Surviving Domestic Violence: Voices of Women Who Broke Free (Paperback)

by Elaine Weiss (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Battered women will find this book life-affirming. All readers will find it informative, well-written, and even riveting. -- Andy Klein, Columnist, National Bulletin on Domestic Violence Prevention

This book will save lives. Everyone knows someone who needs to read this important book. -- Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, Author, Kitchen Table Wisdom, My Grandfather’s Blessings

Weiss finds that breaking isolation is the key to leaving, only she calls it "escaping". A must read! -- Joan Zorza, Esq., Editor, Domestic Violence Report and Sexual Assault Report --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
This is not a reference text about domestic violence. It is not an instructional manual on how to escape from a batterer. Plenty of these exist. It is a travel guide to a country no one visits willingly, the collective tales of past travelers making the landscape less threatening, less alien. I hope the many voices in this book will convince you that these stories belong to all of us. Domestic abuse doesn't just happen "out there" somewhere--it happens in our town, in our neighborhood, on our street. It happens to people we see at the supermarket, the movie theater, the ballet, the bowling alley, and the PTA board meeting. It happens to our friends, our coworkers, and our family members. Women who have experienced domestic abuse look just like everyone else. They look just like me. Abused women look just like Judy North, a first-grade teacher from Nebraska who remained with her abusive husband for ten years, until the night she finally stood up to him...and woke up in the emergency room. Abused women look just like Whitney Benson, a Mormon college student from southern Utah. She worries about the scars on her face from her boyfriend's class ring; I worry about the scars on her soul from his carefully crafted campaign of criticism, intimidation, and punishing rape. And abused women look just like Andrea Hartley, a pediatrician in her late forties who considers herself extremely fortunate. Although the man she married when she was thirty proved to be extremely violent, the emotional support of her family, friends, and medical colleagues enabled her to leave him only four months later. They come from all walks of life. Some are well educated; others barely finished high school. Some come from wealthy families; others come from poor ones. Some witnessed terrifying family violence as children; others never heard an angry word. Some were raised by warm, supportive families; others by cold, distant families. Some married young; others married late. They worship in churches, in synagogues, or not at all. They come from big cities, small towns, farming communities, and suburbs. What these women have in common is that each was in an intimate relationship with a man who abused her. Some were abused physically. Some were abused sexually. All were abused psychologically...the most devastating type of abuse, leaving the deepest wounds. This is not a book about guns, knives, emergency rooms, or police reports. Many stories focus instead on the subtle campaign of abuse, wearying and corrosive, which trapped their teller in a web of daily threat. Yet despite the humiliation, fear, and isolation, each woman managed to escape from her abuser. Theirs are stories, not of frailty, but of clarity, resourcefulness, and strength.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Agreka Books; 2nd edition (January 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888106964
• ISBN-13: 978-1888106961
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #924,738 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK!, August 27, 2001

By	Nancy Tuttle (Ohio) - See all my reviews

Elaine, I want to thank you for writing this book. I purchased it through Amazon.com about a month ago and it's the best book I've yet to read on Domestic Violence. It is encouraging and supporting. More than any book I've read before on the subject. Oh, sure, other books are good and validating. They describe the issue - the Battered Women's Syndrome and all the things that I needed to learn then. When I was deciding what it was I was in, during my marriage. But now that I'm out (going on 2 years since I filed for divorce and still not divorced), I needed encouragement that I can do it! There IS life after DV! I can be "me" again and get the person I used to be - back!!! Thank you so much for your book. I saw myself in almost every person's story you wrote about. We are all survivors! We are all extremely brave! Thanks again - from the bottom of my heart. Stay safe. God Bless You, Nancy

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best I've read on domestic violence, May 10, 2000

By	Judy Van (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

I have read almost every book published on this topic and find this one to be outstanding. As an advocate for domestic abuse survivors ,I hear similar stories everyday. I am humbled by their courage. Thank you Dr. Weiss. I plan to share your book with my Women's Support Group tonight.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful and heartwrenching, February 8, 2000

By A Customer

I read about this book in our local newspaper and ordered a copy the same day. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Elaine Weiss masterfully interviews each woman and interprets her situation with thoughtful candor. As a domestic violence survivor, this book was painful for me to read, but it reaffirmed for me that I made the right choice by leaving. This book was so well written and so compelling. I feel it is quite possibly the most "usable" book I have ever read on the subject of domestic violence. I highly recommend it!