Ashley Judd, UK Alumna and Center Associate, Releases Memoir

Ashley Judd may be best known as an award-winning and accomplished actress, and in Kentucky as an avid basketball fan; but she would likely describe herself as first a social justice activist and author. Those last two roles have come together in the release of Judd’s new book entitled All That is Bitter and Sweet: A Memoir.  The book is a deeply moving account of Judd’s odyssey from Kentucky child, to UK alumna and actress, to her current status as an internationally prominent fiercely dedicated advocate for women. And it underscores why she now works in collaboration with the Center for Research on Violence Against Women.

In All That is Bitter and Sweet, Judd describes the beginning of her decade-long journey in 2001 when, on the set of a movie in which she was starring, she received an invitation from Population Services International to become a spokesperson to aid their storytelling on the devastating human crisis of AIDS. For Judd the invitation was a beginning, a way for her to lend her voice to the voiceless.  Her acceptance took her around the world, to Cambodia, Thailand, India, and Africa. Her book is her story told in a diary format, but is equally the story of healing and selfless service. Judd describes her pull to social justice work this way: “I feel fear. . . It’s that daunted, jittery moment before a huge wave crashes, and I, standing in the powerful ocean staring at the advancing crest, beginning to seriously doubt the wild abandon and love of adventure that put me in the ocean in front of a wave that could snap my neck. But the fear does not stop me, because more powerful is the certain knowledge that I am less of a woman when I ignore the plight of women elsewhere. My life is richer when I chose to align myself with their realities, share their truth, witness their lives, and admit their pain into my soul.”

“Ashley has developed an extraordinary voice for women exposed to violence, in Kentucky and around the world. By allowing their pain to touch her so deeply, Ashley has become a speaking-trumpet, sharing women’s stories in a way few can. At the Center we are extremely proud of Ashley’s work and of her partnership with us,” said Carol E. Jordan, assistant provost and director of the Center for Research on Violence Against Women.

To learn more about All That is Bitter and Sweet: A Memoir, visit Ashley Judd’s website at http://ashleyjudd.com/all-that-is-bitter-and-sweet/

For additional information about the center, contact Carol E. Jordan, director, Center for Research on Violence Against Women by e-mail at carolj@uky.edu.