Scared To Leave, Afraid To Stay: Paths From Family Violence To Safety [Hardcover]

Barry Goldstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

What is it like for a woman to leave the man who is abusing her? This book presents the stories of ten women as they fought the courts and their abusers to gain safety for themselves and their children. The author demonstrates how courts handle divorce, custody, visitation, support, child abuse, marital property, orders of protection and crimes when domestic violence erupts. He also discusses the common tactics abusers use to maintain control over their partners. The average abused wife makes seven attempts to leave her abuser. Each time she learns more about the resources available. By providing information about how to leave someone who is abusing you, this book makes it easier for women to escape. The brave women described in Scared To Leave, Afraid to Stay all faced serious hardships and threats, but they found there can be a better life. None of them ever chose to go back to a life of violence.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Barry Goldstein has practiced law in New York since 1978. He served on the Board of Directors of My Sisters' Place, one of the leading domestic violence agencies in the country for 14 years, including four years as Chairperson. As a result, many domestic violence agencies have referred clients to Mr. Goldstein because he is one of the few lawyers with expertise in domestic violence and because of his willingness to take cases on a pro bono or reduced fee basis. Mr. Goldstein has also worked with the Community Change Project of the Volunteer Counseling Service in Rockland County, New York since January of 1999 teaching domestic violence classes for men who have been convicted of domestic violence crimes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Robert Reed Publishers; 1 edition (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931741085
• ISBN-13: 978-1931741088
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,039,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From utter darkness to light and hope..., August 28, 2002

By 

Talia Carner "Author, Jerusalem Maiden, Puppe... (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scared To Leave, Afraid To Stay: Paths From Family Violence To Safety (Hardcover)

From the dungeon of misery in abusive relationships, ten women and their children broke their way to the surface and found light.

The process was not easy, as Barry Goldstein, an attorney specializing in helping battered women find hope, demonstrates in this straight-talk book.

But in "Scared To Leave, Afraid To Stay" Goldstein also reveals in user-friendly legalese that behind the mountains of paperwork and lengthy court appearances, callous judges and biased experts, there are people like him who care. Mostly, in the follow-up to each case Goldstein tells how these women were able to rebuild their lives and the lives of their children. They found happiness, they found meaning, they found themselves. They found hope.

They gave their children the future that their fathers were intent on robbing.

The book also contains practical information and resources.

I recommend SCARED TO STAY, AFRAID TO LEAVE to anyone who is living the hell of abusive relationship or has a loved one that is scared to leave. I recommend the book to all others who should learn to understand the secretive dark side of love gone awry--and our society's failure to respond and treat it.

Talia Carner, author,

Puppet Child and China Doll

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An up-close and personal look at domestic violence, July 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Scared To Leave, Afraid To Stay: Paths From Family Violence To Safety (Hardcover)

Scared To Leave, Afraid To Stay is a book that shows what it is like for a woman to leave the man that is abusing her. While there are many good domestic violence books, none combine an understanding of domestic violence with knowledge of the law like this book does. I found myself caring about the women described in the book and wishing all women could have an attorney as caring as the author. This book will be popular with domestic violence victims and their advocates. I only hope some judges read it also.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing cases, July 14, 2002

By 

Scott D. Wasserman (Scarsdale, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scared To Leave, Afraid To Stay: Paths From Family Violence To Safety (Hardcover)

If you think you know about marital abuse the true life stories in this book will shock you. It gives the inside story of judicial crimes against abused women from an attorney with years of experience in the field, as well as sensible recommendations for reform.