Nobody’s Girl–by Virginia Roberts Giuffre

one woman’s mission to confront sexual abuse and support survivors

5 min read

Just now

This morning, I was reading the weekly newsletter from journalist, author and artist Suleika Jaouad and she quotes Muriel Rukeyser, “What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open.” I took a deep inhale when I saw those words. I have just finished reading the memoir Nobody’s Girl by the now deceased Virginia Roberts Giuffre, that is an all out accusation against sexual assailants and traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. He is dead, allegedly by his own hand, but evidence leads to the possibility of another cause. She is incarcerated but, in August, was moved to a less restrictive environment by the current administration. We can guess why.

Giuffre’s death in April of 2025 was ruled a suicide and given the many decades ordeal she went through, it is plausible. She references suicidal ideation toward the end of the book.

As a therapist with four decades of experience working with trauma and abuse survivors, I knew I had to read the book but wasn’t emotionally prepared for what I would find in its 367 pages of narrative. Initially, I could turn 10 pages at a time and then needed to put it down and collect myself…