 | Touched: For Survivors of Sexual Assault Like Me Who Have Been Hurt by Church Folk and for Those Who Will Care In Touched , author Shanell T. Smith makes visible the often silenced or ignored narratives of survivors of sexual violence. The book tells the author's story of her personal traumatic experience with sexual violence by a church leader and focuses on the responses that she received from people in the church (clergy and lay folk) once she "sounded the alarm." These responses either justified, ignored, or denied that the horrific act occurred, resulting in the author leaving that congregation. As a survivor of sexual violence, an ordained minister, and a professor, Smith has heard many stories from other survivors. The circumstances of the sexual assault may differ, but a common thread among them all is the fact that these stories, in one way or another, have often been ignored. Touched helps those who have experienced sexual assault give themselves permission to feel what they feel and to find strength to stand up to the counternarratives that come from those who do not understand or deny their trauma. And more, Touched helps readers learn how to respond effectively and compassionately to those who seek refuge and care. The Reverend Shanell T. Smith is a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and associate professor of New Testament and Christian origins at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. She is the author of The Woman Babylon and the Marks of Empire (Fortress Press, 2014) and contributor to Handbook of Gender and Sexuality in the New Testament (forthcoming). She lives in Hartford, Connecticut. |
