I Have Life - Alison's Inspiring Story Of Survival As Told to Marianne Thamm (Paperback)

"Move over or I'll kill you," he whispered. So began -Alison's nightmare journey.

Returning home from a night out, two men car-jacked Alison outside the front of her house. They drove to a -remote spot where they both raped her. Before they left, the attackers strangled her and stabbed her so many times that doctors could barely count the wounds. They then slit her throat and left her for dead in the bushes.

Critically injured, with her intestines spilling out of her wounds, Alison somehow managed to regain consciousness. Fuelled by an intense instinct for survival, she gathered her guts into a shirt and crawled nearly 100 feet to the nearest road, where she was rescued by a passerby.

This is a remarkable story of survival against all odds, but it is also the story of Alison's courage and determination to raise awareness of the effects of rape. Her account is living proof that it is possible to be a survivor and not a victim of sexual violence. Alison made the decision to go public about her attack and became one of the first South African women to reveal her identity. In doing so, she -became an inspiration to many, and she now tours the world giving inspirational talks about her experiences.

In "I Have Life," Alison, her family, friends, police officers and the medics that saved her life all recount her long journey to recovery. They tell of the lifesaving operations and the trial where her attackers were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. But most importantly they also tell of Alison's internal battle for survival -- the fight against fear, rage and depression that is common to many victims of violence.

"I Have Life" is an inspirational, important andmoving account of one woman's triumph over violence.