Customer Reviews

Fighting Back: A Battered Woman's Desperate Struggle to Survive

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

From a previous review: "There is not much mention about the heart-ache she placed on her children by taking their fathers life. It makes me wonder what the publishing of this book has done to her children."

It makes me wonder what seeing their mother beaten and raped DAILY did to her children. Would you say the same thing if Jimmy Briand had killed June, rather than the other way around?

And:

"...Why wouldn't June want her husbands family to take the children where they could find comfort and love, instead of throwing them into a disgruntal family and then on to foster homes."

Probably because the Norton family was (is?) just as violent as Briand himself was. You didn't pay much attention to the book, did you?

To the people who said they noticed inconsistancies in June's story: June was most likely suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A common byproduct of this is not being able to remember all the details of the events triggering the disorder itself. If you'd been beaten that often, and had as many concussions and injuries as June did, I bet your memories would be a bit hazy, too.

...This book gives the reader a glimpse into the hell so many women live in on a daily basis. ... Everyone should read this book and get an insight into what kind of terror is inflicted upon so many women on a daily basis. I'm sure it will be a real eyeopener to many.

This is a true story about a battered woman named June who eventually killed her abusive husband. It is a tragic story. Her husband was a monster who put her through so much before she finally pulled the trigger one night and killed him. The story is about a woman's struggle to survive and thrive in a chaotic, cruel world. Recommended, but beware it can be graphic!

This was one rollercoaster ride of a book that I could not put down. The author does an excellent job of penetrating the day to day life of a woman repeatedly abused by her husband. The scenes are very graphic and, through the author, the readers witness what must have been a horrifying life for June Briand. I did read the negative reviews from those who seemed to be personally connected to the case; however, the author stated that there were a slew of hospital and police records which confirmed Mr. Briand's bad temper and abuse of his wife. I find it hard to believe that Ms. Briand would have been pardoned had there not been good evidence to support her rehabilitation and allegations of abuse. I am surprised that her public defense attorneys did not conduct a thorough investigation such as NOW did. Additionally, this book handedly answers the often asked question, "Why doesn't she leave?"

This true crime book reads like Truman Capote's IN COLD BLOOD. It is an absolute page turner that cannot be put down. The pace and tension are terrific and the insights into what a woman in this situation goes through are riveting. This is disturbing, gripping, and exhilarating all at once. This woman had tremendous courage and her story, while heartbreaking, is one everyone must read to truly understand the horrors of domestic violence. This book really reads like a face-paced novel. Great read and great job by the author.

Fighting Back was an excellent supplemental reading source for the upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses I teach on Family Violence. The author brings together in one book all of the elements found in violent, abusive relationships. A fictional work could not possibly have captured the true reality of an abusive relationship as experienced by the principal character, June. The author does a superior job of getting the reader into the mindset of a woman experiencing both the battered woman syndrome and learned helplessness. Some, expecially those who have been in an abusive relationship, found it difficult to read, as it brought back memories of their own tragic experiences. For others, it helped them to understand how women they know personally--family members, friends, acquaintances--will not listen to them when they try to convince them that they are trapped in an abusive situation. Many students passed the book on to other family members or friends to read.
The book is gripping. Even though I have more than twenty years of experience studying and lecturing on family violence, I still found the book enlightening. And, like so many of my students and others who have read the book, I could not put it down until I had completed reading it. The book reads like the best of mystery novels and the reader cannot wait to find out what happens in the next section or chapter. The outcome is totally unpredictable and a reader would be well-advised to avoid the temptation to turn to the end in order to learn the final outcome. Wait and let the pieces unfold.
The author has addressed a complex subject, a subject shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding by most of the public, and helps the average person understand three very important issues: how women find themselves in abusive relationships; why women stay in abusive relationships; and, why women feel so trapped that they kill the abuser.

As a counsellor, I have provided counselling to hundreds victims, both women and men, in the area of domestic violence. The case of June Briand is one of the most devastating accounts of spousal abuse ever documented, and hits the reader with the same gripping force as one other true life story, "Life with Billy."

So often, I have been asked, "Why does a woman allow this to happen, why doesn't she just leave." To answer that question, one would have to fully understand the psychological transformation that takes place over long-term abuse. While leaving may appear to many who have never been abused as a simply solution, the ramifications are far from simple. One must first understand, as in June's case, the psychological factors,i.e., the unstable, unloving childhood, the loss of self-esteem and self-worth, the lack of financial resources, the inability to take control of the situation, the utter feeling of hopelessness after years of constant, endless physical and emotional abuse. As in many cases, June became psychologically conditioned to the abuse. For her, leaving was a dream as remote as flying to the moon.

June endured abuse through a previous ralationship before her marriage to Jimmy Briand and struggled to maintain a sense of normalcy for her two children (one her husband's daughter from a previous relationship.) The family situation was far from normal; the emotional abuse for the children would have been sufficient to drive a sane person over the edge. June Briand's story is an extremely painful story to read. Even with all my years of training and experience behind me, a story such as this one still touches me to the core. The reader is left knowing that while this is one exceptional story (it ended in murder) there are countless other victims like June Briand walking among us whose story has not been, nor may ever be, told. June was a victim of abuse at the hands of her husband, but she was also a victim of the justice system. Was it cold-blooded murder or was it self-defence? What options did June have? The reader will have to conclude their own opinions on the outcome. Either you will agree with the punishment or you will not. Had Jimmy lived, it is extremely likely his insane rage, unleashed and uncontrollable, would eventually stike the final blow which would kill his wife. "When" was only a matter of time.

To put it simply, this is a horrifying book. Not that it was written badly, but what this woman was put through her whole life. Violence against women is rarely justified. Unfortunately, we are the descendants of a society that used to actually expect men to beat their wives when necessary.

Addressing the lack of evidence supplied by the author, he specifically said in the preface that he changed all the names involved in the book to protect their privacy, and publishing even a small fraction of the hundreds of reports, examinations, etc. he would undeniably compromise everyone's identity.

I've also noticed people placing the blame on June herself, saying she only talked about herself, didn't consider her children, rarely mentioned them after her criminal act, etc. Keep in mind June didn't write this book. Robert Davidson wrote it. Robert wrote this book about June which took him more than 2 years of interviews to write it. June probably talked constantly about her kids during the interviews.

Anyway, overall, I would not recommend reading this book only because it is so depressing. It's an excellent book to read if you're in a Domestic Violence course, though.

this is one of the best books i have ever read. i keep an extra copy to give to anyone ,that i think is in an abusive relationship., how anyone could live through this is unbelievable.

"Fighting Back" is a sad and disturbing read. It's the devastating story of a woman's battle with her violent, disgusting husband. But it's also a battle with herself. Due to unfortunte childhood circumstances, June Briand was molded into a victim who became trapped in a grotesquely abusive marriage with a dangerous and insecure man. Many people may say, "Well she should of just left him." But after reading this book you will hopefully gain a better understanding of why it is so difficult to simply walk.

The story is well written, well paced and deeply moving. I cried with June in the beginning and cheered for her at the end. I highly recommend this book.