The Burn List: A Memoir of Abuse from Home to Higher Education Paperback – March 17, 2026

A professor's hand around her throat, and his words, "one way or another, I'll find you," kept her silent.Shackled with student debt and fleeing her abusive family, Julie Cruse had no defense against a hunter.So she fled ... her degree first, then her career, then the long, airless years after.Decades later, tired of running, Cruse has one option left; to put her records in public view: The Burn List: A Memoir of Abuse from Home to Higher Education.---The Burn List follows Julie Cruse from an abusive childhood into two decades of escalating academic exploitation, where her vulnerability made her a target.Across seven universities, male faculty groomed, harassed, and ultimately retaliated against her, beginning in undergrad and ending with her forced exit from a PhD program-and her career.Based on documented communications, The Burn List reveals how unchecked power in academia can enable abuse and create conditions that resemble human trafficking.The Burn List is not just one story. It's a lightning rod, and it arrives at a pivotal cultural moment, as Title VII and Title IX failures dominate headlines. In a time when survivors demand accountability, The Burn List sets fire to silence-and hands readers the match.Visit AcademicAbuse.com, where Cruse extends this survivor-led movement and tracks misconduct in higher education. Read more