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Abuse of children is always appalling and unforgiveable, whether perpetrated by a parent, a relative or a stranger. There's an added layer of disgrace to the crime when the perpetrators abuse not only children but their own authority and religious power. Such was the case with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth at the St. Thomas/St. Vincent Orphanage, where more than a dozen nuns, a resident priest, and several other male employees routinely abused the boys and girls in their care. Author Kim Richardson survived years of physical and emotional abuse at their hands in the 1960s, abuse that began at infancy. Years later, she and forty-four other survivors, including her sisters, launched a lawsuit against the nuns. That suit resulted in the first-ever monetary settlement paid by Roman Catholic nuns in the United States as compensation for decades of institutional abuse at an orphanage. This is not a book about hatred or revenge, but an inspiring story of a girl who would not be broken. |
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Reviews and Accolades "... one of the best and most disturbing books I have ever read in my life. Pain, despair , courage and hope fill every page. It should be required reading for parents, social workers and especially religious employees and volunteers of every denomination." ~Morris Dees, Founder of The Southern Poverty Law and author, A Lawyers Journey, The Morris Dees Story, Hate on Trial, and The Case Against America's Most Dangerous Neo-Nazi. ----------------- While the abuses of Catholic priests have been making headlines in recent years, little has been heard about mistreatment at the hands of nuns. Here Richardson, who was raised in a Catholic orphanage in Kentucky in the 1960s, recounts the horrors that she and countless other children endured there and takes readers on her journey to rid herself of the awful memories. Her catharsis comes with a lawsuit, which she and 44 other survivors brought against the order that ran the orphanage. Richardson tells two simultaneous stories. In one, she recalls episodes
from her childhood where her misbehavior ... led to unheard-of punishments.
In the other, she takes us through the steps of the ... lawsuit, from
the first meeting with the attorney to the first deposition where a sister
was present to, finally, a settlement, the first of its kind against Catholic
nuns. Richardson's candid accounts are chilling, and the strength she
shows with a very supportive husband at her side is inspiring. Remarkably,
she did not abandon the Church and in fact sends her children to Catholic
schools. Hers is a beautifully told story about strength and an enduring
faith that can lead but one place: to forgiveness." |
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 Photo by Andrew Eccles |
About the Author Kim Michele Richardson is a graduate of Sullivan University and resides in Kentucky with her forever family, which includes several beloved adopted critters. Kim is a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. She is actively involved in victim abuse and works with legal advisors, government officials and works closely with many survivors/victims of all types of abuse. She is on call and makes herself available to these victims and survivors. Kim is also a mentor for teen writing workshops and student reading groups and has also implemented and designed successful programs to help homeless shelters - programs which were purposely blueprinted to teach students about servicing - giving back to their communities. She is a go-to for news media for the endemic clergy abuse crisis and has appeared on national radio, news print, TV news channels and on PBS stations and more. Kim is a contributing writer to The Huffington Post, writing about societal issues she is passionate about. Click here to view
Kim's website Includes a thought-provoking Comprehensive Readers Guide |
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