Gisèle Pelicot’s memoir was released on Tuesday in 22 languages worldwide, detailing the horror she endured while sending a powerful message of hope to victims of sexual abuse. “I wanted my story to help others,” she told French channel France 5 ahead of the launch of her book, A Hymn to Life, Shame has to Change Sides.
Pelicot recounted her survival story in the memoir and in her first series of interviews since the landmark 2024 trial that made her a global icon against sexual violence. Her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, was convicted of drugging her so he and dozens of other men could assault her. “Today I’m doing better, and this book allowed me to engage in self-reflection,” she said. “I had to try to rebuild myself on this field of ruins. Today I am a woman standing strong.”
The case prompted a reckoning over rape culture in France and beyond. In December 2024, Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while 50 other men received sentences of three to 15 years. An appeals court later increased one sentence to 10 years. Pelicot’s decision to waive her anonymity and speak publicly impressed many worldwide.
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, herself a survivor of sexual abuse, paid tribute to Pelicot in a message broadcast by the BBC. “Gisèle has demonstrated to the world that it’s not for victims of sexual abuse to feel shame — it’s the perpetrators,” Biles said. “By waiving her anonymity and refusing to feel shame, Gisèle paves the way for other victims to come forward.”
In October, France passed a law defining rape as any non-consensual sexual act, joining other European nations with similar consent-based laws. Previously, French law required proof of “violence, coercion, threat or surprise.” Pelicot said her book is meant to deliver “a message of hope to all the women who are going through a very complicated period in their lives.”
