( CNN ) -- Actress Lena Dunham canceled several appearances to promote her new book after a self-described `` rage spiral '' over allegations that she molested her sister as a child . The allegations stem from passages in Dunham 's collection of personal essays , `` Not That Kind of Girl , '' in which she describes sexually experimenting with her younger sister as a child . In one essay , she describes bribing her sister with three pieces of candy to kiss her on the lips for five seconds . She also describes probing her 1-year-old sister 's vagina when she was 7 out of curiosity over how it compared to hers . `` One day , as I sat in our driveway in Long island playing blocks and buckets , my curiosity got the better of me . Grace was sitting up , babbling and smiling , and I leaned down between her legs and carefully spread open her vagina , '' she writes in the book . Kevin D. Williamson -- known for taking hard-right positions that stir controversy -- seized upon the passages in a column for conservative publication National Review . Specifically , he accused Dunham 's parents of enabling `` disturbing behavior that would be considered child abuse in many jurisdictions ... sexual abuse , specifically , of her younger sister , Grace , the sort of thing that gets children taken away from nonmillionaire families without Andover pedigrees and Manhattanite social connections . '' Truth Revolt 's Ben Shapiro picked up the torch , calling the book passage `` disturbing . '' Dunham , creator and star of the popular HBO show `` Girls , '' said she was `` dismayed '' over the interpretation of events described in her book . In a statement to Time magazine , she said she does not condone `` any kind of abuse under any circumstances . '' `` Childhood sexual abuse is a life-shattering event for so many , and I have been vocal about the rights of survivors . If the situations described in my book have been painful or triggering for people to read , I am sorry , as that was never my intention . '' Referring to her sister , she said , `` anything I have written about her has been published with her approval . '' Over the weekend , Dunham fired back on Twitter , where she has 1.8 million followers , calling the allegations `` upsetting and disgusting . '' Usually , `` this is stuff I can ignore , '' she said , `` ... but do n't demean sufferers , do n't twist my words , back the f**k up bros. '' Dunham then apologized on Twitter for canceling book tour appearances scheduled for this week in Berlin and Antwerp , Belgium . It was not clear Monday whether the cancellations were related to the recent allegations . Messages sent to Random House , Dunham 's publisher , and her publicist were not immediately returned . Truth Revolt claims it received a `` cease and desist '' letter threatening legal action if the publication did not remove an article it published last week about Dunham . Dunham 's sister , Grace Dunham , did not respond to requests for comment . Amid growing controversy Monday , however , she tweeted , `` 2day , like every other day , is a good day to think about how we police the sexualities of young women , queer , and trans people . '' .
NEW : Lena Dunham apologizes , says she is `` dismayed '' by reaction to book . " The author of the book, which was published in 2010, said that her intention with writing it was not to hurt anyone but rather to explore a taboo subject and make people think about it.