Undoing Jane Doe: How I Put the Middle School Coach and Teacher Who Sexually Abused Me Behind Bars - Softcover

Cunnane, Kristen Lewis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1620060019 ISBN 13: 9781620060018

Publisher: Sunbury Press, Inc., 2019

Synopsis

Raised in the idyllic and close-knit northern California town of Moraga, Kristen Lewis Cunnane had it all at 12: a treasured family, close friends, a valued position on a variety of sports teams, and excellent grades. By any pre-teen’s standards, hers was certainly a life to envy.

Unfortunately, this happiness was to be short-lived as Kristen suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her middle school science teacher. Afraid to discuss the event with her parents or close friends, Kristen turned to a trusted female coach and teacher for guidance. When they first met, Julie Correa was seemingly the perfect role model for a naive 11-year-old. However, this woman spent years earning Kristen’s trust while at the same time manipulating her psyche. In a sickeningly ironic twist, this so-called mentor ultimately transformed Kristen’s life into one of sexual slavery over the entirety of her high school tenure. With controlling and calculated precision, Correa was able to both isolate Kristen from her family and simultaneously assault her in her childhood bedroom.

"Undoing Jane Doe" chronicles Kristen’s heartbreaking experience and the harrowing aftermath that nearly drove her to suicide. Using actual transcripts from pretexual phone calls and court records, Cunnane takes the reader through the years of prolonged abuse and the eventual takedown of a sexual predator. Haunting, insightful, and inspiring, Undoing Jane Doe showcases a deplorable side of humanity while at the same time manages to remind us of the sheer strength of the human spirit.

About this title

About the Author

Kristen Lewis (Cunnane) was a star student and multi-sport athlete in her middle school and high school in California who went on to become an Academic All-American (majoring in history) and captain of the swimming team at UCLA, accomplished enough in that sport to make the semifinals of the Olympic Trials in 2004 in butterfly. Pursuing a master's in education at Cal-Berkeley, she first volunteered as an assistant for the women's swim team, then was hired to be an assistant coach, and finally moved up to associate head coach under Teri McKeever. Given chief responsibility for recruiting, Kristen played a key role in the success Cal had in winning four NCAA championships between 2009 and 2015, when she finally retired to start raising a family, now including three children, with her high school sweetheart Scott Cunnane.

Review

"It's not often in your life that you come across people who can play so many pivotal roles in your life at one time. To me, Kristen Cunnane has been a coach, a confidant, a guardian angel, a role model, and one of my dearest friends. With her coming to practice every day with a smile on her face, no one could have ever imagined what she was going through. Her strength and resilience through her story is enough to inspire anyone, and helped me personally get through some of my darkest days." -- Missy Franklin, 5-time Olympic gold medalist

"It's difficult to imagine the strength and courage that it takes to share a story like this, let alone experience it first hand. Being vulnerable and willing to share her story will, undoubtedly, help countless others who have struggled with abuse. It takes time and endless work, but it is possible to heal. Kristen has been to hell and back and has emerged stronger than ever. This is a tough story, but an inspiring one. Kristen is an incredible Mom, wife, and friend. I am proud to call her one of my closest friends and am in awe of her resilience every day." -- Natalie Coughlin, 12-time Olympic medalist

"This is a stunning personal narrative about abuse and its consequences. It is also an affirming narrative about how support from family, friends, teammates, coworkers, and the legal system can be critical to recovery."-- Leslie P. Francis, Distinguished Professor of Law and Philosophy, University of Utah, editor of Date Rape (1996)

Edition details

• Publisher: Sunbury Press, Inc.
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1620060019
• ISBN 13: 9781620060018
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 414