Preface -- Part One. Santa Cruz -- The physics of waves -- Date night -- independence day -- Beltway baby -- Every wave starts with a ripple -- The price of popularity -- Indelible -- The bad years -- The perfect years -- At home in the water -- Part Two. The science of the mind -- The Corroborators -- Multiple choice -- The lounge chair crew -- The handoff -- Law and order -- The breakup -- Here goes everything -- Hotel California -- Flight risk -- Love/hate -- Tree of life -- Part Three. Riding the wave -- Do no harm -- Testimony eve -- A credible witness -- I intend no ill will -- Zombie -- A man's life is shattered -- Glass half full -- Part Four. The waiting -- Anyway -- Hibernation -- Memo -- No good things -- Exclusive -- River of deceit -- The gift of fear -- The kindness of strangers -- Thicker than water -- Boys and girls -- The road to recovery -- Epilogue -- Acknowledgments

On September 27, 2018, Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee which was considering the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court; this is the true behind-the-scenes story of that testimony

On September 27, 2018, Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee which was considering the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. She described an alleged sexual assault by the Supreme Court nominee that took place at a high school party in the 1980s. Her words and courage on that day provided some of the most credible and unforgettable testimony our country has ever witnessed. In One Way Back, Ford recounts the months she spent trying to get information into the right hands without exposing herself and her family to dangerous backlash. Drawing parallels to her life as a surfer, she explains the process of paddling out into unknown waters despite the risks and fears, knowing there is only one way back to shore. The book reveals riveting new details about the leadup to her testimony and its overwhelming aftermath and describes how she continues to navigate her way out of the storm. This is the real story behind the headlines and the soundbites, a complex, page-turning memoir of a scientist, a surfer, a mother, a patriot and an unlikely whistleblower. Ford's experience shows that when one person steps forward to speak truth to power, she adds to a collective whole, causing "a ripple that might one day become a wave."