“Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope” hit me way harder than I expected. The beginning already drew me in, but the emotional weight truly settled on me the further I read — especially toward the end. It’s one of those rare books that doesn’t just tell a story, it lives in you for a while. Amanda Nguyen’s life is honestly unbelievable in the most heartbreaking and inspiring ways. What she went through — from the abuse in her childhood to surviving sexual assault at Harvard — would have destroyed so many people. And yet she didn’t just survive; she built something bigger out of it. Her strength is on another level, but it never feels unreal or performative. She’s human, she’s hurting, she’s healing, and she’s choosing to stand up again and again. What shocked me the most wasn’t just the violence she endured, but how messed up the system around her was. The way certain politicians tried to use her story for their own gain was disgusting — especially Chad. But seeing her fight back, document everything, and use her voice to push for actual legal change? That’s the part that gave me hope. The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights exists because she refused to stay silent. That’s wild in the best way. The structure of the memoir — especially the moments with her different future selves — felt surprisingly poetic and grounding. It made the whole emotional journey even more meaningful. I’m not a survivor myself, and still this book made me cry. I can only imagine how deeply it must resonate with people who’ve lived through similar trauma. Amanda writes with so much honesty that you don’t just read her story, you feel it.

Ich habe noch nie eine so gut geschriebene und gleichzeitig beeindruckende Biografie gelesen. Das Buch besteht aus zwei wechselnden Erzählungen - einmal den Lebensereignissen von Amanda und zum anderen die Beschreibung des schwierigen Weges seine Vergangenheits - IchFormen miteinander im friedvollen Einklang zu vereinen. Diese beeindruckende Frau ist eine Inspiration und ihr Weg kann jedem Menschen eine Inspiration sein.