“Brooks effectively tells of how broken she felt but also reveals her fierce determination to find normalcy and how her loved ones provided her with unflagging support.

An eloquent and unsettling story of recovery that features solid advice and encouragement for other trauma victims.”

“‘Beads: A Memoir about Falling Apart and Putting Yourself Back Together Again’ is an honest and moving story of survival and renewal. Brooks takes us on a powerful and insightful journey culminating with inspiring and meaningful life-changing lessons. ”

“It’s seldom one has the opportunity to read a book with painfully raw details written with such candor and vulnerability. Yet Rachael Brooks writes her memoir Beads in a way that makes this terrible trauma accessible, meaningful, and memorable. We hear and watch news accounts of #MeToo stories. But Brooks’ book ensures you deeply feel what it’s like to be a victim of sexual assault. There is much to learn from her story. I highly recommend this book, it will stay within you as a stark reminder of the reality of these events, frustrating aftermath, and the bravery and perseverance involved in “putting yourself back together again.”

“In her memoir Beads, Rachael Brooks invites you to accompany her on a hero’s journey she never asked for. A young woman filled with career and relationship possibilities; she is brutally raped on the edges of Washington, D.C. one summer night and for the next four years must figure out her new normal. While navigating horrific obstacles, she is also bolstered by love, trust, and acts of grace. You won’t easily forget Brooks’s haunting images and sharp humor which shapes this honest look of how trauma can bend, but not break a human being. Perfectly paced and full of suspense, Beads grips you from the beginning and won’t let you go.”