Silent No More: Victim 1's Fight for Justice Against Jerry Sandusky by Aaron  Fisher




Yes, this is about the pedophile Sandusky.  No, it's not about the specific details of the sexual abuse although you get the picture as to what Sandusky was doing to his victims.  Told from the perspective of Victim #1 Aaron Fisher, his mother Dawn and his psychologist Michael Gillum, you see how Sandusky was able to take control of Aaron and to abuse him.  Aaron was only 10 when Sandusky came into his life and 14 when he tried to get away from. What's really incredible is Aaron's ability, finally, to end the abuse even as Sandusky was stalking him.  I started the book last night and finished it before bedtime.  I just couldn't put it down until I got to the conclusion even though I knew that Sandusky was convicted and finally jailed. 

I confess I was pretty agitated reading this.  To think that this man could go to Aaron's school and have him pulled from the classroom - repeatedly - and the school officials chose to comply with his requests.  Apparently, Sandusky had other boys pulled from the classroom on a regular basis.  What the HELL did those staff people think was going on???  And don't get me started on that piece of **** Sandusky is married to, who chose to remain upstairs while the boys were being tortured - let's not mince words here - in her basement.  So many people chose to let this man, no, this monster, prey on young, helpless, innocent boys because they were too comfortable in their own lives.  Doing something about what they had to have known, or at least suspected, was going on would have been "painful" for them.  So, instead, they enabled (yes, enabled) Sandusky to inflict mental and physical pain on boys who couldn't defend themselves.

At first, Aaron just wanted to get away from Sandusky.  But with the help of his psychologist, he was able to expose Sandusky for what he is and to follow through, legally, to his arrest and conviction even as the officials dragged their heels for years.  For me, the power of this story lies in Aaron's willingness to expose himself emotionally to put an end to Sandusky's activities.  If only other silent victims could do the same.  Perhaps then these pedophiles would be run out of town for good.



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