Ultimate Power: Enemy Within the Ranks [Paperback]

Linda A. Fischer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0966635000 | ISBN-13: 978-0966635003 | Publication Date: January 1, 1999 | Edition: 1

Details one woman officer's experience with sexual assault and harassment in the military. It's a tale of psychological coercion, betrayal, and institutional abuse of power that exposes the dark side of the male dominated power structure.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Linda Fischer has made a valuable contribution to the body of literature which deals with the very negative consequences of unresolved sexual harassment in the workplaces of the world. Hers is not an isolated story. By speaking out on the injustice she suffered in trying to work through an unresponsive complaint system, she brings 'fire' upon the Army's senior leadership to create a much better way for soldiers to gain justice when they are wronged." -- Brigadier General Evelyn P. Foote (Retired) Vice Chair, Secretary of the Army's Senior Review Panel on Sexual Harassment

From the Author

During a visit to Texas to visit my family, I sat in the warmth of the sun, physically and mentally exhausted from my experience as a victim of sexual assault in the military. My father came out to sit with me, and we talked quietly of what lay ahead for me. Although uncertain of my own future, I knew I had to find a way to help other women in the military.

"I don't want anyone else to go through what I have," I said, "so I'm thinking about writing a book."

That conversation was two years ago and writing this book has been a long, difficult process. Turning my memories into words on paper has meant reliving painful memories. Even today, when I think back to the Panama night that changed my life, I feel a cold chill. But my determination to make a difference hasn't waivered.

Unfortunately, this story doesn't have a completely happy ending. The military system never did afford me the justice I believe I deserved. And while recent sex scandals have forced the military to take a closer look at the problem of sexual assault and harassment, changing deeply ingrained atttitudes and practices will take a long-term commitment from those at the very top. I hope this book will be seen as one more voice advocating for those changes. However, whether the system changes or not, I'll consider the book a success if it keeps just one woman from becoming a victim, or helps equip one woman with the tools to resist harassment.

Finally, the process of writing what you are about to read has brought healing and growth for me personally. I feel closure; my story has been told.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Linda a Fischer; 1 edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966635000
• ISBN-13: 978-0966635003
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,406,274 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 Strength from within, November 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ultimate Power: Enemy Within the Ranks (Paperback)

Linda Fisher's testimony brings hope, strength and inspiration. I will soon commission to be an officer in the US Army. Her testimony has given me a broader perspective of the reality of being a young, ambitious and a beautiful female in the military. It may be true that it is a male dominant force, but women have gained a greater respect in the military over time and throughout history.
Fisher exposes the reality of what can happen within the ranks of the military between males and females, superiors and subordinates. This type of incident is not new. Throughout history the same, if not similar situations have occurred. We have to understand and realize that this happens in the general society. In businesses and schools, to men and women of all ages in all types of professions. This book, can help anyone understand the adversity faced when put in this situation. It disturbs and affects both parties the harassed and the harasser. I have both witnessed and experienced sexual harassment incidents outside of the military and within the military, I understand the pain and the fear.
I am grateful to have read such a testimony that has given me the awareness of what goes on and how to deal with it. (...)

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ULTIMATE POWER: This is a MUST READ for everyone!!!, April 22, 1999

By 

[e-mail](JOHNPATRICK) (NEW JERSEY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Power: Enemy Within the Ranks (Paperback)

I have read ULTIMATE POWER:ENEMY WITHIN THE RANKS and urge anyone, who is shocked by the abuse that women receive, to read this terrific personal account by an army officer who lived this horrible situation. First of all, take the time to read the personal life of Linda Fischer and her climb to the rank of Major in a so called "mans world". Linda has shown how successful a young girl can become by setting a goal and then reaching that pinnacle of success. When you realize what a an enormously loving person she is and then read her account of this harassment, you wonder how these things can go on. The story is so intense and told in the first person, you can actually feel Lindas pain as she explains her own personal feelings and frustrations as the powers to be turn a deaf ear to her 'crys for Justice."..This may be Linda Fischers first attempt at writing, but you won't put this book down, as she allows you to come right with her in the days and events leading up to this atrosity and her frustrations in the months and years that follow. You don't have to be in the military or ever be harrassed, to feel her pain. All you need to understand what Linda went....and is going through, is be a human being .You will love her writing style and be shocked by her account of this true happening. What a fabulous person she must be.....first to live this experience and then to put it in terms that ALL of us can understand. Is this a 5 star book? Its a 10 Star......READ IT and you'll see why!!!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A true account of sexual assualt in the US Army, March 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ultimate Power: Enemy Within the Ranks (Paperback)

I am a retired US Army LTC--Military Police Corps and personal know Major Fischer. As a Lt., she worked for me at West Point. She was a bright, energetic and competent young officer with a future in the Army. Since my retirement, we have been in contact through cards and phone calls. Not until this year, did she ever mention to me that she had been sexual assualted by her supervisor. However, I can now related to several of her phone calls which requested information about individuals. After my retirement from the Army, I was Chief of Police at the University of Kentucky for 10 years. I am very familar with the area of sexual assualts and all the new titles we have attached to these situation. I believe Major Fischer's account of the incident. It took great courage on her part to report the incident and write this book. It appears that after all the Army's problems with this area, it final has taken some appropriate measures to address this area. My hope is that this book will help others and give hope to those who have had to deal with sexual assualts.