Customer Reviews

Intimate Betrayal: Understanding and Responding to the Trauma of Acquaintance Rape

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I found that this book offered a very thorough look at the plight of acquaintance rape survivors in a concise, clear, & easy to understand format. Despite its authors gearing it toward professionals who work with traumatized people, it proves equally valuable & understandable to survivors & other non-professionals. It is an informative, yet very quick, easy to digest read, filled with personal responses of various survivors (without spending undue time dwelling on any one specific back story). Although the statistics (& possibly some of the other mentioned resource material) used are clearly outdated (copyright 1995), the overall point & issues regarding rape survivors remain absolutely relevant, particularly regarding the range of behaviors practiced by survivors, pre-rape & post-rape, as well as the similarities & differences between rape-by-stranger & rape-by acquaintance.

Keep in mind, however, that this book focuses on female victim/male perpetrator experiences. One chapter delves into some of the contrasts between female & male survivors (& the fact that there are female perpetrators), but for the most part, this book focuses on female victims healing from assaults by males.

Overall, I found this book very beneficial, without being too drawn out or too dry. I especially appreciated the discussion about how acquaintance rape needs to be addressed as an individual, communal & societal problem. Plus, the book acknowledges the pitfalls & difficulties counselors & other helpers might face when working with rape survivors & how to deal with those (after all, therapists are human, too, working through their own life traumas).