MAUREEN O'BOYLE
With great empathy I read about Maureen O'Boyle and the horrible rape she survived. I, like a growing number of women, have also been raped. I knew my attacker, and after the rape I had to see him every day and sit in the same classroom with this terrible person who made me feel I was worth nothing. I almost wished he had taken my life. I don't know how I survived mentally, because I didn't tell my family, fearing that they would blame me as I blamed myself. It took many years to tell them and get the counseling I needed. Rape is something no one should keep to themselves.
SHANNON M. MALONEY, Bound Brook, N.J.
A pat on the back to Maureen O'Boyle. I am a rape victim, and being able to relate to someone's story is sometimes the best therapy you will ever receive. Unless you are a rape victim yourself, you won't know what another rape victim feels. It steals your life away.
PAULA SMITH, Flint, Mich.
Your current issue really made my mind up about subscribing next year: You can count me out. I am sick of all these women on the covers, seeking publicity and bucks related to distress. Fallen breast implants, over-or undereating disorders and continuing stories on rape-incest victims. Give us a break.
KAL EDWARDS, Napa, Calif.
I applaud Maureen O'Boyle for having the strength to tell her story. Following the recent Tyson trial, I have heard extremely disturbing comments that the only reason women are coming forward is for the publicity and money. I am 19 years old, and I was raped about one month ago by someone I thought was a friend at college. I do not have the courage to report the incident or even to sign my name to this letter. I live in fear of my attacker and of what other people would think of me if they knew what happened. Women like Maureen Boyle, who are able to share their story, are not money hungry. They an; spokeswomen for the thousands of scared victims like myself who pray that the public's awareness of rape will help stop this unspeakable crime.
ANONYMOUS
BILLY DENNISON
Obviously the only fair punishment for Willie; and Jimmy Dennison—the father and uncle who tattooed 7-year-old Billy against his will—is a fresh tattoo for each of them. One that says CONVICTED CHILD ABUSER on their foreheads. I think the good folks of both Virginia and West Virginia would go for that.
HEATHER NANN DAVIS, Terra Alta, W.Va.
HULK HOGAN
I know I'm just a kid—I'm 13—but as long as I can remember, Hulk Hogan has been a role model to me. Even if he did use drugs, I think he has changed and is helping so many kids to stay clean.
JOE SMELITCO, Solano Beach, Calif.
I can't say he has never used steroids, but I can tell you that the Hulkster has always been a big man. I knew Terry while we were in high school, and he was huge then. It wouldn't have taken much more than some intensive weight training to get to where he is today. I don't remember him doing drugs while in school—beer maybe, but that's about it. I have my own little "Hulkster," who's 6. I wouldn't allow Terry as a hero if I thought he would be detrimental to my son.
SUSAN MARCANTONI, Axson, Ga.
For too long the steroid issue was ignored by the media because it was "just pro wrestling" and not worthy of their time. This is not true. Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon have become multimillionaires marketing Hogan and the WWF to impressionable youngsters. At the very least, Hogan owed his fans the truth.
CAROLINE GILL, Anchorage
SEAN BARRON
Thank you for the wonderful story of Sean Barron and his mother, Judy. It's stories like this that keep parents of autistic children hoping for the same miracle. It gives me strength to keep going with my own high-functioning autistic daughter. Sadly, not every autistic can hope to be as successful in life as Sean, but with articles such as this one, at least people learn what autism is all about.
JEANETTE BOWEN, Winter Haven, Fla.
Judy and Sean Barron have written a remarkable book. My daughter is autistic-, and I can tell you most of the articles and books on autism are grim and hopeless. One book I read said, "Don't fool yourself. There is not a normal child trapped inside your autistic child." But I know there is a normal little 4½-year-old inside my Annie because I see glimpses of her. She will be "with me" for a while—sometimes for hours—and then she will slip away. She is beautiful and bright, and I want her with us all the time. I believe it will happen, just as it did with Sean. The Barrens are the first—in print—to agree with me. It's a bright light at the end of a long tunnel.
BEV LOGAN HUTCHERSON, Versailles, Ky.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
