A remarkable story of domestic horror, courage - and triumph. Shelley Sessions was a bright popular Texas teenager. Her father, Bobby Sessions, was a successful, driven man-about-town with an ego and a bank account as expansive as the Lone Star State. On the surface, theirs was the ideal family, but what admiring observers could little uspect was that behind the all-American exterior lay Bobby Sessions' dark obsession. Bobby adored his little girl from the moment he'd laid eyes on her, but it wasn't long before fatherly affection turned to perversion. When Shelley was only 8yr. old, Sessions embarked on a pattern of sexual molestation that would define their relationship for the next 7yrs. Throughout, Sessions threatened his daughter with exposure: if she didn't do as he said, he would tell the world the awful truth about her. For years Shelley was bound to silence through her shame. But in the end, she stood up to her father, taking him on as well as her mother, her father's family, and a whole Texas town - none of them willing to confront the horror of sexual abuse within their own ranks. Shelley Sessions did not take the law into her own hands; she took her father to court. In a record-breaking settlement, the jury decided in Shelley's favour - to the tune of $10million.
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This story was very difficult to read and I almost couldn't finish it. I finally decided I had to finish reading it since she deserved to be heard. This girl went through so much, suffered so much humiliation and betrayal, but she was still strong enough to stand up to him in court. She was very brave and so strong and overcame so much. It bothers me that this book is all I can find of her story. An internet search doesn't bring up much. There may be a Washington post article but since I'm not a subscriber I can't read it. It makes me wonder if the family has paid to keep this information off the internet. This story needs to be known, if only because of the hope it could give to other women. Shelley was deeply hurt but she didn't give in. She stood up for herself.
