BOOK REVIEW
: Seven for a Secret…..”
by Tracy Hansen (1991)

SPCK, 116p Stg £4.99


There are two dolls on the front cover of this book. The one on the left is Beverly,
 she is brown eyed and she knew about the author’s rape. She was rejected. Diana 
is on the right. She is blue eyed and proper. She denied all knowledge of the rape.

The story of how Tracy Hansen brought the two sides of her broken childhood
 and adult life together through these dolls is vividly expressed.

On page one Tracy tells of her rape at age six by a family friend. When she told
 her mother she was not believed. From that point she began the process of
 denying and repressing the memory until she was 41 years old. The old memory 
and what had caused her so much damage began to return.

The book is the story of how she began to enter deeply into her six year old self
 to explore the loss and the pain of her raped childhood. Beverly and Diana play an
 important role in her healing. Through a series of steps and with great respect for 
her inner six year old, Tracy moves through the layers of healing.

The Author is a christian and her faith in her ultimate wholeness is expressed 
through her religious belief. Her healing is ritually expressed in a special ceremony
 with Beverly. It was for the Author, a powerful spiritual and therapeutic event.

Alan A. Mooney