Christine Blasey Ford tells her own story in 'One Way Back'

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2024

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

Christine Blasey Ford says the time leading up to her 2018 testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee – and its aftermath – is a lot like surfing, venturing out into unknown waters. Her new memoir, One Way Back, recounts her experience coming forward with an accusation that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in the 1980s. In today's episode, Blasey Ford speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about why she originally wanted to avoid being in the public spotlight, but why she felt it was her civic duty to inform the country about what she'd gone through.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Before we get into today show,
0:06.9	I want to tell you about a new offering we have here at Book of the Day. We have now launched
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0:22.4	Nothing is changing about our regular show, but Book of the Day Plus is another way to help
0:27.7	us keep giving you the books coverage you love. So please do sign up. We really appreciate it.
0:33.7	You can find out more at plus.npr.org slash book of the day. All right, on to today's show.
0:39.8	Christine Blasey Ford is on the pod today. She's got a memoir out titled One Way Back,
0:43.8	recounting her life and everything that led up to her accusing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh
0:49.0	of sexually assaulting her. These are accusations that Justice Kavanaugh has denied, by the way.
0:55.1	And if you think back to 2018, and her congressional testimony and all the media surrounding her and all the pundits and
1:00.6	talking heads opining about what it all meant in relation to the Me Too movement, I think it's easy
1:05.8	to forget something Ford makes clear in this interview. It could have all played out very differently, that Ford tried to
1:12.5	communicate her experiences quietly and that being dragged into the limelight was her worst-case
1:18.8	scenario. But in this interview, Ford tells NPRS and Michelle Martin what finally pushed her
1:23.9	to make her statements loud and clear. After the break.
1:36.7	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life. Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.
1:42.6	On our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,
1:45.1	helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:52.6	Christine Blasey Ford was enjoying life as a college professor, mom, and avid surfer when she learned
1:58.1	that Brett Kavanaugh was on the short list to be nominated to the U.S. Supreme
2:01.3	Court in 2018. She felt she had to do something because she says Kavanaugh had sexually
	...

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