''Eggshell Skull'' is a 2018 non-fiction memoir by Australian author

Bri Lee Brianna "Bri" Lee (born 13 December 1991) is an Australian author, journalist, and activist, known for her 2018 memoir ''Eggshell Skull''. Career Writing and journalism Lee's early writing work included a short story published in Voicewor ...

. It details Lee's experiences as a judge's associate in Brisbane's District Court of Queensland, where she oversees many cases, including those involving

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

and

assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

. Two years into her job, she returns as the complainant in her own case. First published in Australia in July 2018 by

Allen and Unwin George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It went on to become one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and to establish an ...

, the memoir has been widely well received, including winning the People's Choice Award at the 2019 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, and being a recipient of the Davitt Award.

Premise

Bri Lee, a law graduate from Queensland, begins her job as a judge's associate in Brisbane at the Supreme and District Court. She is confronted by a barrage of cases, many of them involving acts of violence and sexual assault against women. Many of the perpetrators are not brought to justice. Prejudice against the female victims and an overall

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of Dominance hierarchy, dominance and Social privilege, privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical Anthropology, anthropological term for families or clans controll ...

influence upon the general public is noted in many cases. This causes some instability for Lee, who begins to engage in acts of

self-harm Self-harm is intentional behavior that is considered harmful to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues usually without a suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-injury and self-mutilatio ...

and alcoholism. Her long-term boyfriend, Vincent, and a tight-knit family (consisting of a policeman father and an artist mother) make up her support network. Despite these solid personal relationships, Lee is plagued by her past: being a witness daily to the injustices in Queensland's District Court force her to confront her own traumatic childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her brother's teenage friend Samuel. Two years into her career as a judge's associate, she brings forward her own case against Samuel.

Title

''The Eggshell Skull'' is named after the legal doctrine which stipulates that a

defendant In court proceedings, a defendant is a person or object who is the party either accused of committing a crime in criminal prosecution or against whom some type of civil relief is being sought in a civil case. Terminology varies from one jurisdic ...

in a criminal case must "take their victim as they find them".

References

{{reflist 2018 non-fiction books Australian non-fiction books Violence against women in Australia Feminism in Australia Allen & Unwin books

Premise

Title

See also

References