Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life (Interpersonal Violence) (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: domestic violence revolution, beeper game, special reasonableness, United States, New York, New Jersey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Regardless of whether readers agree or disagree with Stark's contentions or agree only in part, we guarantee they will not ever be bored. It is hoped that this book will be widely read and discussed and its major points incorporated into our daily work. In essence, this book should serve as a catalyst to reinvigorate the domestic violence movement."-- Violence Against Women
"...a fascinating new look at how the very question of 'why women stay' has been wrongheaded from the start."--Salon.co
"...a book of tremendous import to anyone working with the issue of domestic violence...Coercive Control is a sweeping, compelling and meticulously detailed argument...If, as Stark suggests, the domestic violence field is on the verge of a Kuhnian revolution, this book is the bugle blast."--Sex Roles
"Coercive Control is one of the most important books ever written about domestic violence and one that should be widely read by advocates, policymakers, and academics."--Domestic Violence Report
"The mix of research, case material and the author's compelling perspective make the book very readable and engaging."--The Psychologist

Product Description

One of the most important books ever written on domestic violence, Coercive Control breaks through entrenched views of physical abuse that have ultimately failed to protect women. Evan Stark, founder of one of America's first battered women's shelters, shows how "domestic violence" is neither primarily domestic nor necessarily violent, but a pattern of controlling behaviors more akin to terrorism and hostage-taking. Drawing on court records, interviews, and FBI statistics, Stark details coercive strategies that men use to deny women their very personhood, from "beeper games" to food logs to micromanaging dress, speech, sexual activity, and work. Stark urges us to move beyond the injury model and focus on the real victimization that allows men to violate women's human rights with impunity. Provocative and brilliantly argued, Coercive Control reframes abuse as a liberty crime rather than a crime of assault and points the way to bringing "real" equality for women in line with their formal rights to personhood and citizenship, freedom and safety.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195384040
• ISBN-13: 978-0195384048
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #310,050 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A breath of fresh air, April 28, 2007

By	Marie "DV Advocate" (ny ny) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life (Interpersonal Violence) (Hardcover)

If you are burned out or fed up in the daily grind of domestic violence field work, this book will invigorate you. Battered women always say that the physical violence is the least of what they endure... yet the legal and social services systems, media and society increasingly place incident-specific physical abuse front and center. This book offers a frank examination of how the organized domestic violence movement may be enabling this approach -- which is so at odds with battered women's experiences -- and provides a rich, insightful and honest examination of the reality of women's lives under the control of abusive partners.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource, August 18, 2009

By	Cynthia Cheatham - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to understand the real dynamics of domestic violence.

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars perceptive and well presented, May 30, 2007

By	Lewis M. Weinstein "author of CASE CLOSED, A ... (Key West, FL and Collioure, France) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Coercive Control: How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life (Interpersonal Violence) (Hardcover)

Professor Stark has a perceptive understanding of his material, and his manner of presentation is outstanding. My wife, a divorce attorney who dealt with abused women in New York City, heard Dr. Stark speak and came back enthused.