In her upcoming memoir, “Open Book,” Jessica Harper candidly reveals the profound trauma she endured, being sexually abused from ages 6 to 12 by the daughter of a family friend, who was just a year older than her. Her reflections on this painful chapter of her life are both heartbreaking and enlightening.
Harper discusses her struggles with alcohol and stimulant addiction, which she attributes to the abuse she suffered. “It would start with gentle back tickling and then escalate to situations that were deeply uncomfortable,” she writes. This trauma, she explains, shaped her experiences growing up—instilling a fear of solitude and an inability to advocate for herself.
She achieved sobriety in November 2017 after reaching a breaking point at a Halloween gathering. Part of her healing process included confronting her abuser, a step she deemed necessary for her recovery. “I needed to confront my abuser,” Harper shares. “It was incredibly painful and still is. The little girl in me wanted to do the right thing but didn’t know how to stand up for herself.”
Through therapy and sobriety, Harper has come to realize how her emotional scars affected her self-perception. “A significant part of my identity was formed through the trials and anguish of that abuse,” she reflects. “I felt complicit in my own victimization and carried a heavy burden of shame from those years.”
In her memoir, she recounts the moment she finally confided in her parents about her abuse. Like many children in similar situations, Harper feared that she was somehow to blame. It wasn’t until six years later during a car ride that she mustered the courage to speak up. Her mother’s immediate reaction was a mix of shock and anger, as she exclaimed, “I knew something was wrong!”
While revealing this painful memory in her book was challenging, Harper felt it was a crucial part of her narrative. “I usually would have sugar-coated it, but I didn’t this time,” she notes. “They understood the importance of sharing this in my story.”
As a mother of three—Max, 7, Ava, 6, and Lily, 10 months—Harper expresses a desire to share her past to help others. “I wish I had spoken up sooner, but I’m relieved I can now,” she states. “As a mom, that’s why I want to reach others—because it’s never your fault.”
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In summary, Jessica Harper’s memoir sheds light on her painful past and the path to healing, emphasizing the importance of speaking out and confronting trauma for the sake of future generations.
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