Product Description

From the murder of schoolgirls in a rural Amish community to the widespread rape of women in the Sudan to sexual predators on the Internet, this volume explores the persistent, pervasive phenomenon of gendered violence in the United States and around the world.

In the fully revised second edition of this path-breaking anthology, the editors bring together emerging scholarship from feminist, post-modern, and queer theory with classic articles and central authors in the fields of gender, sexuality and violence. This edition features a new comprehensive introduction, revised section introductions, and eighteen new selections, including original articles on sex trafficking, masculinity and terrorism, and community responses to gender violence. Other topics represented in this volume include sexual harassment and violence in schools and workplaces, child abuse, intimate partner violence, and pornography.

Innovative theoretical and empirical articles written by scholars from fields such as law, history, and the social sciences appear alongside solution-focused pieces developed by activists, academics, and poets committed to creating a non-violent world.

Customer Reviews (4)

Very Reliable
I was extremely happy with the reliability of this company. I fully recommend purchasing your books from them.

Review of Gender Violence
The product was just fine. It was as described on Amazon before purchase and arrived in a timely fashion.

food for thought for either sex
This book started out as required reading for me, but I ended up reading it from cover to cover in three days!I was impressed with it because it thoroughly covered all issues ever raised in women's issues, and offeredmany references for those of us interested in researching further.Iespecially liked the fact that it is a compilation of writings put togetherin a logical, dynamic way, each section feeding off the other.This bookis a must-read for women, but also instrumental for men in theirunderstanding of womens' experiences.

Excellent Book!! MUST READ
This book is a must have for students of womyn's studies or anyone interested in gender violence.This compilation of articles is an excellent balanced look at gender violence through an interdisciplinaryperspective.Violence against womyn is a extensive topic studied, but asthe title indicates, gender violence is the theme of the book, therefore,violence targeted at men and womyn is discussed.Also the list of sourcesis quite extensive for further research.This is definitely one of thebest books on gender violence out there!!   ... Read more

Product Description
Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor. A collection of studies building on two previous APA volumes: Children Exposed to Marital Violence, c1998, and Violence Against Children in the Family and the Community, c1998. Oriented toward future research in this area, particularly with regard to cutting edge methodology. For researchers, policymakers, psychologists and psychiatrists. ... Read more

Product Description
A compelling investigation of the Jewish community's reaction - or nonreaction - to domestic violence.

In a congregation of devoted worshippers gathered for Shabbat services at the local synagogue, it may be difficult to accept how many wives go home with their husbands to ongoing physical and emotional abuse. In Sins of Omission, author Carol Goodman Kaufman offers a compelling investigation of the Jewish community's reaction - or nonreaction - to domestic violence. Concerned with the sins of the community more than the sins of the abuser, Goodman Kaufman finds that the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform rabbis and community leaders are not doing enough and are not informed enough to help the abused women in their congregations get the support, protection, and guidance they need. Through her many insightful interviews with survivors of abuse, rabbis, and lay community leaders, the author takes a hard look at the Jewish community, its rules, regulations, and followers, and discovers the ways in which it helps and hinders victims of abuse. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Important Book
Sins of Omission:
The Jewish Community's Reaction to Domestic Violence - What Needs to be Done
By
Dr. Carol Goodman Kaufman

Reviewed by Rabbi Dennis S. Ross, LCSW

"In the earliest days of television, Ralph Cramden's weekly threats to hit his wife Alice on The Honeymooners (`One of these days!' he would bellow) had audiences laughing themselves silly," (37) writes Dr. Carol Goodman Kaufman in, Sins of Omission: The Jewish Community's Reaction to Domestic Violence - What Needs to be Done. Yet, as Dr. Kaufman carefully and clearly documents, threats to body and life, far from being a source of popular entertainment, are a very serious matter that too often rest unspoken and ignored.
Dr. Carol Goodman Kaufman, an industrial and organizational psychologist, is Visiting Scholar at the Brudnick Center for the Study of Violence and Conflict at Northeastern University, in Boston, MA. In Sins of Omission, she artfully blends sharp research skills with a comprehensive understanding of complicated social, religious and legal factors, and, as a gifted writer, offers a lucid, inviting - and unsettling - scholarly study.
Dr. Kaufman surveyed Massachusetts Jewish communities - Boston, Worcester and the Berkshires - interviewing victims, rabbis (including the author of this review), and other Jewish professionals. She interwove secular and religious sources, as well as a survey of regional and national policies and practices to produce Sins of Omission. The book is a professional, albeit troubling, picture of women - across all educational and economic levels - going without the help they need. She also finds that many rabbis are untrained and unskilled in addressing domestic abuse. Her conclusions are all the more surprising for her focus on a small and insular Jewish community with a longstanding reputation for valuing family and taking care of its own.
Dr. Kaufman opens her convincing argument with traditional religious material. She cites the social safety net of biblical proportions from the book of Leviticus (19.16), "Do not stand by idly while your neighbor bleeds." Vivid citations culled from first-person interviews describe the physical and emotional torment and efforts - if any - find security. Too often, she claims, the Jewish community fails to honor its mandated responsibility to protect the victimized.
Some women turn to rabbis and other professionals and get assistance. But too many domestic abuse allegations get discredited or denied by prospective helpers, perhaps with the lecture to "keep things quiet" until the "problem" goes away on it own. Other victims keep the matter to themselves; they may find clergy and social service agencies intimidating or they fear that the resulting social stigma or legal and financial complications would make a bad situation even worse. Dr. Kaufman presents the full cast of abuse enablers, the stifling, toxic blend of paternalism and parochialism, victim blaming and wishful thinking. When victims are told to live with violence, their prospective protectors heap injustice upon agony.
Dr. Kaufman reserves special attention for potential caregivers that lack training and experience to respond professionally. Many a rabbi, for instance, is inadequate to the challenges of making an appropriate abuse referral into a shifting landscape of medical, psychological, legal, financial and spiritual resources. And, in a rabbi's day chock-a-block with the demands of too many other pressing pastoral, educational, administrative, and birth-to-death life cycle responsibilities, the silent cries of domestic abuse, alcoholism, addiction and depression and more, for instance, do not get the attention they deserve.
While Dr. Kaufman discusses a Jewish community within the larger community, she addresses universal issues of pastoral care. All national religious organizations articulate policies against domestic abuse and other pressing issues, policies that too often fail to trickle down to local implementation. Across all faiths, many a soul struggles with the inconsistency of professional and lay leaders; scrupulous about details of religious observance, they ignore or repress reports of domestic abuse and other human needs. And many victims, instead of bringing their problems to church or synagogue, go out of their way to leave their sorrows at home and keep unseen the unseemly. Would that every call for assistance, from the shout for help to soft whimper, be sensitively and forcefully addressed!
Dr. Kaufman brings a painful topic to the forefront. Her unwavering single-issue focus speaks articulately, passionately and professionally. She includes practical guidance along with the sources, full notes, a glossary of religious terms and description of research protocols. Sins of Omission will hopefully stir many to action. Less experienced lay and professional leaders will read this book and hopefully seek more training and better skills.
A stifled or overlooked suspicion of domestic abuse can haunt a responsible individual for years. Our community leaders need to know that there is a time when it is appropriate to ask a woman: "Has he ever hit you?" And if the answer is positive, an appropriate response could save a victim's life, in the very least safeguard her well being. And, knowing how to deal with suspected abuse can spare a well meaning religious leader a future of being haunted by the refrain, "I should have..."


Rabbi Dennis S. Ross, LCSW, Director of Concerned Clergy for Choice at Family Planning Advocates of New York State, is author of God in Our Relationships: Spirituality between People from the Teachings of Martin Buber.God in Our Relationships: Spirituality Between People from the Teachings of Martin Buber

Great, Now what are we to do?
This is a hard topic to talk about in the non jewish worrld as it is.Most americans brush it under the carpet.Then you want to talk about the Jewish world.The women are ashamed.It is always a hard topic to talk about.A shanda.But the Rabbi's need to talk about it in their congrregations.I was recently aproached by someone, who said thank g-d it doesn not happen in our community.Most will not talk about it unless it is brought up in our community.No one in the jewish community talks about it on the bima.The biggest thing is to educate, the adults as well as the chikdren.
The author gives some good tips for the community.The community does the assessment, but there is not any jewish organization that has followed through. Unfortunately But, she does give the problems in the jewish community. The organzations and the great jewish volunteers.But there is not enough man power.We have a problem.Action speaks louder than words.
It would be great if there was a author who address the national jewish community, not just Massachusettes.She does put resources in the back of the book.

It's about time
I thoroughly liked Sins of Omission, and am grateful to Goodman Kaufman for having so articulately, fully, and acutely written about domestic abuse.As I titled this review, I will say again how it is about time that someone wrote about domestic abuse in the jewish community.The author's suggestions for what to do in the future are what really inspired me - there is hope, there are options, and practical things can be done.I admire her courage for writing about such a taboo subject and hope that her efforts will not go unmatched by communities' responses and actions to combat domestic abuse.The individual anecdotes of victims and survivors are what truly spoke to me, as they should for anyone who reads this book.I fully recommend this book as a necessary read. ... Read more

Product Description
The premises of this book are that domestic violence, child abuse and incest is still too prevalent in our society even after 20 years of proactive work by organizations. The goals of this book are to educate people about domestic violence, incest and child abuse and to inspire them to make a difference in their lives, in the lives of their children and in the lives of other people. The book details the author?s journey through a life of isolation and torment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A deeper look inside.
Excerpt from the book:

I grew up with domestic violence and witnessed my mothers escape. As an adult, I lived with an abusive husband, leaving with my two children in 1996, our ninth departure. We first went to my sisters and slept on her floor. Through the assistance of a social service agency, I learned of a shelter but didn't think I would qualify because I wasn't visibly bruised like Mom, although I did feel her shame and worthlessness.

I remember my father kicking my mother in the stomach when she was six months pregnant. He gave her black eyes and broke her nose twice. He would beat my brother and me in front of each other and told us if we cried he would beat us more. Mom left Dad for the final time, taking her five children to Aunt Rene's where we joined a cousin and her children fleeing an abuser. Mom borrowed Aunt Rene's pistol, afraid of what Dad would do to us after his release from jail. When he came, Mom confronted him with the gun. He left, but I always wondered how our lives would have turned out if Mom had killed Dad that night.

At the time, my mothers only recourse was to live in the projects in Houston: her two sisters were married to abusive men and we couldn't stay with our grandparents because Grandpa had raped Mom as a child and she was afraid he would molest us, although he eventually did.

Without a diploma, Mom worked full-time at night and attended school full-time during the day. While my mother never sought any counseling, I had access to a shelter and its services: a court advocate to escort me to court, help in obtaining a protective order, an apartment with the anonymity required to prevent our abuser from stalking us as he always had, daycare for my children, and most importantly, help in locating psychiatric services to manage my depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), as well as much-needed counseling for my daughters and myself. I'd left my abuser so many times before and always returned because of money and fear.

After eight consecutive departures and returns, I felt my daughters didn't deserve such a pathetic mother. I wasn't there for them emotionally of financially. I felt like such a
failure. I was ready to end my life.

It took years to fully recognize my abuse. I didn't know that besides physical abuse, domestic violence includes emotional abuse, sexual abuse, isolation, using the children, economic abuse, male privilege, coercion and threats. The shelter helped me gain control over my life. With their help I went back to school and I am now a graphic designer. For the first time I feel more important than my abusers and that I have a real chance to make it.

My mothers journey from domestic violence ended with my journey. My daughters won't repeat the cycle of abuse. That is the most precious gift anyone has ever given me.

------------

am a public speaker and have addressed audiences of over 500 regarding domestic violence, incest and child abuse. I've given a multi-media presentation at The Women's Museum, Dallas City Hall including Mayor Laura Miller and spoken to law students at SMU. I've appeared on Good Morning Texas and have been interviewed by media outlets in Austin, Texas where I testified before the Texas Senate regarding domestic violence.

The book consists of several short essays followed by poetry. I designed the cover and back (excluding misguided typography) and included my artwork.

Angela Hayden
ART GODDESS
http://www.cafepress.com/angelahayden

An honest and touching personal account
Ms. Hayden offers an opportunity for an empathetic journey through her own trauma and in doing so, bravely displays the hope she retained and ultimately seized in her triumph over physical and sexual abuse. Readers will gain an insight into the intergenerational component of abuse only offered by such a heartfelt and nearly stream-of-consciousness account.

a daring and honest book
In her book, Ms. Hayden does what few women dare to do.She tells the truth - both in prose and in poetry imbued with a raw, emotional honesty - about domestic violence and its effects on women's minds, sexuality, and families.In a culture where women's suffering and acquiescence to exclusively male sexual gratification remain the norm both inside of the bedroom and out, Dead Wrong dares to break the `feminine' silence.It is a rallying call to women who have been and are being victimized, and a must-read for anyone who seeks to know all facets of the reality of female existence in the contemporary western world.

Why She Doesn't Leave
This book is so real, so touching.It is walking through the anguish of abuse with the author.
I almost felt the pain as she told about her childhood.By the time she began to tell about her abusive husband, anger had set in.Then I was allowed to cheer when she discovered a way out and had the courage to take it.
I hope every person who has a daughter, sister, or other loved one in an abusive relationship will read this book.It will help them understand and, hopefully, stop them from asking the question, "Why didn't she just leave?" ... Read more

Product Description
This text is for women who have recently left an abusive relationship and are attempting to face the challenge of putting their lives back together. During this difficult period, women who have managed to leave the relationship are faced with the scary and daunting prospect of living independently, rebuilding self-esteem and self-worth, and learning how to establish healthy relationships in the future. Many are tempted to return to the abuser and have to mend or re-establish relationships with friends or family. This book provides accessible practical information on how to protect yourself once you've left the relationship, how to get through the difficult emotions that accompany leaving an abusive relationship, and includes exercises that are designed to help women monitor their emotional progress as they get further away from their old relationships. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

An Invaluable Help in the Healing Process
It's My Life Now fills an important gap in the literature on domestic violence. There are several great books out there that help bring the abused to the point of recognizing that they are in an abusive relationship that they must escape. These books help clarify the patterns and cycles that are common to so many abusive relationships. When searching for help and healing myself, I largely encountered books that told me how to get out, get safe, and (had I any children) get custody. But at that point, I had already fought my way out of my abuser's grasp and was searching for something to help me untangle the webs of control, humiliation, and verbal abuse I had endured. I was also struggling with difficult feelings of guilt, loss, and anger that I needed some guidance to process. That is where this book came in: the practical guide to regaining yourself after enduring abuse and/or violence.

What is so valuable and remarkable about this book, compared to many others, is that it walks the abused through the complicated (and admittedly frightening) time AFTER she gets out of the relationship.

It begins with the typical identification of abuse and abusive behaviors, but as this book is written for those who have already left their abuser, this list serves a different purpose. In an incredibly reassuring and helpful chapter that addresses the feelings of love for the abuser that may still remain, we are asked to make a list of the qualities that were attractive in him in the first place. Then, we return to the initial chapter's list of abusive behaviors and make a list of what type of abuses were committed and with what frequency. The positive list serves to reassure the abused that she had compelling reasons for being attracted to the abuser, while the abuses list reminds her that the abuser (however charming) is not who he seemed. There are many more simple, journal-style exercises that I found important for gaining insight and perspective.

The book addresses key issues I encountered in the uncomfortable period that ensued within one week or two of leaving my abuser. The author also recommends that readers return to these topics and exercises one month later, for comparison. (Perspective is everything.) I have emphatically recommended this book to the women I have met in domestic violence support groups, who have returned nothing but praise for the usefulness, pertinence and clarity of It's My Life Now. I have found it invaluable in my own process and will continue to refer to it when I require strength or guidance.

Very helpful
I would recommend this book for anyone who has been in a relationship with a controlling person. You will think you're reading about your own life.

---This is the old, 2000 edition---
Please refer to the 2006 expanded, second edition. Just click on either author above.

5+++
Easy read, that helps make so much sense after coming out of an abusive marriage. It helps to make sense of the situation and how one might have gotten their- without the blame.If you were ever abused, mentally, physically, emotionally, this is a book for you.

A must read for anyone who has experienced domestic violence
I could not put this book down, I carried it with me everywhere it helped me regain my sanity after a very abusive relationship.
A brilliant read - you will find yourself on every page. You are not alone. An important book for recovery. ... Read more

Product Description
Rethinking Domestic Violence reviews research in the area of intimate partner violence. The research crosses disciplinary lines, including social and clinical psychology, sociology, psychiatry, criminology, and criminal justice research. Since the area of intimate partner violence is so heavily politicized, Dutton tries to steer through conflicting claims by assessing the best research methodology. As a result, he comes to some new conclusions about intimate partner violence.After 20 years of viewing intimate partner violence as generated by gender and focusing on a punitive "law and order" approach, Dutton now argues that this approach must be more varied and flexible. Treatment providers, criminal justice systems personnel, lawyers, and researchers have indicated the need for a new view of the problem—one less invested in gender politics and more open to collaborative views and interdisciplinary insights. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

The tip of the iceberg.
From Chap. 7, The Domestic Assault of Men.

"Proportion of female victims who feared for life in intimate terrorism relationships - 83 percent
Proportion of male victims who feared for life in intimate terrorism relationships - 77 percent
-Canadian General Social Survey

The last chapter reviewed data that have been troubling for feminists since the first US National Survey of 1975: women are as violent as males.Because this finding contradicts feminist theory, it has been suppressed, unreported, reinterpreted, or denied.The female violence rates have been portrayed as self-defensive violence, less serious violence, or a result of reporting differences.In fact they equal or exceed males rates, they include female violence against non-violent males, and they have serious consequences for males."

Interesting, that such a powerless group could so successfully suppress, unreport, reinterpret or deny such relevant information.If the above is true - and every major study, excepting those based on police reports, supports it - then how is that we don't know that women are as violent as men?Whose interest would that be in?What else are feminists telling us that bears closer scrutiny?

What amazes me is, how politically powerful women are, based on the notion that they have far less power than men.And that's why feminists suppress, unreport, reinterpret or deny any evidence of discrimination against men - it would erode their power base, if it turned out that men have it just about as bad as women.Why would we be supporting people (mostly women)in colleges and universities in producing studies only about discrimination against women, if it turned out that 98% of the soldiers dying in Iraq are male, or that female soldiers have a choice about combat, while men don't?Why would we be passing laws about violence against women, if it turned out that women are just about as violent as men?Why would we be putting so much more public money into breast cancer research, if it turned out that the incidence of prostate cancer were almost as high?Why would we allow women to kill their unwanted children, yet still demand that men spend 20 years of their lives, using their own bodies (our bodies,our lives)to support their own unwanted children?

Women, most of you don't have much interest in finding out more about this.Guys, we're screwed if we don't start finding out, and publishing, more of the truth.

Dealing with a New Paradigm
Rethinking Domestic Violoence by Donald Dutton is an important book in presenting a comprehensive look at domestic violence.It unfolds the new paradigm that is emerging regarding the prevention of family violence.As Donald Dutton makes clear in the book, our North American societies have depended too long on responding with a law and order approach to family violence.It is time for a different approach.

support your local criminal -
Wonderful book for those who beat,bash and batter- and frequently murder their victims. These criminals can use this book in court now, to help themselves avoid punishment under the law. Perhaps it will sell as well as O.J.'s book - - - -

Rethink buying this book
Dutton is a controversial figure in the domestic violence field.Despite glowing recommendations here, the truth is that he is not universally admired.This book presents more rehashing of his tired ideas.As a DV expert with over thirty years of field experience, as a survivor, former shelter board president, former chair of a large statewide coalition of domestic violence organizations, a gubinatorial appointee to a statewide task force on domestic violence and a former CEO of a large DV program, I do not have much, if any, regard for Dutton's philosophies and theories.

Please DO NOT read this misleading and erroneous book
I hardly know how to begin a review of this book. The premises laid forth by Dutton and "proven" by the research he cites are ludicrous at best. I have worked in the field of domestic violence (for almost 20 years now), including as a government funded researcher doing controlled clinical trials for a number of years. This book represents a major set-back to the great advances that have come about due to the impressive body of legitimate research that has been conducted on this vital topic in recent years. There is so much wrong about this book that I can't even begin to review it in the space allowed. If anyone wants to read valid works and understand domestic violence, I reccomend reading Why Does He Do That by Lundy Bancroft and When Men Batter Women by Jacobson and Gottman. The first is already a classic and the later describes a phenomenal ten year longitudinal study of 200 couples experiencing violence. Do not waste your money on this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Every 3 minutes a woman I raped! Every 15 seconds a woman is battered! Every 6 hours a woman is battered to death! Domestic Violence in America is a uniquely interesting book. It presents an inter-disciplinary approach to the elimination of spousal battery. The thesis of this volume purports that the stopping of domestic violence in our society is contingent on collaborative efforts among mental health professionals, medical practitioners, law enforcement, the judiciary, academia, and, above all, the family.The author has masterfully woven his argument in a colorful quilt of multi-disciplinary cooperation unprecedented in the medical and social sciences, but convincingly essential if our women and children are to be safe from family violence. ... Read more

Product Description

Do you want out of an abusive situation or need a new career? Are you facing a terminal illness? You are not alone. Aurea McGarry has been there—and she knows that same pain.

In her honest and uplifting memoir, McGarry chronicles a lifetime of obstacles that would easily knock others down: a murdered father, an abusive marriage, and an epic battle with cancer. But McGarry found the strength to tackle life’s problems through her relationship with God.

With powerful prose, she details the events of her life and then unleashes her secrets to success to help you:

Product Description
Through articles, book excerpts, cases, and statutes, the author encourages discussion of the legal system?s role in domestic violence situations. Topics range from historical and basic issues, such as restraining orders and tort suits, to controversial ones, including marital rape, arrest and prosecution policies, and battered mothers charged with failure to protect their children from batterers. Other chapters cover how domestic violence impacts different groups. Additional topics include guns, confidentiality and safety, and victims as welfare recipients, workers, tenants, and applicants for asylum. The materials foster critical thinking among students, as they include contradictory points of view. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Editor is Factually Challenged
Lemon, the editor of this work, has been engaged in a high-profile debate with philosopher Christina Hoff Sommers over the past six months regarding factual errors in this book. As a result, Lemon (a lecturer at Berkeley's law school) has publicly made a fool of herself by insisting on the historicity of Romulus as the "first king of Rome," and employing blatant logical fallacies to justify misrepresentations of statistical data in her book. (Most high school Latin students learn early in their studies that Romulus was a mythical figure fathered by Mars and suckled by a she-wolf, but Lemon stubbornly argued that Romulus was a real person who wrote laws authorizing men to beat their wives!)Lemon's unfortunate forays into the fields of ancient history and medical statistics have brought embarrassment to Berkeley and its law school.

Book full of Myths
The article "Persistent Myths in Feminist Scholarship" in Chronicle of Higher Ed by Christina Hoff Sommers exposes a number of inaccuracies in this book.

""The history of women's abuse began over 2,700 years ago in the year 753 BC. It was during the reign of Romulus of Rome that wife abuse was accepted and condoned under the Laws of Chastisement. ... The laws permitted a man to beat his wife with a rod or switch so long as its circumference was no greater than the girth of the base of the man's right thumb. The law became commonly know as 'The Rule of Thumb.' These laws established a tradition which was perpetuated in English Common Law in most of Europe."

Where to begin? How about with the fact that Romulus of Rome never existed. He is a figure in Roman mythology -- the son of Mars, nursed by a wolf. Problem 2: The phrase "rule of thumb" did not originate with any law about wife beating, nor has anyone ever been able to locate any such law. It is now widely regarded as a myth, even among feminist professors.

A few pages later, in a selection by Joan Zorza, a domestic-violence expert, students read, "The March of Dimes found that women battered during pregnancy have more than twice the rate of miscarriages and give birth to more babies with more defects than women who may suffer from any immunizable illness or disease." Not true. When I recently read Zorza's assertion to Richard P. Leavitt, director of science information at the March of Dimes, he replied, "That is a total error on the part of the author. There was no such study." The myth started in the early 1990s, he explained, and resurfaces every few years."

A Pioneering and Definitive work in Domestic Violence Law
This is the 2nd edition of the first legal textbook written in the area of Domestic Violence law in the U.S.It is a necessity for anyone in the U.S. who wishes to work with clients who are victims of domestic violence, or with clients who are accused batterers.If you want to have a comprehensive foundation in all the pertinent issues, read this.Don't forget the 2008 supplement! ... Read more

Product Description

Domestic violence, childhood sexual abuse, rape and sexual assault, and sexual exploitation through prostitution, pornography and trafficking can have many significant adverse impacts on a survivor’s health and wellbeing, in the short, medium and long-term.

Taking a life-course approach, the book explores what is known about appropriate treatment responses to those who have experienced, and those who perpetrate, domestic and sexual violence and abuse. The book also examines key factors that are important in understanding how and why different groups experience heightened risks of domestic and sexual violence and abuse, namely: gender and sexuality; race and culture; disability; and abuse by professionals.

Drawing together results from specially commissioned research, the views of experts by experience, experts by profession and the published research literature, the book argues that sufficient is already known to delineate an appropriate public health framework, encompassing primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, to successfully tackle the important public health issue represented by domestic and sexual violence and abuse. Domestic and sexual violence and abuse equips health and social care professionals and services to identify and respond to the needs of affected individuals with a view to the prevention and early intervention.

Product Description

Most therapists have experience with wives, girlfriends, and children of violent men, never suspecting that domestic violence offenders can be women too. In Domestic Violence Treatment for Abusive Women, Bowen challenges us to re-think our gender and violence constructs and guides clinicians through the emerging field of treatment of female abusers.

Unlike other books designed for male clients that may be adapted to women, this book is specifically written for use with women, with handouts and exercises created from the author’s own clinical experience. It is deliberately designed to give clinicians knowledge to deal with all aspects of female domestic violence, from dealing with their first client to filling out paperwork correctly. The first part of the book is dedicated to defining female violence and helping readers overcome pre-existing gender stereotypes. The second part provides a framework for everything a therapist needs in order to set up and facilitate a domestic violence treatment program for women. As a whole, Domestic Violence Treatment for Abusive Women helps the licensed mental health professional understand women’s domestic violence and offers step-by-step direction for successful therapy.

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent, timely book
Book Review: Domestic Violence Treatment for Abusive Women, by Ellen Bowen, LCSW/BCT

I have two words to say about this new book on domestic violence: About Time. This is the first book in the clinical literature about how to treat violent and abusive women. It is written in two major sections: Part 1 deals with theory; Part 2 deals with practice.

In Part 1, Bowen draws from the most up-to-date research to show how women are at least 50 percent responsible for the violence that occurs in domestic partner relationships. Shattering the myth of a dominating male brute as the only partner capable of violence, the book reveals dynamics of intimate partner abuse and how men and women are alike and how they are different in patterns and uses of violence.

This section also goes through theoretical underpinnings for what creates a person likely to become violent in relationships. Bowen brings in family of origin, social learning theory, attachment theory, and trauma theory. Case studies demonstrate how the theory connects with actual people. Bowen's discussion of treatment includes a clear description of the use of motivational interviewing and how to define treatment goals. She brings in other factors, such as substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, cultural competence, and ethical considerations.

Part 2 is literally a manual that walks you through everything you need to know, have, and do to run a domestic violence group for women, from the first phone call to termination. That is quite a tall order, and Bowen fills it expertly, to the brim. Bowen lays out, step by step, how to do specific things, such as a DV assessment, write a progress report to a probation officer, and how to set up all important, healthy boundaries and guidelines. She provides all the forms a clinician needs to run a group, including the assessment form, office policy information, and program rules. She provides all the handouts that she gives her clients to put in their "binder," including how to take a time out, how to do active listening, and how to identify their attachment style. This section is clear and complete, and includes everything.

The book overall fits very well together. The first part describes what is happening and why it is happening, along with implications for clinical work. The second part lays out everything a clinician needs to actually do the work. Additionally, included throughout the book are When... and What if...? statements, such as: What if she objects to treatment?; When a woman wants advice...; When a woman discloses her aggressive behavior...etc.These statements present clear, specific situations a therapist is likely to face. The statements are accompanied by solutions or choices that a therapist has for each situation. I found this format very practical and user-friendly.

Bowen also provides good, sound information for anyone working as a therapist, including tips on group facilitation, assessing a new client, bringing in someone new to a group, and termination issues. And at the end of the book, there is an excellent question and answer section, so that just in case Bowen might have missed something you wanted to know, she gets it covered here.

As someone who works with groups of domestic violence perpetrators, I can say that I learned a lot from reading this book, and her materials are first rate. I can also see how this book is an invaluable resource for clinicians. We all come across relationships where violence is an issue, and this book will no doubt be invaluable in spotting it, understanding it, and doing something about it.

Although this book is about working with violent women, much of what is included here applies to and/or can be adapted for working with men.

To conclude, I have just two final words for Ellen Bowen: Good Job.

No. I just thought of two more: Thank You.

Excellent, timely book
Book Review: Domestic Violence Treatment for Abusive Women, by Ellen Bowen, LCSW/BCT

I have two words to say about this new book on domestic violence: About Time. This is the first book in the clinical literature about how to treat violent and abusive women. It is written in two major sections: Part 1 deals with theory; Part 2 deals with practice.

In Part 1, Bowen draws from the most up-to-date research to show how women are at least 50 percent responsible for the violence that occurs in domestic partner relationships. Shattering the myth of a dominating male brute as the only partner capable of violence, the book reveals dynamics of intimate partner abuse and how men and women are alike and how they are different in patterns and uses of violence.

This section also goes through theoretical underpinnings for what creates a person likely to become violent in relationships. Bowen brings in family of origin, social learning theory, attachment theory, and trauma theory. Case studies demonstrate how the theory connects with actual people. Bowen's discussion of treatment includes a clear description of the use of motivational interviewing and how to define treatment goals. She brings in other factors, such as substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, cultural competence, and ethical considerations.

Part 2 is literally a manual that walks you through everything you need to know, have, and do to run a domestic violence group for women, from the first phone call to termination. That is quite a tall order, and Bowen fills it expertly, to the brim. Bowen lays out, step by step, how to do specific things, such as a DV assessment, write a progress report to a probation officer, and how to set up all important, healthy boundaries and guidelines. She provides all the forms a clinician needs to run a group, including the assessment form, office policy information, and program rules. She provides all the handouts that she gives her clients to put in their "binder," including how to take a time out, how to do active listening, and how to identify their attachment style. This section is clear and complete, and includes everything.

The book overall fits very well together. The first part describes what is happening and why it is happening, along with implications for clinical work. The second part lays out everything a clinician needs to actually do the work. Additionally, included throughout the book are When... and What if...? statements, such as: What if she objects to treatment?; When a woman wants advice...; When a woman discloses her aggressive behavior...etc.These statements present clear, specific situations a therapist is likely to face. The statements are accompanied by solutions or choices that a therapist has for each situation. I found this format very practical and user-friendly.

Bowen also provides good, sound information for anyone working as a therapist, including tips on group facilitation, assessing a new client, bringing in someone new to a group, and termination issues. And at the end of the book, there is an excellent question and answer section, so that just in case Bowen might have missed something you wanted to know, she gets it covered here.

As someone who works with groups of domestic violence perpetrators, I can say that I learned a lot from reading this book, and her materials are first rate. I can also see how this book is an invaluable resource for clinicians. We all come across relationships where violence is an issue, and this book will no doubt be invaluable in spotting it, understanding it, and doing something about it.

Although this book is about working with violent women, much of what is included here applies to and/or can be adapted for working with men.

To conclude, I have just two final words for Ellen Bowen: Good Job.

No. I just thought of two more: Thank You. ... Read more

Product Description
Housewife Amanda Rio leads a seemingly normal life. She takes care of her husband Bobby and their 12-year-old daughter Mary in their quiet suburban neighborhood. She cooks, cleans and shops like any other homemaker. But her life is a continual nightmare. Amanda lives with a monster: her husband Bobby.

The burly man has a short fuse and he frequently takes out his frustrations on his wife. She seeks the help of a trusted priest and manages to convince her husband to begin couples counseling after Bobby inadvertently injures his daughter during one of his tirades. However, Amanda’s relationships with two different younger men threaten the Rio’s marriage and her own safety.

This character-driven story explores Amanda’s efforts to repair her marriage, and her self-destructive personality that complicates her quest. The only thing she wants is to live a safe and happy life. But her own foolish impulses may destroy her dream. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Novel of Domestic Violence - Excellent Character Study
Author Steven Donahue tackles the pivotal issue of domestic violence in his novel "Amanda Rio." Amanda, an attractive woman in her early thirties, married her high school boyfriend, Bobby Rio, when she was eighteen. Twelve year-old Mary is their only child. The Rios are a seemingly happy family - she's a stay-at-home mom, he is an independent contractor with his own business. But beneath Bobby's charming demeanor, rage simmers and he explodes into violence when it hits the boiling point. He cannot control himself. Rio has frequently endangered his wife's health, and her life, in the years they have been together. Now the situation has become worse. He has put his beloved daughter in the hospital.

Amanda has issues of her own. She continuously complicates her life by engaging in self-destructive, self-defeating behavior which seems to thwart her deepest desires. She fantasizes about her high school days, long ago, when she was a cheer leader and Bobby a football player - the most romantic couple on campus. She is an honest woman, very genuine, but usually winds up on the wrong side of every door. Amanda is quite impulsive and flirts with men, and boys, almost compulsively. Excessive drinking and keeping her own anger in rein are issues.

Bobby is a good man at heart. He is not mean, but he is controlling. He loves his wife and daughter, however, like most violent people, he grew up surrounded by violence. He was a victim also. The couple wants to keep their marriage together. They have committed to do so. Bobby has joined an anger management group and they have entered couples counseling with a trusted priest.

The author's character driven narrative is simply told, in a linear manner. The protagonists are well developed, three-dimensional people with some serious flaws - but they are likeable people too. Donahue doesn't over dramatize the violence, which is certainly dramatic enough, by concentrating on blood and gore. Instead he focuses on the love the couple has for each other, and for their daughter, and the anguish they both feel. The writing is not tight, however, and this is a problem. In an effort to show the quotidian, Donahue bogs down the narrative with excessive, repetitious, mundane details - what is eaten for breakfast each morning, who brushes their teeth in which bathroom, the daily list of household chores, who orders what at the restaurant, etc.. I think the novel would greatly improve with editing. There were times that I was about to put the book aside for the above reasons, but I was caught-up in the compelling characters and their story. I would have rated the novel 3 Stars, but I was riveted enough to continue reading late into the night. Check out the book at a local store, or your library, so you can glance through it and read a few pages before you decide to buy. A fascinating topic and characters - and a surprise ending.

Nearly one-third of American women (31 percent) report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women. Every 9 seconds a women is beaten in the United States.
JANA ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive resource book examines a broad range of issues that confront the victims of same-sex domestic violence and those who offer them services. Chapters include topics of practical concern, HIV, same-sex domestic violence, establishing safe-home networks for battered gay men, courtroom advocacy, coalition building and dating violence prevention. ... Read more

Product Description
Although domestic violence is not new, it has only recently been recognized as a problem meriting public attention. Great strides have been made in some areas-such as protection orders and shelter provision-but the problem as a whole has proven extremely resistant to countermeasures.

In Domestic Violence and the Politics of Privacy, Kristin A. Kelly argues that understanding this resistance requires a recognition of the tension within liberalism between preserving the privacy of the family and protecting vulnerable individuals. Practical, real-world information gained from front-line workers underpins the author's suggestions for how to address this tension. In emphasizing the roles of democratic institutions and community participation in determining the shape of future policy about domestic violence, Kelly replaces the traditional opposition of the public and private spheres with a triangular relationship. The state, the family, and the community comprise the three corners.

Kelly builds upon interviews with more than forty individuals working directly on the problem of domestic violence. Her model is further formed by a critical analysis of the theoretical and legal frameworks used to understand and regulate the relationship between public and private. ... Read more

Product Description
Research into children and domestic violence in recent years has emphasized the importance of giving positive support to a non-abusive parent for effective child protection. But what exactly does positive support involve? Based on findings from six primary research studies carried out by the authors themselves, as well as other published research, this book reveals how undermining mothering - specifically, family courts and social work agencies blaming mothers for their own victimization - plays a key role in locking women into abusive relationships and exacerbating the damage done by domestic violence. It explores the principle message drawn from the research: that the needs of individual victims should inform risk assessment and safety planning by welfare practitioners. Case studies are used to explore key issues that should be considered during assessment and planning, such as the psychological impact on children of living in an abusive household; mother and child protection from an abusive partner during court proceedings; and child contact with an abusive parent."Mothering Through Domestic Violence" is essential reading for practitioners working in the fields of family and child welfare, family courts and policy makers. ... Read more

Product Description
Author, Donna Savage takes readers on the tragic journey of her life, as she vividly describes many gut wrenching, violent episodes inflicted upon her at the hands of her abuser.

This book will cause an explosion of emotions as some readers will identify with Donna, being victims/survivors themselves or knowing of someone going through this relentless crime.Those who have survived their horrific ordeals will reflect on their own freedom as they applaud Donna’s release from her abuser, after God’s divine intervention in her life.

Being quiet about this topic should not be an option for anyone, including the abuser.Help is available, and has to be sought out, as well as received.Generations have too long kept silent, allowing the abuse to continue.Let’s break our silence and put an end to the vicious cycle of domestic violence, which is taking so many lives through out the world!
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A must read for everyone
Donna is transparent in this, her life story.A must read for everyone.It will help you understand the abused and the abusers.

A Transcendent Journey Through a Horrible Crucible!
This wrenching and traumatic account of this woman's life is a firm testament to the transformative power of personal strength, hope and faith in spiritual belief. This woman is not just a survivor; she is a "Liver" in that she aspires to living a full and productive life rather than settling for an existence.

One cannot help but feel tremendous emotional upheavals as this woman struggles to manage the severe traumas of family dysfunction and her own heroic escape out of the cycle of domestic violence. Be warned, this personal account will challenge the most stoic of readers as you are made a virtual witness to this wrenching narrative.

I encourage all who read this biography to remember it is not enough to talk about this most important of issues but rather to do something about it. This woman does not lament her life's story nor ask for pity so much as she takes us on her own trans-formative process of personal growth and revelation. Her undeniable message is that anyone can liberate themselves from even the worst of circumstances and lead a freer, meaningful and fulfilling life if only they would dare to do so!

This book has tremendous educational value for all people who need to be educated about dysfunctional and toxic family dynamics and its virulent effects on families and their communities at large.

For those who may be experiencing or know someone who is presently coping with family violence, I highly recommend this book to help bring themselves to conscious awareness of their circumstances and initiate proactive efforts to change and safeguard their own lives and the lives of their children. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

Refuge: a pathway out of domestic violence and abuse
I found this book to be very helpful. I have been in a bad relationship for almost 20 years. This detective has done more to "open my eyes" to the reality of my situation. Ican relate to the book so well it is almost scary. Mr. Stewart explained behaviors of the abusive person and I can see everything so clearly now. The only thing I can disagree with him is in the 12 month escape plan. I do believe it is a great thing for those who are able to find a person or family who will let them live with them until they can get on their feet. The downside is that it will be extremely hard to find people who are willing to take on ALL of your physical and monetary needs, especially with children in the home.
SO, 4 stars, this book has done more to make me think cleary than I would have ever dreamed.

It's About Time
Det.Sgt.Stewart has done a wonderful job of bringing this subject to light from the perspective of a professional who has been in the trenches. Many books are written by counselors, pastors and others, who have a more cerebral approach to the subject of domestic violence. The author has written a bare bones factual book from someone who has actually been in the homes minutes after the events happened.He brings insight and compassion needed to address the abuse but also offers suggestions that work. If one needed to literally walk through the system, with someone who has seen the outcomes of abuse, he would be the perfect guide.In lieu of having him personally take you to each person you would need to see, this book is the alternative.
I recommend it highly.
R F Cochran- Author- Echoes Of A Silent River

A male victim of Domestic Violence
55% of all domestic violence is caused by women Not men. My ex-wife hit me 38 times and she has still not been arrested. This book only seperates and promotes a discrimination against men. Both men and women are abused and should be treated the same. This problem will only start to be solved when all Shelters are open to MEN and women, not just "the weaker sex."Everyone should care about this problem because, ALL VICTIMS IN UP IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM USUALLY WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE- which means YOU PAY FOR THEIR CARE!

Outstanding Book!
Don Stewart is an expert in dealing with domestic violence.He has seen the effects of violence on women and children, and provides a much needed wake-up call to the Christian community, challenging pastors and churches to become actively involved in providing safety and help for families instead of pretending the problem doesn't exist or looking the other way.For victims of violence, this book gives hope and practical help.It is a "must read" for every pastor, family member, friend, and caregiver of DV victims, as well as for DV survivors.

Hog Wash
I find this to be so one sided that it will cause more problems then it will resolve. The facts are straight from the files of gender feminist. The author was trained in domestic violence by the federal govement...I am sure using funds from the Violence Against Women Act. This was written with the help of gender feminist...sort of like asking the klu klux klanto write laws concerning racial relations?

This author states domestic violence cause more women to go to the Emergeny room then most other reasons combined. Come on..more women go for DOG BITES then for domestic violene. 95% of all victims are women? Come on now..even the Department of Justice disproves this and they state at least 40% are men.

The "rule of thumb" was never used to allow a man to beat his wife

If these facts are so far off base..we can not trust ANY of this
book!!!!

Get the facts by researching this yourself by typing in "abused men" in any major search engine. ... Read more

Product Description
“Victims of domestic violence who read this book will know they are not alone.”

Customer Reviews (3)

A must read!
This book is breath-taking.It is "must read" for anyone that wants to understand the dynamics of domestic violence - particularly advocates, investigators, and social workers that are new to the field.I use this book for a class for undergraduates majoring in Human Services and have found it is able to educate in a way that is unparalleled to any other book.

Powerful book
This is the story of a domestic violence victim who was murdered by her husband directly in front of the police station after leaving the court house after obtaining an order of protection.It is based on her husband's own writtings. It is a must read for any domestic violence investigator or advocate as it provides insight into the mind set of a dangerous domestic violence stalker who showed few outward signs of his dangerousness.

CONVERSATIONS WITH JEAN
THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATES BOOKS I HAVE HAD MY HANDS ON. COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. EVERY WOMAN NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK WILL TOUCH YOUR HEART. IF YOU ARE IN A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOME OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS GET THIS BOOK FOR YOUR SELF OF FOR SOMEONE ELSE TRULY A BOOK THAT NEEDS TO BE READ. ... Read more