Breaking the Silence: Domestic Violence in the South Asian-American Community [Paperback]

Sandhya Nankani (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 2001

Breaking the Silence: Domestic Violence in the South Asian-American Community is an anthology that brings together the voices of community activists, scholars, artists, and survivors to discuss the realities and effects of domestic violence on America's South Asian community. Through a multi-faceted lens of academia, activism, and art, Breaking the Silence unites the voices of individuals and domestic violence interest groups engaged in consciousness-raising and service-provision activities within the South Asian-American community.

It is a resource both for South Asians as well as for mainstream service-providers who are increasingly being called upon to serve the growing South Asian populations around the United States. Contributors to the volume include Ananya Chatterjea, Shamita Das Dasgupta, Prema Vora, and Sujata Warrier.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Editor, Sandhya Nankani, is a freelance writer based in the New York area. Her work has appeared in print and on-line publications, including Ms. Magazine, WomensWire, A. Magazine, Little India Magazine and MSNBC.com. In April 1998, she coordinated a one-day conference on domestic violence in the South Asian community at Columbia University, where she studied South Asian History and received her Masters of International Affairs. She was born in Ghana, West Africa and has lived there, in India, and in the U.S. Currently, she is Assistant Director of Learning Support Services at the College of New Rochelle, New York.

Cover artist, Malati Narsu, is a native of India who has lived in the U.S. for most of her adult life. Based in Long Island, New York, she is a retired NY Public Schools teacher. Her work has been shown at the American Museum of Natural History, Columbia University, and the Benjamin Rosenthal Arts Center. Her ongoing series, Shtri, portrays the hardship women in India face through birth, marriage, widowhood, and immolation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corp (May 8, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738843431
• ISBN-13: 978-0738843438
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,962,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable Resource for the South-Asian American Community, July 8, 2001

By 

Sheila Murthy (New York City, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breaking the Silence: Domestic Violence in the South Asian-American Community (Paperback)

"Breaking the Silence" is an outstanding effort by Editor Nankani to compile an anthology of rich and diverse resources for educating and empowering those who suffer from and work with survivors of domestic violence in the South-Asian American community. The book is divided into four sections: 1. Tributes and Testimonies: Putting a Face on Domestic Violence; 2. Combatting Domestic Violence: Community Responses; 3. My Art is my Activism; and 4. Resources. This well-edited collection comprises of first person accounts, poetry and artwork by survivors, research-and practice-based recommendations for individual, group, and community interventions, and a listing of targeted resources at the end of the volume. The chapters that I found most riveting and helpful for my private practice work include those by Shamita Dasgupta, Sujata Warrier, Rahul Sharma, and Karun Singh. For advocacy content, I considered the writing by Mary McGee and Prema Vora et al. to be of high value. This book is a real eye-opener, especially for those South Asians and their naturalised counterparts who wish to continue to propagate the myth that domestic violence is not a serious problem for our "model minority" community in the U.S. Please urge all of your friends and colleagues to purchase this book as it will help those most in need of service and compassionate support.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Welcome Addition to the Literature on Domestic Violence, July 14, 2001

By 

Karun K. Singh (New York City, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breaking the Silence: Domestic Violence in the South Asian-American Community (Paperback)

This book nicely fills a gap concerning the status and nature of domestic violence against victims of South Asian and South Asian-American origin. The scholarly and practitioner-based material adds greatly to our understanding of prevention, treatment, research, and advocacy issues with a uniquely South Asian focus in the field of domestic violence intervention. Although expert academics and professionals can always get their work published, what I really liked was the considerable attention paid to highlighting the contributions of artists and poets. In fact, I wish there were a website, similar to that of Survivors Art Foundation, that promotes the creative products of South Asian and South Asian-American sufferers of domestic violence and other types of trauma. Such an endeavour would highlight the pain felt by artists who are fellow victims, and would also help to heal and empower them and their supporters. I feel truly privileged to have been able to write a minor chapter for this fine volume.