SHATTERED: Reclaiming a Life Torn Apart by Violence

In 1998 the author, a hospice nurse, wife and mother, was attacked in her Delaware home by Donald Flagg, a cocaine-addicted factory worker. Flagg entered her house and shot and killed Nico, her husband of 25 years. When Sharp came inside from gardening, Flagg was waiting. After raping her, he stuffed her in his car trunk. She was tied up and imprisoned in Flagg's house for five days and learned that her husband was dead only through a radio news report. Sharp was rescued after she was able to loosen her bonds and dial 911, while her captor was at work. This gripping and dramatic story, recounted with the assistance of journalist Preston, is a subjective but powerful argument for the rights of crime victims and a testament to the author's courage and resilience. Sharp describes how the tragedy affected Michael and Melissa, her two college-aged children, as well as other family members, incisively noting that all the minor strife and strain that existed before the crime remain. Despite Flagg's trial attorneys' attempt to build a case for insanity by eliciting sympathy for their client, even though he had raped other women, Flagg was sentenced to life imprisonment. Now remarried, the author is currently a national speaker for victim's rights. (Sept.)