Powerful. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think about Saving Five, a story of survival written by Amanda Nguyen. As a Harvard student, Nguyen was raped on campus. In the aftermath, still dealing with her irrevocable pain and trauma, she found out that her rape kit would be destroyed after six months if she didn’t report the crime to law enforcement and get an extension request. She rallied. She became a voice. She fought. She changed the law. She founded the non-profit organization Rise that protects the rights of sexual assault and rape survivors. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. And she’ll be the first Vietnamese woman to travel to space as an astronaut.

In Saving Five, Nguyen shares her story - it is as enraging as it is empowering, as harrowing as inspiring. And more than chronicling the events that happened after the rape, she delivers a parallel story set in a fantasy world, where she and different versions of herself at various stages in her life set out to save her 5-year-old self. It’s such a unique addition to the actual story, and I thought it was delivered so well. I have nothing but respect, admiration and appreciation for Nguyen.

Here are some quotes that stayed with me:

The worst thing that happened to me wasn’t being raped. It was being betrayed by America’s criminal justice system. (…) If we make it through the rape without drowning in our own blood, law enforcement, the justice system, and America itself are there to finish the job.

Hunger for justice is my hope. My rage becomes a fire - to burn the system, to light the path, to forge a changed world out of the ashes of my pain.

Many people become activists because life threw them a storm and they chose to rage back. (…) I want all survivors to know that not only can we survive and change the world, but we also do not need to give up what we love.

I walk towards the future filled with profound, extraordinary hope. Walk with me.

“But how many of the women they hurt can we name? In America’s criminal justice system, survivors become background characters to a story that is actually about us—our lives, our bodies, our dignity.”

Thank you @fsgbooks @auwabooks and @netgalley for the eARC. Saving Five is out today, 3/4/25! This is a heavy read, but an important one. Please read this review (and book) only if you’re in the right headspace to do so.

Saving Five is a powerful and harrowing memoir about Amanda Nguyen’s fight for justice after she was raped at Harvard.

Wow. Just wow. I am in awe at Amanda’s strength and resilience. In her memoir, she not only explores her turbulent childhood, but also her trauma at Harvard in such a unique, imaginative, and therapeutic way I’ve never read before. The hurdles she had to go through after such a horrific trauma are infuriating. Swipe for some shocking facts she discovered as she was fighting for justice.

Amanda took that anger and fought against all odds to pass the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights unanimously in Congress! She’s continued fighting for women’s right around the world at the UN, as an activist, and also as an astronaut!! She will be a part of the first all female crew to go to space, and the first Vietnamese woman to do so!

Thank you @amandangocnguyen for so honestly sharing your story and fighting everyday for women 🫶🏼

this author is amazing. she achieved more in 30 years than entire cities do. her story is completely inspiring. i wish we got to see more complexities of it, but i found this to be a real inspiration.

The title of Saving Five is a reference to making you five year old self proud. It's a beautiful idea, and this memoir weaves Amanda Nguyen's experiences with a narrative navigating through the process of coping with trauma alongside her past selves, unpacking and accepting that trauma along the way. This is a story about anger, rape, and perseverance. Not once does it make this story (HER story) about her attacker. It is a powerful story though be forewarned the level of detail regarding the aftermath of rape, the clinical detachment, the judgement, is all very heavily on the page, and while very inspiring some survivors may find the content all too relatable. I applaud all Nguyen has accomplished so far in her life, and the epilogue, which she reads herself in the audiobook version was especially powerful.
Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Farrar, Straus, & Giroux for this ARC!

Amanda Nguyen’s memoir is a powerful, inspiring testament to hope after devastation. Through a creative and vulnerable narrative, she weaves between "reality" and the "Realm of Memory," showing that grief is worth feeling and resilience is always worthwhile. Whether or not you relate to her story, her message is vital—I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Amanda Nguyen is a hero. I have admired her advocacy for a while now and her memoir is just as powerful. Around chapter 3, the impact of what the title means hit me and whew, I’m just so blown away by the structure and beauty of this book. I pre-ordered a copy to support her and I appreciate FSG/macmillan Audio for the gifted e-galley and audiobook.

Amanda Nguyen’s story is one that unfortunately is very common, however, she attempted to find her voice & empower others to continue to follow their dreams.

This is such an excellent book. Amanda you flew to the moon, saw the stars, and came back to Earth because you are Extraordinary.

Amanda Nguyen was about to graduate Harvard when she was raped. She did everything right, went to the ER, had a Rape Test done, and was in contact with her local Rape Crisis Center. She does not want this excoriating rape to define her life. She wants to be an Astronaut and has applied to become part of NASA. She knows her dream will be crushed if she is pursuing a legal case. This will be known and looked at as a weakness. Legally, she has 15 years to decide about pressing charges, but soon finds out that in Massachusetts, rape kits can be destroyed after 6 months with no notification to the victim. She is shocked and horrified. So, her life begins to revolve around making sure every 6 months that her rape kit will be kept.

She realizes how much the Justice System is broken and feels she has been Raped all over again. She is forced to keep reliving the event and must speak about it. Finally, with help from Harvard Legal Experts, she just decides this is so unjust, she must commit Full Time to getting a Bill Passed to help all Sexual Assault Victims. Against all odds and due to her using every last resource she has, she will not give up. She gets other sexual assault survivors involved and knows this is unfair to each and every one.

Amanda is a Vietnamese American. In Vietnam, the Moon symbolizes Love. She most certainly found her power and her love. Remarkable Story.

Thank you NetGalley, Amanda Nguyen, and Farrah, Straus, and Giroux for a copy of this book. I always leave reviews for books I read.

Thank you to Amanda Nguyen, Farrah, Strauss & Giroux and NetGalley for the ARC. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

This was an extremely thought provoking book. All those survivors who had to fight for their own rights. Amanda faced many hardships in her young life. She deserves thanks from millions. Although a difficult topic I enjoyed reading this book.

Amanda Nguyen grew up dreaming of becoming an astronaut and going into space. She was accepted at Harvard and was on the path to achieving that dream when she was raped at a party. She opted to have her rape kit filed under “Jane Doe” as a way to continue pursuing her education while taking the time needed to decide if and when she would pursue legal action. Little did she know that filing it that way would mean her rape kit would be destroyed after 6 months. Amanda was ultimately forced to decide between her long-term educational and career goals and fighting for the right to keep her kit.

Amanda Nguyen’s story has made a lasting impact on me. She fought her way through many obstacles to find justice for herself and millions of other survivors. I enjoyed how her story was broken into two interweaving parts within the book – Amanda’s main story and a separate journey involving her younger selves at ages five, fifteen, twenty-two, and thirty as they navigate the healing process. It made me think about a recent social media trend of meeting your younger self for coffee and the questions your younger self would ask the older you. It also reminded me of my own therapy sessions, thinking about what my younger self needed to hear during certain moments and learning how to advocate for that younger part of myself now as an adult. Thank you, Amanda. Thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for all that you have accomplished for survivors. I’m so glad you are finally getting the chance to go into space. I hope it’s everything you dreamed of.

Thank you to author Amanda Nguyen, publisher Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, AUWA, and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of Saving Five: A Memoir of Hope in exchange for my review.

Saving five by Amanda nguyen is a heartbreaking memoir of survival and hope.

The book.begons at Harvard in 2023 when Amanda arrives for her ten year reunion. Instead she confronts herself at the place she was raped. Talking to past versions of herself at ages 5, 15, 22 and 30 she is able to make peace with the justice she got and in a way reclaims the place.

Amanda's story is told by different versions of herself at different ages. She is an example of what happens when you push through the pain and continue with your dreams. Did I mention she has gone on to pass laws to help others but also is an astronaut!!! She is the epitome of someone who doesn't let anyone take away your dreams.

Special thanks to Amanda Nguyen for sharing your story with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

A powerful and uniquely written memoir. It is no surprise that Amanda Nguyen is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee; she has been through so much but with immense strength and a focus on making things better for those who come after her. We are about the same age and I am in awe of everything she has done. Her memoir is direct and compassionate; I loved that you can see how healing it must have been for her to write this book.

I normally don’t rate memoirs, especially ones that deal with traumatic experiences, but I will say this is a memoir I think everyone should read. While Amanda does go through a traumatic experience, this memoir is hopeful and triumphant. At the end, I just wanted to hug her and tell her that she did that. She changed the system for better. She’s genuinely inspiring and admirable.

Parts of this memoir will gut you and others will make you want to rage (because what do you mean rape kits were thrown out before the statute of limitations)? And I can’t finish this review without acknowledging the way she depicts grief and the stages of it. It was so unique, and I absolutely loved it. All around this book was one I would recommend. Amanda, I’d tell you to shoot for the stars, but it looks like you’re going to make that your reality soon.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this wonderful memoir.

Amanda Nguyen walks readers through the trials and tribulations that have shaped her life in a graceful, poignant and heartfelt way that keeps readers engaged. Her story is compelling and I love that she has focused on her journey, more than on the issue that brought her to the crossroads of her life. Thank you, Amanda, for sharing with us. Thank you for advocating for women worldwide and for the sacrifices you made to do so. Your story will stay with me forever & I look forward to what comes next in your journey!

Amanda Nguyen will be the first woman of Vietnamese descent to fly to space. But her moonshot dream of becoming an astronaut almost didn’t take flight after she was raped in 2013 while attending Harvard University. Determined to fight for change for herself and survivors of sexual assault everywhere, Nguyen decided to dedicate herself to activist advocacy, which resulted in the Survivors' Bill of Rights Act of 2016 and the Stop Asian Hate movement of 2021. After garnering international recognition as a 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee and one of the 2022 Time Women of the Year, Nguyen’s memoir “Saving Five” is an introspective journey written with cinematic prose. Between recounting the worst experience of her life, Nguyen offers imagined scenes of her past selves at ages 5, 15, 22 and 30 going on an epic journey to heal her inner child, meeting personified versions of the stages of grief along the way. This book is a testament to the resilience of survivors, showing that survivors can still shoot for the stars while giving themselves grace to process their trauma.

Time touted Saving Five as one of the best books of 2025, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Saving Five is a memoir by Amanda Nguyen who survived a sexual assault while a student at Harvard. Because she was in the middle of applying to work at NASA and the CIA, her application could be denied if she has pending legal matters. Will Nguyen be able to seek justice or pursue her dream career?

Saving Five is a riveting story with brilliant framing. Nguyen’s story unfolds as she talks to herself at 5, 15, 22, and 30 years old. In this way, she is able to reveal the most interesting stories from her past. Readers aren’t subjected to a drawn-out David Copperfield-style retelling of, “On X, I was born in Y. I was born to A and B and attended school at C.” The framing technique utilized is much more engaging.

My only critique of the book primarily relates to the ending which felt a bit abrupt. Nguyen explains why her career is so important—how she can’t return back home. Then, she seems to be able to quit her job. There seems to be a missing puzzle piece when bringing everything together, but overall, this was a captivating and uplifting story.

*Thanks, NetGalley, for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion.

Shoutout to Gold House Book Club for recommending this book, and thanks to Netgalley + Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the DRC.

It feels very weird to assign a star rating to any memoir, and this is especially the case for Amanda Nguyen’s account of turning rape into policy change. Amanda Nguyen is a badass, but I didn’t connect with this memoir as much as I thought I would. I found the magical realism sections moving and evocative - I could have read so many more chapters of this journey. To get a more fulsome understanding of the bill’s passing (or even just the author's journey), I wish SAVING FIVE were longer.

Amanda Nguyen’s story is powerful, and I’m glad that people will be able to be inspired by any or all of it through SAVING FIVE’s reach.

This might be one of the most important books I'll ever read. Everyone should read it. It's heart breaking but a look into a very serious situation that happens every day unfortunately. This book gives a voice to survivors and it should be honored as well as Amanda Nguyen.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this ARC!!

I was really interested when I heard about this book on social media, and thankfully got to read it ahead of its publication date. Saving Five by Amanda Nguyen is, just as the subtitle says: A Memoir of Hope. While the story (as we know, we’re living in the story) does not wrap up with a picture-perfect bow, the entire story is one that inspires hope — something I believe we all need.

Obviously, please check content warnings. This book is all about the story and legality of sexual assault survivors, so please proceed accordingly. Take care of yourself.

It featured much more about the law than I expected, which I really loved. I didn’t know a lot of this — and the author dives into why that’s by design. While challenging, I believe the author did a great job recounting her experiences while dealing with the government.

I also absolutely adored the adventure element of the book! While I didn’t expect it, I thought the experience of the author walking through the different stages of grief with the different versions of herself was really well done and creative. It felt like a great way to visualize how walking through these can feel, as you’re piecing together which things came from which version of yourself.

Overall, I expected to enjoy this book, but I loved it more than I could have imagined. While handling unimaginably difficult topics and experiences with the creation of law that many of us haven’t encountered, this book makes it accessible. Not to put another thing on her plate, but I deeply hope Nguyen writes more nonfiction in the future!

PS: when you get a bit into the book and still don’t understand the title, just wait. You’ll get there.

PPS: Do not skip the epilogiue!

The way this memoir was written was so unique. Part narrative in her experiences after she was assaulted at Harvard, part dreamscape descriptions of various versions of herself navigating the world. This is an important book as it continues to highlight both the flaws in our system, but more importantly how those flaws impact people on an individual level.