Why would a woman stay in an abusive relationship? Doesnt she have any self-respect? Any intelligence? Does she like being mistreated? How can she protect her children? If its so bad, why doesnt she just leave? Why Doesnt She Just Leave? is the actual journal of an abused woman, a woman probably very much like someone you know. Through the authors vivid descriptions, you will feel as if you are sharing her thoughts, emotions, and experiences, and you will come to understand why abused women might stay and how they can, as the author did, finally triumph over abuse.
A controlling or abusive partner can break even the strongest person—unless you know what to look for. Written by an expert in intimate partner abuse and based on her highly successful recovery program for women with controlling partners, this book will give you the strength, courage, and strategies you need to acknowledge the problem and stand up for yourself once and for all—whether you stay or leave the relationship. If you have a controlling partner, you aren’t alone. Millions of women suffer psychological abuse at the hands of a spouse or intimate partner during some point in their lives, not fully seeing or knowing what is happening to them. Research shows that psychological abuse affects women’s overall well-being more than physical abuse, is a bigger contributor to inducing fear, and can be a precursor to violence. To make matters worse, having a controlling partner often results in hidden injuries like anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, trauma, and low self-efficacy—feeling like you can’t make a difference in your life. So, where can you turn for help? Based on over a decade of clinical and domestic abuse research, Women with Controlling Partners will help you identify the coercive constraints that can be predictive of intimate partner abuse, recognize the harmful effects of psychological abuse on your mental and physical health, and gain the personal strength and power to break free. Using the author’s three-stage recovery model, you’ll be empowered to move out of denial, deconstruct what holds you psychologically captive, and take back your life. Abuse can be devastating, and having a controlling partner can make you feel crazy—and as if you’re the one responsible. But you’re not crazy, and you’re not to blame! With this important, one-of-a-kind recovery process, you’ll finally find the clarity of mind, courage, and strength to protect yourself from the hurtful control that damages your mental and physical health, and move toward a safer and happier life.
The New York Times bestseller: “[A] brutally honest memoir of a brave, smart, fresh-faced young woman’s descent into domestic hell.” —Monica Holloway, author of Driving with Dead People At 22, Leslie Morgan Steiner seemed to have it all: a Harvard diploma, a glamorous job at Seventeen magazine, a downtown New York City apartment. Plus a handsome, funny, street-smart boyfriend who adored her. But behind her façade of success, this golden girl hid a dark secret. She’d made a mistake shared by millions: she fell in love with the wrong person. At first Leslie and Conor seemed as perfect together as their fairy-tale wedding. Then came the fights she tried to ignore: he pushed her down the stairs of the house they bought together, poured coffee grinds over her hair as she dressed for a critical job interview, choked her during an argument, and threatened her with a gun. Several times, he came close to making good on his threat to kill her. With each attack, Leslie lost another piece of herself. Gripping and utterly compelling, Crazy Love takes you inside the violent, devastating world of abusive love. Conor said he’d been abused since he was a young boy, and love and rage danced intimately together in his psyche. Why didn’t Leslie leave? She stayed because she loved him. Find out for yourself if she had fallen truly in love—or into a psychological trap. Crazy Love will draw you in—and never let go. “Compulsively readable.” —People “A must read for anyone in a consuming relationship.” —Iris Krasnow, New York Times–bestselling author
Just before her death, Macie Zanderneff wrote a letter to her loved ones stating that she planned to come home to the mountains with her two daughters. A few days later, the sheriff delivers the unbelievable news of Macie's suicide to her adoptive parents, Aunt Mae and Uncle Hume, and the rest of the family. When Macie's diary marked, "A Fairy Tale" is discovered in her meager belongings, it becomes obvious that her marriage was far from the "happily ever after" that she made it out to be. The diary gives an account of her daily life-a living hell-and how she attempts to get away from her physically and emotionally abusive husband. It becomes Aunt Mae's mission to determine why her daughter and others stay in abusive situations. She becomes so persistent, she learns that even some of her friends and neighbors have been or are currently involved in abusive relationships. Why Didn't She Just Leave and Come on Back Home? follows Aunt Mae's journey for answers about obsessive love, extreme passion, and the mystery of abusive relationships, and how she uses her newfound knowledge to help other abused women.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Soon to be a Hulu Original series • The internationally acclaimed author of Wild collects the best of The Rumpus's Dear Sugar advice columns plus never-before-published pieces. Rich with humor and insight—and absolute honesty—this "wise and compassionate" (New York Times Book Review) book is a balm for everything life throws our way. Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills—and it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the bestselling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice.
Structural Violence seeks to redraw the conventional map of violence against women. In order to understand violence as a fundamentally heterogeneous phenomenon, it is essential to go beyond interpersonal partner violence and analyze the workings of institutional and structural violence. Self-help books, some shelters, the courts, federal and state legislation, empirical studies, therapeutic models, and even some mainstream feminist polemics presume that all women face the same kind of violence. This assumption masks violence that does not conform to the imagined norm, such as violence against women who are sex workers, lesbians, homeless, and/or undocumented. Joshua M. Prices exploration of these issues is based on several years of research involving participant-observation in domestic violence courts and extensive interviews with activists, advocates, incarcerated women, and women who have faced various forms of violence. Both conceptually and methodologically, the book challenges narrow notions of violence against women and demonstrates implications for judicial intervention and other forms of public involvement.
“Can someone please help me understand the craziness engulfing our family?” Daily this question screamed through Jemimah’s confused and anxious mind. Chaos ruled as in angst she watched the man she had married rotate his “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” personalities, leaving her feeling trapped and fearful. Jemimah Black takes us on an insightful journey from the exciting beginnings of her new dating relationship, into the gradual uncovering of the shocking truth that she had married an emotionally and psychologically abusive man. She seeks answers to her questions, “How did I get myself into this? Was I so ‘in love’ that I failed to see the signs? If this is now my reality, what is my response to be? Am I required to be silent and endure? Is there a time to stand up and speak up, even if it means losing everything I treasure?” If you are curious and brave enough to venture inside the home of a family experiencing abuse, this book swings the front doors wide open and invites you in. As you enter, you will be surprised and amazed at how, without a single physical blow, one person can hold an entire family hostage. You will not be able to read this book without being deeply challenged. It is an essential tool that sheds light on the dynamics of abuse and will make you question everything you think you know about family violence. Reading this book will not only change you, it might even help you save a life.
