Book Review: Nobody’s Girl by Virginia Giuffre

INTRO

I can’t believe we live in a world where we still don’t believe victims first. Paraphrased from the book, Giuffre acknowledges it can take victims of sexual abuse years or even decades to speak about their experiences to anyone, let alone come forward publicly. It’s unfathomable how people still doubt and deny the absolute horrors Epstein and Maxwell inflicted on the girls they victimized. We need to do better.

OVERVIEW

Virginia Roberts Giuffre was just sixteen years old when she was scouted at Mar-a-Lago by Ghislaine Maxwell and hired under the guise of being Jeffrey Epstein’s “masseuse.” This situation exploited Virginia’s vulnerabilities, keeping her trapped in their cycle of abuse. She was under their rule for the rest of her teenage years until she finally broke free when they sent her on a trip to Thailand. During her time, she was trafficked to CEOs, senators, prime ministers, princes, esteemed scientists, and everyone in between. She endured horrible abuse leading to a PTSD diagnosis as an adult. After a decade of no one taking the case seriously and Epstein evading blame, the #MeToo movement opened the discussion of the prevalence of sexual violence experienced by women, leading to Epstein’s victims finally making headway in getting the reparations they deserve. This is Virginia’s story.

THOUGHTS

Giuffre and the publishing team were very open about the fact that she used a co-author to write Nobody’s Girl. I appreciated the honesty because there should be no shame around utilizing help in telling one’s story. Similarly to Prince Harry’s Spare, there should be more of an open discussion and acceptance around ghost-writers and co-authors.

Going into the book, I honestly did not know much about Giuffre nor the Epstein case. I knew he ran a sex trafficking ring where he sold young girls to the filthy rich, but reading Giuffre’s memoir was eye-opening.

She said it herself, Epstein and Maxwell targeted girls who would make “the perfect victims.” Giuffre was a victim of domestic sexual assault at a very young age, making her more vulnerable to the deceitful compensation at the price of predatory attention that Epstein offered. It really turns my stomach thinking about how predators take advantage of hurting someone who has already survived abuse. We need to do a better job keeping young people safe and holding perpetrators accountable.

The writing itself was done quite well. While thick with legal jargon at some points, I found the people to be easy to follow, even when unnamed. Towards the end of the book, Giuffre explains the decisions behind naming some and labeling others with pseudonyms like Billionaire #3. Even in death, victims sadly have to walk a fine line when abused by those with any power as retaliation is harsh reality.

As for the content,  there are sections that are painful to read at points. Giuffre does not spare us the details of her abuse, even going so far as to describe deeply non-consensual, intimate moments of her life. After long stretches of graphic abuse, she cuts in with happier content about her children to remind the reader that her life was more than the abuse she endured. In this, she deliberately takes care of the reader, a mercy she herself was rarely granted in life. I thank her for extending the reader this care.

The hardest part of the book for me to read was not in fact her abuse. Beyond the descriptions of abuse, the most chilling passage told the world (at the time of writing) she was not suicidal and if she was reported dead, it would not have been self-inflicted. She does go on to talk about previous suicide attempts in her darkest moments, but I cannot stop thinking about that passage speaking directly to the reader. Giuffre was pronounced dead on April 25, 2025- almost exactly six months before the release of her memoir. My heart breaks for her.

Readers shouldn’t pick up Nobody’s Girl lightly. It’s dark, it’s painful, it’s graphic, and it’s real. I do believe everyone should educate themselves on where we fail victims, where we fail survivors, and how we can help them, but this book is not for the faint of heart.

Rest in peace and rest in power, Virginia Roberts-Giuffre.

Resources for Survivors

For anyone impacted by abuse, free and confidential support and services are available through Transitions of PA. Each year Transitions assists numerous individuals impacted by domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking in Northumberland, Snyder, and Union Counties. Call their hotline [1-800-850-7948] to be connected to a trained advocate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Transitions services are available to the Susquehanna Campus community no matter where or when the harm occurred. Being a current member of the SU community and desiring support are the only qualifications one needs to seek their services. Campus Advocate Allie is regularly in the VIP Center Mondays & Wednesday, reach her via email at kamerer@susqu.edu or stop by the VIP on the lower level of the library to talk.

 

Lorraine Durbin ’26 is a creative writing major at Susquehanna University with a specialization in creative non-fiction