Beautiful Justice

Reclaiming My Worth After Human Trafficking and Sexual Abuse

By: Brooke Axtell

Narrated by: Brooke Axtell

A story of healing and a guide to seeking justice after sexual abuse from Brooke Axtell, one of the foremost survivor experts on sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking

When Brooke Axtell was seven years old, her nanny subjected her to sex trafficking. Today, she is a champion and advocate for women around the world who have experienced sexual violence and trauma.

Beautiful Justice shares Brooke's own gripping story, both the trauma of sex trafficking and also her pathway through healing, moving on, and reclaiming power. Along the way, she imparts warm wisdom for others who have experienced similar violence, providing lessons from her own life and from the thousands of women, advocates, and lawmakers she's spoken with. Relying on her own experiences and a keen awareness of public policy, she provides a clear-eyed awareness of the ways that our culture and government work against women experiencing violence around the world.

Inspiring and powerfully redemptive, Brooke encourages readers to take part in a creative resistance as a path to justice.

Critic reviews

"Beautiful Justice is a fierce declaration of survival, grace, and dignity. Axtell bares her soul to the world in searing prose that demands we hear the voices of survivors with respect and compassion. Her perseverance in the face of brutality reminds us of all that is noble in the human spirit."
—Siddharth Kara, author of Modern Slavery: A Global Perspective and Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery

"Beautiful Justice is a powerful, poetic call to remember that our worth as women, as survivors, can never be taken from us. Our worth is right here for us to reclaim, from within. Brooke Axtell's story of healing her trauma, returning to her body, and finding fierce love for herself, leads to the greatest triumph of all, to the light no darkness can extinguish; the voice of her own soul."
—Meggan Watterson, author of Reveal and The Sutras of Unspeakable Joy and coauthor of How to Love Yourself

"As a survivor of sexual exploitation and abuse, Brooke takes us on her journey with painstaking honesty and integrity. She takes the reader through her music and poetry and shows us how strong the spirit is. We intimately meet the girl, the woman, the survivor, the advocate, the artist, as she inspires others to their healing. Brooke is an inspiration to all sexual abuse survivors, and as she eloquently writes, 'The pain we feel is not infinite, love is.' The is a lot of love in Beautiful Justice."
—Dr. Patti Feuereisen, founder of Girlthrive, and author of Invisible Girls: Speaking the Truth About Sexual Abuse

"Brooke Axtell's genius book Beautiful Justice proves that every woman has a story that deserves to be heard, and no matter its contents, can be transformed. You will find your story in hers. You'll be reminded that we can all play a part to create a world where women are valued."—Gina DeVee, creator of Divine Living

"In her reclamation of worth, Brooke is a beacon. A white hot burning flame of truth. The words and wisdom held within this book are fierce and much needed medicine for these times."—Lisa Lister, author of Witch and Love Your Lady Landscape

"Axtell [is] an example of the power in speaking out."—Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone

"Beautiful Justice lives up to its name. Brooke Axtell's beautifully written story is born of personal tragedy and triumph. Told with warmth, humor and pride, she shares lessons we can all learn from."—Terry Lickona, co-producer of The Grammy Awards

So powerful. So healing. So courageous.

Thank you for giving those of us who remain “safely” silent, a voice. You join a short but powerful list of survivors who have the courage to do the very thing our brains were wired to never do: tell the truth. For those of us with similar trauma histories, it is painfully clear how much you left out—a sensitive decision to protect those who cannot relate. You managed to deliver an unbearable truth with exquisite and comforting prose, and elegant discretion. But trust that those of us who share your history are able to read between the lines of discretion; we know what was left out and we understand why you graciously included “light” joyful material. It’s what we do. Those who don’t get that, well, lucky them. They are blessed to not understand.

Not a book for everyone.

This was a hard listen for me, only because I'm not very good at feeling poetry. I understand the words but I can't feel the feeling behind it. I can tell I'm supposed to be feeling something because I can hear it in Brooke's voice. If you connect with poetry, you will definitely get the feels! The story and narration is NOT lacking, but there is a lot of poetry and it breaks up the story and disconnects me from what I was feeling. This would be an amazing book for a survivor. They may be able to connect more with the words expressed. I'm having a hard time knowing what I feel with this book. I know it can help many, it's well written and Brooke narrates it perfectly. I think someone who can identify with the words and emotions this book creates would like it better than one who has not experienced these awful acts. Keep fighting everyone! Stay strong and pushing foward!