interweaving a narrative about strength and survival with one about rape culture and violence in America. Setting Out To Uncover The Story Of Her Attacker, Connors Embarked On A Journey To Find Out Who He Was, Where He Came From, Who His Friends Were And What His Life Was Like. What She Discovers Stretches Beyond One Violent Man's Story And Back Into Her Own, Interweaving A Narrative About Strength And Survival With One About Rape Culture And Violence In America. Joanna Connors. Subtitle From Dust Jacket.