Risa Shaw, PhD, the editor of the second edition of Not Child's Play: An Anthology of Brother-Sister Incest, visits with Mark Alyn. This groundbreaking work focuses on the silent narratives of shame, anger, and pain of the girls who were abused by their brothers and the brave women they have become.
Through a collection of writings and artworks contributed by female survivors, the book starkly exposes the harrowing trauma of incest perpetrated by brothers. Not Child's Play fearlessly navigates this challenging subject matter with unparalleled courage and sensitivity. Risa offers insights on essential information. avenues for seeking support. and the path forward into healing. Herself a survivor.
Risa bravely shares her personal journey and recounts her family’s response upon disclosure of her experiences. Additionally, the book is open for review. Despite how often it occurs, sibling incest is rarely talked about in our culture, even in the era of #METOO. Risa sheds light on this issue, striving to empower women to eclaim the lives that have been from them.
The goal of Not Child's Play is to break the patterns of shame and secrecy that often silence survivors, obscure their stories, and perpetuate the cycle of abuse. In her new preface of the second edition of Not Child's Play, Risa reveals the power of 40 years of truth-telling to address the damage done not only to her, but to every survivor of sibling incest. Risa is an educator, leader, and activist. As a (now retired) Professor of Interpreting and linguistics at Gallaudet University.