Gisèle Pelicot releases memoir detailing years of abuse

Gisèle Pelicot has released a memoir titled ‘Um hino à vida’ (A Hymn to Life), co-authored with French journalist and novelist Judith Perrignon. The book, published by Presença, is now available in Portuguese bookstores.

The memoir provides a first-person account of Pelicot’s life, covering her childhood in Indre, France, her nearly 50-year marriage to Dominique Pelicot, and the discovery in 2020 that she had been drugged and sexually assaulted by her husband and dozens of men recruited via the internet.

The book details the legal proceedings that culminated in a 2024 trial where 51 defendants were convicted. While investigations identified at least 72 men involved in the abuses between 2011 and 2020, 51 were formally charged. Pelicot stated her intention with the book is to share a message of strength and courage, encouraging others in similar situations to never feel shame.