Ticket 2 Ride

A sad tale. A detailed account of Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s life and how it was impacted by Jeffrey Epstein. Written by Giuffre prior to her death earlier this year.

Nobody’s Girl is a tough read. What makes it even sadder is Giuffre’s death by suicide. The fact that the Epstein files, in whatever redacted or “cleansed form” are still not released (at the time of this writing), even though such requirement was signed into law.

Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and others, named and unnamed, involved in the sex trafficking, sexual assault and other heinous acts against children and young women. Giuffre’s story is one of privileged, wealthy and powerful individuals not only carrying out these acts – for years – and then having the resources to fight to protect themselves, squash the truth and destroy lives. It’s a travesty that Maxwell received preferential treatment in her transfer to a prison affording her a more comfortable life, in exchange for insinuating that Donald Trump was a good boy and not involved in any bad behavior. Nice try.

Do I recommend this book? I recommend hearing this woman’s story and that of other victims of Epstein, Maxwell, et al. Do we better understand why these predators are able to fly under the legal system radar for so long, or to use it to bury witnesses in debt, litigation and fear?

What we should understand is that the privileged live in a different world and are used to a different set of rules. Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s was ruined by predators, first in her own family situation, then by many others who took no accountability for their actions.

“But I was also utterly reliant on him (Epstein) at this point, not only for my rent but also for validation. Some other victims have talked about experiencing Stockholm syndrome developing positive feelings for one’s abuser as a means of surviving.”

Sad is the only word that feels remotely appropriate in how I felt when I closed this book for the last time. Most of us have nothing to compare to what Giuffre endured in her life, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take something from her experience.