Unspeakable Acts: Why Men Sexually Abuse Children

by Douglas W. Pryor

Book Overview

A holistic sociological approach that explores why offenders sexually abuse children

The sexual abuse of children is one of the most morally unsettling and emotionally inflammatory issues in American society today. It has been estimated that roughly one out of every four girls and one in ten boys experience some form of unwanted sexual attention either inside or outside the family before they reach adulthood.

How should society...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814766668
• ISBN13: 9780814766668
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Length: 362 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A real insight into the mind behaviour of the paedophile

I received this book only yesterday and I am half way through reading it the writer does challenge convential wisdom of lock them up and throw the key away he questions the approach to the flog and hang them brigade.If you read it objectively there is information on how to identify abuse, listening to your children dealing with your own disgust facing the issues of child abuse. He does not excuse what they have done but he reasons why they have done it,he challenges the lying deception of paedophilies who deluded themselves of the child initiating sexual contact with an adult,he shows the child as a person in their own right not to be abused.This book should be standard text for all who work with offenders and children.

Great man = great book.

I was a student of Pryor's his first year at TU (and for several years thereafter) and this was a required read for us. This book is unique in the sense that Pryor studied offenders and not the victims (and he does it without being sympathetic to the offenders too). I believe he was one of the first social researchers to do this. The book is relatively detailed, but it's not boring. That surprised me considering how most sociological reseach reads. If you're interested in sexual deviance, specifically pedophilia, read this book because it looks at a completely different perspective than most research on the topic does.

Book really helped me...

As a social worker, I have to deal with men who sexually abuse children - and try to help them. This book helped me to understand such men WITHOUT excusing their acts. I am now able to talk to these men and work with them much better. There is little in the literature about sexual perps and the stuff is usually about the effects on the victims. This book accepts the victims, however, focuses on the men.

Thought provoking content helped clarify some questions.

Although the explicit nature of Unspeakable Acts was oftentimes difficult to read, I made myself finish. I'm glad I did. I read the book just after my husband went to jail for fondling our daughter. Getting a glimpse of the mentality and motives of other sexual abusers helped me to finally understand --- and ultimately forgive --- my husband. Standing beside him through the legal process and in dealing with mental health professionals for both him and our daughter has been a difficult task for me, but one I've chosen to take on. I appreciate the candid content of Unspeakable Acts as it helped me to better understand the atrocity we call sexual abuse. I highly recommend the book, and encourage future readers not to put it down when the reading gets tough!

Great book that really gets into the mind of a child abuser

I read this book for a paper in my psychology class and this book is like no other on child sexual abuse. This is a real candid look into the abusers' mind, told by the abusers themselves. The stories go into enough detail to understand what the abuser was thinking at the time, while not going into too much detail making the book extremely disturbing to read. If you are into psychology, sociology, or just want to know what makes these men do these Unspeakable Acts, this is a great book to read.