View source for How Could She? by Dana Fowley

{{infobox1
|title= How Could She?
|author= Dana Fowley
|reviewer= Sue Magee
|genre=Autobiography 
|summary= It took the courage of one woman - Dana Fowley - the break the largest paedophile ring in Scoland.  This is the story of what happened to her and how she found the courage to do what needed to be done.
|rating=4 
|buy= Yes
|borrow= Yes
|pages=304 
|publisher= Arrow
|date= January 2010
|isbn=978-0099522256  
|sort=How Could She?
|cover=009952225X
|aznuk=009952225X
|aznus=009952225X
}}

From the age of five Dana Fowley was subjected to unimaginable sexual abuse and before long her sister would be subjected to more of the same.  She was raped by her mother's partner and taken to the homes of her grandparents where she was abused by them and others.  At other times she was forced to go to the homes of other men where she was raped and abused.  Did her mother not know what was going on?  Did she turn a blind eye?  It was neither of those.

Her mother was a willing participant in the abuse and organised much of it.

I'll confess that in the early pages of this book I was sceptical and wondered if some of it was the product of an over-active imagination.  Surely all this could not be happening to one small child and her sister?  It was though – and many of the paedophiles involved – including her mother – would be sent to prison for their part in what happened to Dana and Heather.

If you're looking for titillation and detail - then forget it – this is not the book for you.  There are factual statements about what happened to the girls and of Dana's feelings as she grew up with the unending abuse, all given as calmly as possible given the dreadful circumstances.  If you're looking for a story of courage and determination to do what is right no matter what the personal cost then this ''is'' the book for you.

The abuse was dreadful but living with the shame is a further burden upon those who have been abused and Dana Fowley pulls no punches in describing the difficulties she encountered in bringing herself to the point of telling her story – to the extent of lying to her beloved (and trusted) partner for many years.  It's enlightening too to see the different ways in which people are affected by the knowledge of the abuse.  Startling too is the fact that Dana Fowley says that she still loves her mother despite all that has happened and is determined to see that she is reasonably treated in prison.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

For more on this dreadful subject we can recommend [[How Could He Do It? by Emma Charles]] or [[My Life from the Beginning by Violet Prater]], where the abuse was psychological rather than sexual.

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[[Category:Politics and Society]]