The Apology

From the bestselling author of The Vagina Monologues--a powerful, life-changing examination of abuse and atonement.

“A triumph of artistry and empathy.” --Naomi Klein

“A crucial step forward . . . This is an urgently needed book right now.” --Jane Fonda

“Unflinching candor . . . immeasurable grace.” --Anita Hill

“Courageous, transformative, and yes--healing.” --Anne Lamott

"Unflinchingly increases our understanding of the human experience." --Michael Cunningham

“[The Apology] will change how all of us think about our souls.” --Johann Hari

“Shatteringly brilliant.” --The Times

"The geometry of toxic masculinity is contained within these pages.” --Marc Maron

Like millions of women, Eve Ensler has been waiting much of her lifetime for an apology. Sexually and physically abused by her father, Eve has struggled her whole life from this betrayal, longing for an honest reckoning from a man who is long dead. After years of work as an anti-violence activist, she decided she would wait no longer; an apology could be imagined, by her, for her, to her. The Apology, written by Eve from her father's point of view in the words she longed to hear, attempts to transform the abuse she suffered with unflinching truthfulness, compassion, and an expansive vision for the future.

Through The Apology Eve has set out to provide a new way for herself and a possible road for others, so that survivors of abuse may finally envision how to be free. She grapples with questions she has sought answers to since she first realized the impact of her father's abuse on her life: How do we offer a doorway rather than a locked cell? How do we move from humiliation to revelation, from curtailing behavior to changing it, from condemning perpetrators to calling them to reckoning? What will it take for abusers to genuinely apologize?

Remarkable and original, The Apology is an acutely transformational look at how, from the wounds of sexual abuse, we can begin to re-emerge and heal. It is revolutionary, asking everything of each of us: courage, honesty, and forgiveness.

“Accusation and punishment of the guilty is one critical step in reckoning with abuse. Eve Ensler offers another crucial step forward: the deep self-reckoning and accounting that a true apology requires. This is an urgently needed book right now.” —Jane Fonda

“In this triumph of artistry and empathy, Eve Ensler leaves us with a transformative question: What if the words we most long to hear from another can be located within ourselves?” —Naomi Klein

“The Apology is both an excoriation and an act of startling forgiveness. Even as it depicts jaw-dropping cruelties, it probes the complexities and layers that underlie what could, in lesser hands, appear as the opaque surface of pure evil. Eve Ensler unflinchingly increases our understanding of the human experience even at its darkest, which is quite possibly a writer’s, any writer’s, most significant contribution.” —Michael Cunningham

“The Apology is a brave step toward radical healing—not just for Eve Ensler, but for all those who accept her invitation to confront the trauma of sexual abuse and find the apology they might never hear. But Ensler’s book can also be seen as an invitation to men and a road map for the apologies that need to be made.” —Tony Porter, CEO, A Call to Men

“Twenty-five years ago, Eve Ensler transformed how women think about their bodies. With this book, she will change how all of us think about our souls.” —Johann Hari, author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connection

“Courageous, transformative, and yes—healing.” —Anne Lamott