Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1178032
THIS WEEK BOOKS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 OCTOBER 2019 4 Skyrocketing to international fame after sentencing serial rapist Larry Nassar to 175 years in jail in a case that became a lightning- rod for the '#MeToo' era, American-Maltese Judge Rosemarie Aquilina speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about the implications of that landmark case, her Maltese roots and her ongoing forays into crime fiction writing, ahead of her appearance as the special guest for this year's edition of the Malta Book Festival Teodor Reljic 'I am not afraid to speak' In the wake of the Larry Nassar ruling, you made it a point to stress that the story should never be about you as a judge, but about the victims, and yet the media kept gravitating towards you. How did you feel about this, and what do you think it says about our contemporary culture and the current media landscape? The story of each survi- vor remains theirs and with them. My story is different and spans well beyond this case. Mine is about a broken justice and medical system that must be fixed. It includes teaching children body parts, using correct terminology from the time they learn to speak, and about their rights with an understanding about informed consent. They have the right to know the reason anyone, even their doctor, wants to touch them and the right always to say no. I not only address predatory be- haviour and grooming issues, I address sexual assault, do- mestic violence, child abuse, vulnerable victims, bullying, and sex trafficking. Further, I talk about issues that include creating safe spaces for vic- tims to speak, using language that doesn't blame, shame or shut down victims, power, empowerment, motivation, equality, and equity. These are issues that arise every day in my courtroom and I gained experience from my law practice, the military, and from areas where I also teach as a professor of law. I have had many cases the me- dia have covered. The media gravitates toward me because I am not afraid to speak. I am not afraid to stand up for what is right or to say what others only dare to think. For change to occur we must take risks. I will continue to speak on behalf of the most vulner- able. Without voice there is no change; with voice there is change. How does your fiction writing figure into your life, and what motivates you to keep writing? Would you say your 'day job' puts you in a particularly privileged position as a writer of crime fiction? I have wanted to be an au- thor since I was three years old. I write because I enjoy it and it gives me a mental vaca- tion. Writing is my "destress- er." Being an attorney, judge, military judge, law professor, and mother all have added to a colourful collection of char- acters and situations that land in my books as fiction. I hear a lot of expert testimony and testimony from law enforce- ment as well as defendants, and victims to add realism into any mystery/thriller I write, which is a lot of fun for me. Being a judge does give me a creative advantage; there are often outstanding people and stories that inspire me. In addition, truth is often stran- ger than fiction and there is always information I would like to use, but I do not think readers would believe it! "My father's heart remains in Malta and he raised us to embody and respect our homeland. His favourite saying that has been ingrained in my siblings and me is: "God is Good; God is Great; God is Maltese" Judge Rosemarie Aquilina