Gisèle Pelicot’s memoir was released on Tuesday in 22 languages, recounting the horrors she endured while offering a message of hope and support to survivors of sexual abuse. In interviews ahead of the book’s release, Pelicot said she hoped her story could help others. Her memoir, A Hymn to Life, Shame has to Change Sides, details her survival following a landmark 2024 trial that drew global attention, during which her husband drugged her to allow other men to assault her.
“Today I’m doing better, and this book allowed me to reflect on my life and rebuild myself from the ruins,” Pelicot said. “I am a woman standing strong.” She emphasized that her book is meant to provide encouragement to women navigating extremely difficult periods in their lives. Her decision to speak publicly, waiving her anonymity, sparked a national and international conversation about rape culture, earning admiration for her courage. Gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles, herself a survivor of sexual abuse, praised Pelicot for shifting the burden of shame onto perpetrators rather than victims.
The 2024 trial led to convictions of Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, and 50 other men for sexual assaults committed between 2011 and 2020 while she was chemically incapacitated. Dominique Pelicot received a 20-year prison sentence, while the others were sentenced to between three and 15 years, with one appeals adjustment raising a sentence to 10 years. The case exposed how online pornography, chat rooms, and distorted ideas of consent can contribute to sexual violence. In response, France passed a new law in October redefining rape and sexual assault as any non-consensual sexual act, aligning the country with other European nations, including Germany, Belgium, and Spain, that use consent-based legal standards.
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