Freshman senator discloses past abuse

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Scott Brown has revealed he was sexually abused as a child several times by a camp counselor and was physically abused by a stepfather.

The Massachusetts Republican said Wednesday that he hopes the childhood physical and sexual abuse he writes about in his new book can inspire others to overcome similar challenges.

"My book is about overcoming obstacles," Brown said in a statement. "The physical and sexual abuse is in my book. It's a part of my life, but it certainly isn't the only part of my life story which I tell."

He details the childhood trauma in a new book, "Against All Odds" which is coming out Monday.

In advance of his new book, Brown in an upcoming TV interview talked about the abuse he suffered while growing up in Massachusetts.

The camp counselor threatened to kill him if he disclosed the sexual abuse, Brown said in an interview to air Sunday night on CBS' "60 Minutes."

"He said, 'If you tell anybody ... I'll kill you. I will make sure nobody believes you,'" Brown said in the interview.

Brown also said he looked into buying a home where his stepfather had physically abused him just so he could "burn it down."

Brown said that being physically abused at home and being the product of broken homes made him more vulnerable to sexual predators.

"When people find people like me at that young, vulnerable age, who are basically lost, the thing that they have over you is, they make you believe that no one will believe you," he told the program.

Brown added that even his mother has not known about the sexual abuse.

"That's what happens when you're a victim. You're embarrassed. You're hurt," he told CBS.

Brown emerged on the national political scene with his improbable victory in the race for seat long held by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

Brown said Wednesday he hopes the book will educate and inspire other people facing similar challenges to those he faced during his childhood.

"I hope people will read it and be inspired by its message," Brown said in a statement Wednesday.

As a state legislator in Massachusetts, Brown was a strong advocate for sexual abuse victims, working on several bills, including one which closed loopholes in sex offender laws.