Start by Believing: Larry Nassar's Crimes, the Institutions that Enabled Him, and the Brave Women Who Stopped a Monster

by John Barr, Dan Murphy

Overview

The definitive, devastating account of the largest sex abuse scandal in American sports history-with new details and insights into the institutional failures, as well as the bravery that brought it to light.


For decades, osteopathic physician Larry Nassar built a sterling reputation as the go-to doctor for America's Olympians while treating countless others at his office on Michigan State University's campus. It was largely within the high-pressure world of competitive gymnastics that Nassar exploited young girls, who were otherwise motivated by fear and intimidation, sexually assaulting hundreds of them under the guise of medical treatment.

In Start by Believing, John Barr and Dan Murphy confront Nassar's acts, which represent the largest sex abuse scandal to impact the sporting world. Through never-before-released interviews and documents they deconstruct the epic institutional failures and individuals who enabled him. When warnings were raised, self-serving leaders chose to protect their organizations' reputations over the well-being of young people.

Following the paths traveled by courageous women-featuring a once-shy Christian attorney and a brash, outspoken Olympic medalist-Barr and Murphy detail the stories of those who fought back against the dysfunction within their sport to claim a far-from-inevitable victory. The gymnasts' uncommon perseverance, along with the help of dedicated advocates brought criminals to justice and helped to fuel the #MeToo revolution.

Start by Believing reveals the win-at-all-costs culture in elite athletics and higher education that enabled a quarter century of heinous crimes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316532150
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	01/14/2020
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

John Barr has worked as an investigative reporter for ESPN since 2003. In 2019 his coverage of the Larry Nassar scandal was honored with a Peabody Award and the IRE Sports Investigations Award. In 2011, his report on human trafficking during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa won a National Edward R. Murrow Award. Prior to joining ESPN, Barr produced and reported stories for The National Geographic Channel, Court TV, and, for more than a decade, in local television. A native of London, Ontario, Canada. He lives just outside of Philadelphia.

Dan Murphy is an investigative reporter at ESPN. He was honored with a Peabody Award and the IRE Sports Investigations Award in 2019. His coverage of college athletics and broader issues in the world of sports has appeared on ESPN's digital, television and print outlets. Based now in Michigan, Murphy is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Table of Contents

Authors' Note xi

Prologue 1

Part I The Banality of Evil

Chapter 1 The Awkward Introvert 13

Chapter 2 The Absolute Monarch 23

Chapter 3 Pushing Boundaries 33

Chapter 4 What Price Glory? 45

Chapter 5 Absolute Fury 51

Chapter 6 All That Glitters 59

Chapter 7 The Ranch 67

Chapter 8 Money and Medals 82

Part II Unheeded Warnings

Chapter 9 The Pitbull 93

Chapter 10 Spartan Silence 103

Chapter 11 Hide-and-Seek 114

Chapter 12 Statute of Limitations 120

Chapter 13 "Souls Fall…Like Snowflakes" 126

Chapter 14 The Perfect Storm 135

Chapter 15 Fierce Five 142

Chapter 16 What's Wrong with This Picture? 152

Chapter 17 A Formal Complaint 160

Chapter 18 "A Great Bullshitter" 171

Chapter 19 The Cover Story 179

Chapter 20 Damage Control 189

Part III The Wrong Army

Chapter 21 Cracking Under Pressure 205

Chapter 22 Coming Forward 212

Chapter 23 Breaking News 221

Chapter 24 Fallout Begins 228

Chapter 25 Trash Day 232

Chapter 26 Victim-Centered 239

Chapter 27 Critical Testimony 247

Chapter 28 Defensive Posture 253

Chapter 29 The National Spotlight 262

Chapter 30 Uncivil Actions 270

Chapter 31 Striking a Deal 277

Chapter 32 Armed and Ready 286

Chapter 33 Expanding Ranks 292

Chapter 34 A Rare Gift 299

Epilogue 305

Acknowledgments 317

Index 323

Editorial Reviews

10/21/2019

In this hard-hitting exposé, Peabody Award–winning ESPN reporters Barr and Murphy recount the rise and notorious fall of Larry Nassar, a Michigan State University sports physician who went to prison in 2018 for sexually assaulting hundreds of women and girls while allegedly treating their injuries. In this disturbing portrait, Nasser is an insidious predator, friendly and ingratiating, who disguised his assaults as legitimate procedures while using his medical reputation to dismiss victims’ accusation. Empowering him, the authors show, was the gymnastics industry itself, which demanded girls’ unquestioning obedience to tyrannical and sometimes violent coaches, brutal practice regimens, and weight restrictions that fostered injuries that Nassar treated with pain-killers and “massages”; meanwhile, the sport’s governing organization, USA Gymnastics, covered up abuse complaints against Nassar and others. Foregrounding several women who finally brought charges, Barr and Murphy vividly convey the sense of confusion and helplessness that beset victims as their claims met with patronizing disbelief, sometimes from their own parents. The result is a searing indictment of a child molester and the culture of silence and submission that abetted him. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"A taut dramatic narrative, critical new reporting, and a full understanding of how Larry Nassar's unfathomable evil was enabled and given long life. Start by Believing will shock you with its truths, and lift you with the courage of these women."—Bob Ley, Emmy Award-winning former host of ESPN's Outside the Lines

"This is a horrifying story, and an important one, powerfully and carefully told by journalists John Barr and Dan Murphy. Their meticulously reported narrative presents a riveting account of the courage of these heroic women who will forever define the beginnings of the #MeToo movement."—Christine Brennan, bestselling author and USA Today national sports columnist

"Thank you John Barr and Dan Murphy for shedding light on the historical account of the crimes of Larry Nassar. This book connects the dots of when and how this atrocity happened, and chronicles the stories of the brave women who eventually acknowledged their truth, found their voice, and fueled a revolution of Time's Up."—Valorie Kondos Field, Former UCLA gymnastics coach and seven-time NCAA Champion

"A meticulously reported and fearless work, Start by Believing is an epic indictment of the people who for decades enabled the culture of abuse and exploitation that made Larry Nassar's crimes possible, even inevitable. John Barr and Dan Murphy expose the institutional callousness-from coaches to top executives at the USAG-and the price that generations of girls and young women have had to pay."—Joan Ryan, bestselling author of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes

"Start by Believing is a powerful look at how victims of Larry Nassar's abuse were failed at every step along the way by the institutions-and people-that allowed it to continue unchecked for 25 years. If you want to understand how these unimaginable crimes continued for so long, and what we need to do to ensure that no more young athletes have to face similar dangers, you need to start by reading Start by Believing."—Scott Berkowitz, President and Founder of RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National

"Not a day goes by when I don't reflect on the survivors of Larry Nassar's horrific crimes. This empathetic, sensitively written book takes a deeper dive into the lives of the people who were hurt and shines a spotlight on their courage. I thank John and Dan for their efforts, which will no doubt support the overall goal of making our beautiful sport safe for athletes once again."—Dominique Moceanu, 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist

"An incredible story."
—Cheddar TV

"Shocking...enraging."—Salon Talks

"An important story that needs to be told."
—PopSugar

"[Start By Believing] features reporting so deep, broad, and incisive that it is unlikely to be surpassed...the book is a must-read."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"[A] hard-hitting expose.... Foregrounding several women who finally brought charges, Barr and Murphy vividly convey the sense of confusion and helplessness that beset victims.... The result is a searing indictment."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

12/01/2019

The conviction and sentencing of Larry Nassar in 2018 resolved the worst sexual abuse scandal in sports history, although the healing process continues for hundreds of victims. Winners of the Peabody Award for their previous coverage of the case, Barr and Murphy, both investigative reporters at ESPN, have written the most comprehensive account of the scandal to date, including a biographical portrait of Nassar and an in-depth investigation of the safety nets that failed to protect the young gymnasts in his care. Several survivors have released deeply affecting memoirs; theirs and others' stories are included along with thorough research that reveals exactly how a dangerous predator went undetected for so long. From the first accusations by frightened victims to the moment of vindication in a Michigan courtroom, this is the definitive history of the case. VERDICT The authors' exhaustive research and relentless pursuit of the truth create an unsettling and stark record of the abuse scandal that sent shockwaves across America and which continues to resonate deeply.—Janet Davis, Darien P.L., CT

Library Journal

★ 2019-10-21
Larry Nassar, the Michigan State University doctor who sexually abused hundreds of girls and young women—mostly gymnasts—will remain in prison until he dies. Peabody Award-winning ESPN journalists Barr and Murphy illuminate how he managed to assault unsuspecting victims for decades.

Recent books on the Nassar case have included Abigail Pesta's The Girls and Rachael Denhollander's What Is a Girl Worth? While those accounts provide urgent reading about the massive sex abuse scandal, this one features reporting so deep, broad, and incisive that it is unlikely to be surpassed. The patients Nassar abused were mostly preteens and teenagers, many of them virgins, who sometimes failed to recognize that legitimate treatment by Nassar should never have included the vile, penetrative actions he took. The few victims who tried to express their discomfort before 2016 suffered a different sort of abuse: being disbelieved by their parents, their gymnastics coaches, university administrators, police detectives, and even fellow gymnasts. Nassar was mild-mannered and married with children, and he had earned a reputation as a healer. However, it's unquestionable that the doubters should have known better, and the authors provide copious evidence that shows negligence on the parts of countless individuals. Nassar might have continued his assaults for years were it not for a 2016 exposé by three newspaper reporters at the Indianapolis Star, a lawyer in California who was already suing abusive Catholic priests, and a police detective at Michigan State University. The graphic evidence and the attitudes of the enablers are almost certain to produce rage among readers, but the book is a must-read "about power and control." Ultimately, write the authors, "this remarkable group of survivors took back control, spoke truth to power, toppled the leadership of [MSU and USA gymnastics], and, in so doing, empowered countless others."

The go-to book about a horrific series of crimes.

Kirkus Reviews