orgasms during assault, sexual promiscuity, female rage, freezing and passivity—illuminating how society misreads these acts as deviance or consent, rather than brilliant acts of self-preservation.”
Multiple reviewers point out that Girls Play Dead is both personal and research-driven, “reads like a novel,” and is an important and empathic piece of work on an often misunderstood subject.
In an interview with Sarah Viren, LitHub, Percy explains how she was enlightened about the the titular phenomenon of “tonic immobility” after seeing a video of several different types of animals playing dead. They “looked so serene, like they were sleeping, even though they were literally paralyzed with fear. I didn’t know at the time that playing dead could be involuntary. It made me think about so many things, including Sleeping Beauty, and the way we talk about women and passivity more generally. I learned this type of paralysis was a common in sexual assault cases, and then I wondered: what else aren’t we talking about?”
Publishers Weekly: “Through extensive, empathetic interviews with sexual assault survivors she not only looks at freezing but also to other “post-assault symptoms like agoraphobia, dissociation, seizures in response to stimuli reminiscent of attacks, and increased sexual activity as a way of regaining agency. While these methods of self-preservation are deeply ingrained…they also have ‘imprisoning powers,’ leading victims to suffer feelings of extreme guilt.”
Kirkus Reviews: “Percy deserves kudos for not shying away from even the most complex and controversial subjects, including the ways in which cut-and-dried prosecution and policing are in disharmony with the often confusing reactions that a person might have during an assault…In compelling, strong writing, Percy demands that we look at assault as a complex, multifaceted issue, one that stems from women’s patriarchal conditioning—’we sometimes learn that pleasing is the best way to react’.”
Hannah Burns, Brooklyn Rail: “I am moved by the way Percy’s own PTSD informed the storytelling in Girls Play Dead. The curiosity, searching for patterns in her reporting, finding recognition in other’s stories, and circling back to the self, her own memory. The structure of the book mirrors the intricacy of a mind healing, not by any means linear. Girls Play Dead doesn’t ask why abuse happens, but how we survive violation, how we respond to fear, and how we tell our stories.”
