Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope
Amanda Nguyen
Mar 2025 · AUWA
4.7star
14 reviewsreport
Ebook
224
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About this ebook
An Instant New York Times Bestseller and a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice. Natalie Portman’s Book Club Pick for March.
“Amanda’s story—innovatively told by versions of herself at different ages—underscores the lasting power of speaking your truth, building a movement, and never losing sight of your dreams.” —Melinda French Gates
“In Saving Five, Amanda Nguyen shows us how to reclaim the full spectrum of our lives, replete with pain, fury, creativity, and recovered dreams.” —Chanel Miller, author of Know My Name
In 2013, the trajectory of Amanda Nguyen’s life was changed forever when she was raped at Harvard University.
Determined not to let her assault derail her goal of joining NASA after graduation, Nguyen opted for her rape kit to be filed under “Jane Doe.” But she was shocked to learn her choice to stay anonymous gave her only six months to press charges before the state destroyed her kit, rendering any future legal action impossible. Nguyen knew then that she had two options: surrender to a law that effectively denied her justice, or fight for a change—not only for herself but for survivors everywhere.
A heart-wrenching memoir of survival and hope, Saving Five boldly braids the story of Nguyen’s activism—which resulted in Congress’s unanimous passage of the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act in 2016—with a second, beautifully imagined adventure, of Nguyen’s younger selves as they, at the ages of five, fifteen, twenty-two, and thirty, navigate the emotional stages of her path toward healing, not only from her rape but from the violent turmoil of her childhood. The result is a groundbreaking work that seamlessly blends memoir with a moving recounting of her journey toward acceptance and hope, forging a path ahead that is as inspiring as it is instructive.
From one of the most influential activists (and now astronauts) of our time, Saving Five is at once a tribute to resilience, a celebration of healing through action, and a resounding cry to change the world.
“Amanda’s story—innovatively told by versions of herself at different ages—underscores the lasting power of speaking your truth, building a movement, and never losing sight of your dreams.” —Melinda French Gates
“In Saving Five, Amanda Nguyen shows us how to reclaim the full spectrum of our lives, replete with pain, fury, creativity, and recovered dreams.” —Chanel Miller, author of Know My Name
In 2013, the trajectory of Amanda Nguyen’s life was changed forever when she was raped at Harvard University.
Determined not to let her assault derail her goal of joining NASA after graduation, Nguyen opted for her rape kit to be filed under “Jane Doe.” But she was shocked to learn her choice to stay anonymous gave her only six months to press charges before the state destroyed her kit, rendering any future legal action impossible. Nguyen knew then that she had two options: surrender to a law that effectively denied her justice, or fight for a change—not only for herself but for survivors everywhere.
A heart-wrenching memoir of survival and hope, Saving Five boldly braids the story of Nguyen’s activism—which resulted in Congress’s unanimous passage of the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act in 2016—with a second, beautifully imagined adventure, of Nguyen’s younger selves as they, at the ages of five, fifteen, twenty-two, and thirty, navigate the emotional stages of her path toward healing, not only from her rape but from the violent turmoil of her childhood. The result is a groundbreaking work that seamlessly blends memoir with a moving recounting of her journey toward acceptance and hope, forging a path ahead that is as inspiring as it is instructive.
From one of the most influential activists (and now astronauts) of our time, Saving Five is at once a tribute to resilience, a celebration of healing through action, and a resounding cry to change the world.
Ratings and reviews
4.7
14 reviews
jefferson pena
- Flag inappropriate
June 18, 2025
it not fun to read don't buy it
Bo Smoke
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June 20, 2025
it's fun to read. buy it.
About the author
Amanda Nguyen is an activist and astronaut. Nguyen ignited the Stop Asian Hate movement and passed groundbreaking legislation that protects sexual assault survivor rights in the United States and the United Nations through Rise, her civil rights accelerator. She was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize and was named a 2022 Time Woman of the Year.
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