Women in Shadow and Light: Journeys from Abuse to Healing [Hardcover]

Jan Goff-LaFontaine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2005

*****Winner of the Independent Publishers' (IPPY) Book of the Year (Women's Issues)***** Women in Shadow and Light is about forty women—ages nineteen to ninety-five—who found the courage to triumph over trauma. Photographs combine with text to portray the essence of each woman’s journey from the violence of sexual and physical abuse to transformation and healing. Jan Goff-LaFontaine’s original photography exhibit, called Out of the Shadows, started in rural Door County, Wisconsin, but eventually led her to subjects across the nation as she sought to complete this book. Each woman helped create her own portrait as a personal symbol of healing, often focusing on one aspect of her body she felt was most affected in the healing process. Goff-LaFontaine says, "The women in this book offered me a precious gift: the opportunity to be a part of their healing. Each of these women has moved far beyond the role of victim to see in herself the strength and beauty that was always there. They are recreating themselves, and they implore society to take a closer look, to see what the meaning of beauty truly is." It is a book about reclaiming joy, not dwelling in the role of victim.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An inspiring book." -- Ellen Bass, co-author of The Courage to Heal

"This work, I believe, will give hope to thousands of women to take that first step to freedom." -- Shirley’s Bookshelf (Midwest Reviews)

"[A] most unusual and inspiring book... [t]he photos are excellent and evocative." -- Book Views

"[A]n inspiring tribute to the power... and beauty... of women." -- Dian Moore, Book Pleasures

[A] compilation of powerful words and images that hit the reader kapow—right where they should, in the spirit. -- Connie Gotsch, host of “Write On Four Corners,” KSJE

From the Author

There are those who feel that photographing women—some who have been sexually abused—in the nude is somehow exploitive; that nakedness equals sex, and therefore creates more, rather than less, shame. Goff-LaFontaine disagrees: "To begin with, the history of Art is filled with female nudes, arguably the most beautiful of all forms. Because they have been abused, these women have lost their sense of personal beauty. Often they dress in dowdy clothes to hide themselves from the world. I worked with each woman to create a sensitive fine art photograph that shows her re-emergence into her self-worth. This is not exploitation, it is a celebration of beauty and empowerment for these women." This is no "bruises and broken bones" book about victimization; it is focused on reclaiming joy and learning to love their bodies again after abuse.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 146 pages
• Publisher: Beagle Bay Inc (March 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974961051
• ISBN-13: 978-0974961057
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,046,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Healing Is Possible!, May 21, 2005

By 

Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Women in Shadow and Light: Journeys from Abuse to Healing (Hardcover)

Abuse and women have gone hand in hand throughout the centuries; the battle for liberty and freedom rages on even now in our modern times. The subject matter of this book is not new, the stories told and the tears shed are not surprising, but what is, is the courage found within these women and the positive reflection their words leave with the reader.
As author Jan Goff-LaFontaine shares the heart of these women with frank interviews, she somehow shatters the wall of secrecy that has been carefully laid, and takes you to the other side of their prison wall where liberty awaits them.
At first I was surprised to see naked pictures of these women, but for them this too was a liberty, a breaking free of abuse and negative impressions of their inner-self; as they shared the parts of their body where healing began.
Abuse in any form is not a pretty picture; the degrading of another human being must never be tolerated. This work, I believe, will give hope to thousands of women to take that first step to freedom.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Women Step from Shadow to Light, April 26, 2005

By 

Constance M. Gotsch "Novelist On Board" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Women in Shadow and Light: Journeys from Abuse to Healing (Hardcover)

There are lots of books thar dwell on the abusive part of domestic abuse--how many women die, how many bruises they get, and how they get hurt. This is certainly important to know, as are the signs of abuse and how to get out of an abusive situation. But WOMEN IN SHADOW AND LIGHT does more than that. It presents women who have survived abuse and are in the process of healing from it. Author Jan Goff-LaFontaine interviewed many women about their lives, focusing on how they got out of their abusive situations, and how they made themselves whole again. Once she finished the interviews, Jan Goff LaFontaine photographed the women, working with her subjects to find poses that they thought best exemplified their healing. The result is a compilation of powerful words and images that hit the reader kapow--right where they should, in the spirit. It's enough to send a person soaring. WOMEN IN SHADOW AND LIGHT is worth getting to know on several levels, first as a metaphor of stepping from shadow to light, second as literal shadow and light in the photographs, and third as a tool we all can use to help each other. If we know someone who has been abused, this book is the ideal gift. If we're wallowing in self pity over some trivial thing that happened to us on the way to work, we can stop to ponder how we'd handle ourselves if we really had a problem. Or if we just want to be inspired by women who got themselves together, we can pick up WOMEN IN SHADOW AND LIGHT.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Women in Shadow and Light: Journey from Abuse to Healing, April 15, 2005

By 

Survivor2 (FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Women in Shadow and Light: Journeys from Abuse to Healing (Hardcover)

The photos were what first drew me to the book. Once I started reading the stories of these courageous women I could not put the book aside. As a survivor I connected with the women, with their stories and found the book to truly be one about hope and healing. It is a must read for any abuse survivor or anyone who cares about or has a survivor in their life.